Microsoft Vista and IE 7 betas
p2pnet.net News- Preliminary versions of Microsoft`s Internet Explorer 7 and Vista, aka Longhorn, were turned loose for beta testing yesterday, events eagerly awaited by every virus writer and hacker on the planet.
They also came, just in time for Microsoft’s annual meeting today with the Wall Street analysts whose reports often influence corporate stock prices, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer points out.
But, says the story, Mike Sievert, corporate vp in charge of marketing, downplayed another frequent criticism of the next Windows version – that many of its key features, such as fast file searching, are already available in Apple Computer’s latest Mac operating system.
We’re going to be able to bring this product out and be really proud of how innovative it is,” he`s quoted as saying. “People will draw comparisons, and I think when they draw those comparisons, they’re going to see what a breakthrough Windows Vista really is.
Microsoft included IE 7.0 bits in the Beta 1 build of Windows Vista that’s going to beta testers, and also released a separate IE 7.0 beta for Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 2 machines only, says eWeek, emphasising that “ultimately” it will run on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional x64 systems as well.
IE 7.0 Beta 1 went only to the same set of testers who are part of the Vista beta program, says the story.
But what will the new Microsoft vista truly reveal? Breakthroughs or a Windows broken irreparably by delays and by the increasing competitiion from browers such as Firefox and Opera and others yet to come? And if the Apple OS is likely to take significant bites out of Microsoft’s market share, what about Linux which has gone from being a geek`s choice to a major alternative to Microsoft products?
And still to be seen is how many, if any, of the host of other companies named Vista will give Bill and the Boyz a hard time with trademark violation lawsuits.
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See:-
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Microsoft gives beta look at Vista, latest Explorer, July 28, 2005
eWeek – Microsoft Delivers Pair of Internet Explorer Betas, July 28, 2005
trademark violation – ‘Vista’ lawsuits loom, p2pnet, July 27, 2005
