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SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft declared its longawaited Vista operating system finished.
“This is a good day,” Microsoft co-president of platforms Jim Allchin said at a press conference less than an hour after Vista was given final approval by the software giant.
“It is rock-solid and ready to ship. This is a significant milestone for Microsoft.”
Vista would be available worldwide in PCs on January 30, 2007, Allchin said. “We’ve made some big claims about Vista and I truly believe we will deliver them,” he said.
Microsoft originally targeted a 2005 launch for Vista, then pushed the release out to 2006 before announcing in March that Vista would again be delayed. There was also speculation among analysts that Microsoft would find it difficult to meet its early 2007 target.
Vista was more secure from hackers, performed more reliably, was more energy-efficient, and worked with more devices and applications than the Windows XP OS it was replacing, Allchin claimed.
The OS will be available in 18 languages by its official release next year. However, Allchin said, Vista eventually would be available in 100 languages.
“There is no question this is the most reliable system we have ever shipped,” Allchin said. “We’ve done more testing than on any other product.”
Power management software built into Vista reduced energy consumption and provided a “quick on-off experience” that users craved, according to Allchin.
Microsoft said it beefed up security on Vista to thwart attempts to break into the PC or infect them with malicious software such as viruses or worms.
“This is an escalating situation,” Allchin said of protecting computers from online attacks. “The hackers are getting smarter and there is more at stake.”
Testing of the OS included letting an army of outside computer security specialists attack it at will, according to Microsoft. A common lament among Windows users has been vulnerabilities exploited by hackers. “Customers will not only feel safer when they are running Vista, they will be safer,” Allchin said. It has been five years since Microsoft introduced the Windows XP OS that Vista will replace. Windows is used by approximately 90 percent of the world’s PCs with 70 percent of them running on Windows XP. AGENCIES