Here at DailyTechTalk, I am covering Mac and PC equally because I use both platforms equally. DailyTechTalk is produced on Mac but for everything work related, I use a Dell Core2Duo for all of my tasks. As you can imagine, I�m extremely excited about the upcoming release of Microsoft�s OS. Vistas has been in development for half a decade but what is so amazing about this release? I can go on and on pulling quotes out of the Vista white paper from MS tech net but instead I�ll break things down into sections that are most important to all of us. Security, Reliability and Functionality. What is on everyone�s mind is, can I do work better, faster and be less vulnerable to attacks from viruses and hackers?

Security is a huge concern and third party developers have benefited greatly by the vulnerabilities and downfalls in Windows xp and 2000. It is a billion dollar a year industry just to protect these PCs and I read the current stat is every unprotected PC can be compromised within 8 minutes of signing onto the internet for the first time. So naturally Microsoft has gone to great lengths to ensure that this is not the case with Vista so much that many of the companies profiting on security software are calling Microsoft out for hurting their business. Microsoft�s major solution to the issues is locking down the kernel and user permissions. The kernel is not allowed access by any program unless explicitly given access. Also, there are more levels of users on every workstation. Local users range from guest, user, power user, administrator and Microsoft has added a few more users in the mix since xp to give users more control of their systems and not handing rights over to a malicious software application. Microsoft has also added a two-way firewall, which may be overkill for some users, but no one is hurting from having this feature enabled. Microsoft is really pushing their OneCare Live suite which includes Virus and spyware protection, auto scanning the registry for malicious and extraneous entries, cleaning temporary internet files and even auto defragmenting hard disk drives on the user�s PC. The application is 49 dollars a year for up to three PCs in one household. OneCare is essential for all home PCs if you don�t already have Norton or CA�s solutions installed. The last feature included on every copy of Vista is the full 1.0 version of Windows Defender (currently in beta). There is a laundry list of enhancements but just a few minutes of googling can yield a ton of results.

Reliability is the next thing every user looks to in their PCs. We�ve all had documents open and suddenly that application quits and we�re stuck with a blank page (yes Mac users have this happen too) and the reaction to losing all of your work is always the same. Rage. I have to admit that the NT kernel, currently used in Windows xp, is a very reliable kernel as long as nothing compromises its reliability but installing a bad driver to a piece of hardware, or allowing a piece of software to compromise its functionality. I�ll put it this way; no operating system is trouble free but out of the box xp is a very reliable OS and Vista will be as well. You can certainly break this functionality and there goes reliability. Vista will be smarter when it comes to installing applications, setting up new hardware devices and handling multiple open windows. Some of these things go to functionality but reliability comes from having a fully functioned OS with everything falling together in a way that the user can understand.

Functionality is on everyone�s mind. While many individuals have already ordered he next OS many more are posing the question, �should I wait until I get a new computer or buy Vista now?� Before I give the run down on minimum CPU requirements, I will say that if you do anything on a computer more than MS paint, you�ll benefit from the features of Vista. You�ll enjoy browsing he Internet in with speed and with tabs thanks to IE 7, you�ll enjoy the new interface of Microsoft Office 2007 and if you�re in a peer-to-peer windows PC network or on a domain with a Windows server handling your email and files, you�ll feel a great breath of fresh air. Outlook 2007 is amazing and its built in tools are really functional and have a lot of new features. File sharing and network drives in a networking environment is easier in Vista and remote desktop and other networking tools are received generous face lifts as well as security options for new authentication technologies. Deciding what version of Vista is another story. You have 7 to choose from, BTW and it depends on where you compute, what kind of environment you computer and your wallet size. As far as CPU requirements, I have a Core2Duo w/ an Nvidia 7300 card and 2gbs of Ram and I�m worried. I would recommend a CPU with at least Pentium 4 w/ HT or a Pentium D (dual core). On the AMD side, no less than an AMD 64 chip and from there I wish you the best of luck.

Vista will rock your home, business and media center PC and you�ll be wowed at the new feature. Everyone should wait a few months for kinks to get worked out. I won�t be waiting but you definitely should. Good luck with Vista and if you�re already using the gold version let me know what you think.