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This stands in sharp contrast to Apple's approach with Tiger. Lots of things are going to change, and many, many features will be added by Beta 2 and beyond. Too, I'd like to remind you that Windows Vista is only in Beta 1. And today, that only happens with Windows and its user base of several hundred million active users. Features like instant desktop search are great for any operating system, but they only truly "matter" when the mainstream market is using them. However, you should also realize that, for Microsoft, size of market is a competitive advantage. For Apple, time to market is a competitive advantage and no one should begrudge them that. What I am claiming, however, is that Microsoft legitimatized certain technologies at PDC 2003 by announcing that they will be included in Windows, and that Apple seized on the opportunity to add those features-whether they were previously planned or not-in Tiger, which it knew would ship well before Windows Vista.
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I'm not claiming that Microsoft "invented" anything. After all, Apple was clearly influenced by some of the technology Microsoft showed off back then and knew that it could come to market much more quickly than the software giant.Īnd before you fire up your email client to tell me about Apple patents, ideas from Copland, or other nonsense, relax. Show report), at which the company publicly revealed its plans for its next-generation Windows version. For accuracy, I think it's important to compare Windows Vista Beta 1 to both Mac OS X Tiger and the promises that Microsoft made at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2003 ( see my Isn't a lot of this stuff already in Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" ( see my review)? For Mac OS X users, however, Windows Vista Beta 1 engenders a sense of d?j? vu. For Windows enthusiasts, Windows Vista Beta 1 is a much-needed demonstration that Microsoft can still churn out valuable Windows releases, after years of doubt. Windows Vista Beta 1 ( see my review) doesn't feature many end user features per se, but it does include a nearly complete next-generation Windows shell, instant desktop search, a preliminary version of the new Aero user interface, and other useful functionality.
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After years and years of waiting, we finally have a reasonably stable Windows Vista beta build to work with.
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