As is almost tradition, Microsoft has been thrown all kinds of both criticism and praise about the release of Vista. It's almost history repeating itself and it is of no surprise. But after all of the bugs have been ironed out, and sales begin leveling out for Microsoft, the inevitable next question is going to be, "What's next?"
The next step will be Microsoft's next major OS release. There are only some small details available about it at present; and more will come through as time progresses. But based upon information available online, this is what we do know about Vienna:
Release Date:
Microsoft have announced that they are aiming for a release by the end of 2009; which could mean that a developer's beta release as early as next year. However, it should be considered that Microsoft initially intended Vista to be released much earlier than 2007; so much can change over that time.
Official Title:
There is no official title as of yet, at least as far as Microsoft would have the public believe. At present, the Vienna title is sticking as a codename, though many job postings on the current development has tagged the OS as Windows 7 by Microsoft.
Design and Interface:
If Vista was intended to be a step forward from XP (though many will contend that it merely ripped off features already present in Mac OS X and different versions of Linux), Vienna is intended to be as much of a change in visual direction, just as XP was a departure from the classic Windows look. Another reasonable comparison would be the differences made in Windows 95 from Windows 3.1.
One of the rumored changes is apparently a radical change from the START menu, which has been a significant part of Windows releases over the last 12 years. There are some indications that the START menu is going to be evolving into more of a 3D circular, pie-chart style design. How that concept is going to work, or whether it will be used, still remains to be seen.
Windows Explorer is also being redeveloped and reconceived, though how far from its original concept it will go remains to be seen. The new Windows Explorer is being developed by the same team that developed the new interface used in Office 2007.
Additional public statements on Vienna by Bill Gates tend to indicate that the next OS will be "user-centric". Some examples Gates has provided on the concept have been somewhat vague, though one quote highlights this direction: "That means that right now when you move from one PC to another, you've got to install apps on each one, do upgrades on each one. Moving information between them is very painful," says Gates. "We can use Live Services to know what you're interested in. So even if you drop by a public kiosk or somebody else's PC, we can bring down your home page, your files, your fonts, your favorites and those things".
Multiple versions:
At present, it would appear that Vienna is being developed for a major client and major server release. In addition, Microsoft was openly criticized at the release of Vista with the gargantuan amount of versions that were available. While it's easy to see that they were trying to give consumers more choices, it's pretty obvious that the consumer reaction was not what they anticipated. When Vienna is released, I believe that they will return to the classic Home, Business, and Professional concepts. They are concepts that consumers have become familiar with, simply because XP used those release styles for six years. However, knowing Microsoft, it's also possible that they might even release an Ultimate or Elite version. That would be no surprise.
32-bit or 64-bit:
Microsoft has made some public statements saying that Windows Vienna will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. However, current trends in the industry seem to be moving technology into the path of the era of 64-bit, so it is entirely possible that Microsoft may change their position on this issue as time progresses. Paul Thurrott seems to believe this is the case and considers it to be an almost certainty, as it "is in keeping with Microsoft's x64 migration schedule".
Security and the Sandbox Approach:
A concept left behind in developments for Longhorn (which evolved into Vista) included the sandboxed approach for security, in which certain applications will run in a "contained environment" where the OS restricts access to and from the outside world of the Internet. Fundamentally, it is somewhat of a different "firewall-style" approach that Microsoft is taking in which applications, protocols, and files are regulated by Vienna. This may sound similar to some of the new security features and UAC already present in Vista - however in this case, expect an enhanced version using the sandbox approach. There are also other indications that point to Vienna expanding its data protection capabilities to peripheral devices also.
Search:
One of the major focuses in the development of Vienna is in the realm of search. Microsoft have often positioned themselves in competition with Google on search, and the work being done on Vienna will focus on local computer and internet searching made easier for users of the OS. It remains to be seen how close to the mark they are going to hit - especially when considering that Google is the leader as far as search is concerned.
Enhancing connections:
According to Paul Thurrott, "Windows Vienna will further enable the mobile workforce. It will deliver anywhere, anytime, any device access to data and applications. It will enable a robust ad-hoc collaboration experience. Wireless connectivity, management and security functionality will be expanded".
Accessibility:
Microsoft usually tries to make advances with accessibility tools with each major OS release, and one area they seem to be focusing on is illiteracy. Microsoft Research India has been developing audio and visual tools for illiterate users of computers, and if further development is successful, will no doubt be included in Vienna.
Pervasive Typing - the next generation of Auto-Complete:
Bill Gates let the cat out of the bag on this feature. He discussed the next generation of Auto-Complete where "a pervasive typing line that will recognize the sentence that [the user is] typing in." It is uncertain how complex this technology may be. Some enthusiasts seem to speculate that this technology may be something along the lines of Google Suggest.
Photosynth:
Microsoft Live Labs often work on new projects for consideration in future OS releases. They recently released some footage highlighting recent developments on a software program called Photosynth. The software compiles a large sample of photos from a place (or even an object), analyzes common aspects, and then assembles the collection of images as a navigational three dimensional space. Should development remain constant on this project, it will most likely be included with Vienna.
HD View:
Another interesting project coming out of Live Labs is HD View. The concept focuses on using multiple images to create a higher definition singular picture. It sounds similar to Photosynth, but seems more like software create to compile panorama style pictures. This would be a likely inclusion in Vienna.
Other features:
Vienna will most likely also include more hypervisor technologies, as in Windows Virtualization. It is also highly probable that Microsoft's new file system, WinFS, will be a major core component of the OS.
Future reading for news and updates on Microsoft Windows Vienna:
Ars Technica
Ars Technica is a great resource for general tech news, but is probably more renowned for its editorials. They feature Microsoft news from time to time, as well as other areas of computer news.
Digg
While Digg seems to have a majority of Apple fans and Linux fans, it does have its Microsoft fan base as well. Kevin Rose and the crew recently added a new category section specifically for Microsoft news, so expect news, rumors, and updates for Vienna to pop up in this section.
Engadget
Engadget is a great tech site with news about all hardware and software developments.
Gizmodo
Like Engadget, Gizmodo is another great tech site that mainly focuses on gadgets - but they do cover Microsoft news from time to time as well.
Lifehacker
Essentially a tech-news blog, this site mainly focuses on tips, tricks, and hacks - but will often feature news about all things tech. Like Ars Technica, Engadget, and Gizmodo, it is also a good resource for any news that surfaces about Microsoft.
Paul Thurrott's Super Site for Windows
Through the development of Longhorn, and in the lead-up to its release as Vista, Paul Thurrott was almost always ahead of the field as far as news was concerned. His website will no doubt be a key resource in the lead-up to the release of Vienna
