The History and Development of Microsoft Vista

 

 

 

Microsoft Vista has been the subject of much debate. There are some who have already readily jumped on the upgrade wagon. Others however seem to think that they need more convincing before falling for Vista. While many are simply content to complain about Vista’s performance, a brief look into its history and development will perhaps reveal much about what Vista is really about.

 

The Birth

The development of Vista, codenamed Longhorn began even before the release of Windows XP codenamed Whistler in 2001. Somewhere between May and June of 2001, plans for Longhorn were already afoot. It is interesting to note that Whistler was supposed to be followed by a major version codenamed Blackcomb. Longhorn came in between. In reality Whistler and Blackcomb are both ski resorts in British Columbia. Longhorn is a small bar in between the two places where travelers from Whistler relax before going on to Blackcomb. The codename choices alone are highly indicative of Vista’s status. Vista will apparently be around until Blackcomb comes. This explains much about why users are still reluctant to leave Whistler for a bar.

 

The Early Years

Much speculation arose about Longhorn in between late 2001 and 2002. Some people seem to have gotten so excited that they turned out fake leaks of the new system look. Real leaks did make it out however and a few things were set straight about Longhorn. It was revealed in 2002 that users can expect Longhorn to provide better privacy and security. The new operating system would also be able to help users organize files better and work on important matters even when away from the office. Users who had some access on leaks felt like Longhorn seemed much like XP but with some changes.

 

Adolescence

There wasn’t much talk about Longhorn in early 2003 but there were hushed whispers that spoke about higher expectations because of its delayed release. By mid 2003 and early 2004, everyone was up and excited again with new leaks about what to expect. At first the new look seemed to get the most attention. In the intervening months, people had their first glance on the new plexi look of Windows Explorer and a hint of the exciting 3D effects and graphics of Aero. Other leaks however also pointed to such great improvements as stronger parental controls and libraries with filtering functions. At this point, Microsoft stressed that Longhorn would make it for release in the early part of 2005.

 

Young Adulthood

Just like biological young adults, the development of Longhorn temporarily lost focus in late 2003 which resulted in another push on the release date. By the end of the year, the development process of Longhorn had to be reevaluated and mapped. For some months, there was a stop on internet build leaks. In mid 2005, the Aero look came into proper view, but Longhorn was seen at this point as more similar to Windows XP. It took some time before better build leaks were sighted that actually showed better changes.

 

Maturity

By July 2005, the name Windows Vista finally came into the light. In the same month, Windows Vista Beta 1 was finally released for beta testers and for MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Beta two was released nearly a year after in May of 2006. The months in between and after Beta 2 saw a series of builds and previews. It was only in November of 2006 however that the final version of Vista was born. It finally became available for consumers on January 30, 2007.