Following the announcement of the name of its next generation operating system, Windows Vista (previously code-named “Longhorn”) Microsoft announced the availability of the first Windows Vista beta to developers and IT professionals last Wednesday.

Windows Vista beta 1 is an important milestone on Microsoft Corp.’s path prior to releasing the final version of Windows Vista.

Beta 1 will provide thousands of developers, IT professionals and Windows enthusiasts with an opportunity to test the operating system’s infrastructure and provide Microsoft with valuable feedback.

“We live in a world of more information, more ways to communicate, and more things to do. We want the PC to adapt to us and help us cut through the clutter to focus on what’s important to us. That’s what Windows Vista is all about – bringing clarity to your world, so you can focus on what matters to you.” said Jad Hammoud, Desktop Product manager at Microsoft Eastern Mediterranean. “With Beta 1, Microsoft will start to give the world a first glimpse of our product, with most end-user features and experiences expected in the Beta 2 version. It is on track to deliver Windows Vista in 2006.”

Charbel Fakhoury, general manager for Microsoft Eastern Mediterranean commented: “Microsoft continually works to improve its software. Over the past few years, individuals in our region have seen a proliferation in the amount of information they have to handle and the experience they have come to expect from their personal computers. Windows Vista enables a new level of confidence in the security and reliability of your PC and in your ability to get the most out of it. It introduces clear ways to organise and use your information to focus on what matters to you while seamlessly connecting you to information, people, and devices that help you get the most out of life”

Windows Vista will provide users with:

Security: Integrated Anti-Malware capabilities to help protect customers from adware, spyware, “phishing” scams and other threats. Windows Vista will offer protected user accounts that greatly reduce the ability of interference from malicious code. It will include “Secure Startup,” that protects user data and ensures that a PC running Windows Vista hasn’t been tampered with.

Clarity: Powerful, integrated search capabilities to help find just about anything on the PC without having to manually search for it while new information management tools make it easy to view and organise files any way a user desires. Live icons show a thumbnail of the first page of the actual document, rather than a symbol for the program that created it. No need to remember exactly where a file was saved. With just a click, the user can instantly see all of the files across their PC. Documents can be created or organised in terms of their authors, subjects or keywords – or artist, song title, album for music. Windows Vista filters and indexes the document metadata, allowing users to intelligently create virtual folders that automatically populate themselves with documents matching user-specified attributes. Furthermore, a document framework, code-named “Metro,” which will allow users to create, share, print and archive documents with dramatically improved image quality, colour, graphics and print performance.

“Metro” uses open standards such as XML, XAML and ZIP, so it can be used with a wide range of devices and applications.

Connectivity: It can be complicated for a user to keep their information updated and synchronised across all their personal computers, network file servers, and devices like cell phones and PDAs. Windows Vista provides one place to quickly and easily set up devices and keep everything up to date. In addition, laptops will turn on almost instantly and have longer battery life through better power management. The system has built in support for advanced wireless networking standards – making mobile PCs useful in more places and for longer periods than they are today.

More details about the announcement and Microsoft Windows Vista can be found on http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/