What's this Vista thing, then?

Longhorn — now Windows Vista — may be arriving more slowly than expected and it might not have everything that was once planned, but Windows chief Jim Allchin maintains: "It's a big deal."

Among the features in the next-generation version of Windows are security improvements, some snazzy new graphics, and a new means of searching and organising information. Rather than having to remember the single folder where something is stored, users will be able to put documents in any number of virtual folders. They can also establish folders that will automatically update, such as "files edited in the last week" or "documents from Jane".

In addition, Microsoft is trying to simplify an array of other tasks, such as adding a PC to a home network or connecting a laptop to a projector.

When will Windows Vista arrive?
Microsoft has promised that Vista will be widely available on computers for the 2006 Christmas buying season. Microsoft released the first beta in July. The company is also issuing a series of interim builds, or community technology previews. The first of those was released in September and a follow-up version came in October. The server version of Longhorn is slated for 2007.

So what's in this Vista thing?
Vista — what used to be called Longhorn — has changed quite a bit since Microsoft first demonstrated an early version in 2003. The company has dropped plans to include its all-new WinFS file system and has also changed the way it's implementing a new Web services architecture, known as Indigo, and a new graphics engine, dubbed Avalon.

Among the key features of Vista as it currently stands are: security enhancements, a new searching mechanism, lots of new laptop features, parental controls and better home networking. There will also be visual changes, thanks to Avalon, ranging from shiny translucent windows to icons that are tiny representations of a document itself. On the business side, Microsoft said Vista will be easier for businesses to deploy on multiple PCs and will also save costs by reducing the number of times computers will have to be rebooted.

Microsoft is also planning to include anti-spyware tools, Internet Explorer 7, an update to its Web browser, as well as Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Calendar, a new system-wide tool designed to do for calendar information what Outlook Express does for email in Windows XP.

Is that all?
No. Among the other features Microsoft has publicly confirmed are: broad IPv6 support, improved client-side caching of data stored on a server, whole-volume encryption, a revamped synchronisation engine, the ability to support laptops with an auxiliary display, automatic hard drive optimisation and a secure boot-up process that helps prevent someone from gaining access to your data if your PC is lost or stolen. There's also probably a ton of stuff we haven't heard about yet.

Is everything final?
No. Microsoft's Allchin has said that getting Vista out on time is more of a priority than including every last feature. So if the team stumbles, some features could be on the chopping block.

Will my PC run Vista?
That depends on how recently you bought it. Microsoft Allchin said in an April interview that he expects Vista will need about 512MB of memory and "today's level" of processor. The ability to display all the fancy new graphics will depend on what type of graphics card one has. On some older machines, the graphics may look similar to today's Windows.

Will it come in the same editions as in the past — Home, Professional, Tablet and Media Centre?
Allchin said Microsoft is close to a decision there, but not ready to talk about it. "We are moving features around," he said.

How much will it cost?
Pricing, too, is yet to be decided.