Defining Microsoft Windows VistaEssay Preview: Defining Microsoft Windows VistaReport this essayDefining Microsoft Windows VistaThe intent of this paper is to provide a background of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system development, including when it was developed, how the development process was management, what needs this specific operating systems was developed to respond to in the Information Technologies market. This paper will also analyze the correlation of Information Technologies and Microsofts Windows Vista position.
Background of Windows Vista DevelopmentOriginally announced as Longhorn by Microsoft (et.al.) on July 22, 2005 to journalists and analysts it was released to public distribution use by hardware OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and the general public on January 230, 2007. This is the longest period of time between operating systems releases in the history of Microsoft. There are many factors that contributed to the re-inventing of Longhorn to Microsoft Vista; chief among them was the rapid rise of security as critical unmet needs across all target markets for this operating system. Microsofts chairman and CEO Bill Gates announced the Trustworthy Computing Initiative in early 2002 which was the direct result of the security shortcomings in Windows XP Professional, XP Home, and previous generation client and server operating systems.
The Longhorn development cycle had begun in May 2001 according to Peter Galli (et.al.), and was expected to fill the gap between Windows XP and the more robust operating system code named “Vienna” within Microsoft. In what was a tumultuous period of Microsofts development, in 2003 Robert Allchin, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer decided to stop development of the existing Longhorn operating system and revert to use the existing Windows Server 2003 code base as the foundation for Windows Vista. What forced these three Microsoft executives to scrap development of the existing development of Longhorn and begin over was the inclusion of a completely different software development methodology called the Security Development Lifecycle, reducing the number of security-related errors in coding by as much as 50% to 60% according to Michael Howard (ET.AL.) writing in MSDN Magazine. The re-write of an entire operating system in the new development methodology completed changed the development processes within Microsoft as well. It took literally a year for the pace of coding to approach the efficiency levels of Longhorn prior to the decision being made.
Microsoft Windows Vista Key DifferentiatorsWhile there are literally hundreds of new features in this operating system, too many in fact to list in a paper of this scope, it is useful to look at the key differentiators, or what makes this operating system highly unique that are its core technologies and those enhancements focused on security.
Starting at the core technology area, the subsystems specifically for audio, print, display and networking subsystems have been specifically designed and developed with the needs of home, small and medium business, and larger enterprises in mind to optimize their performance using this operating system. The inclusion of IPv6, a standard for TCP/IP connectivity and essential for a network architecture, is now included in addition to support for TCP/IP window scaling for better security and higher network performance. Microsoft also focused extensively on core technologies in the wireless TCP/IP implementation to ensure secure access at potentially risky areas including public WiFi locations. In addition, Microsoft completely revamped the video driver and graphics display subsystem with the Windows Display Driver Model. This supports the necessary graphical support to make the Desktop Window Manager and Windows
RX and Desktop RX Driver Model as common.
The main focus of Microsoft’s Surface product roadmap is to expand the core technology area, with the Surface product line being its main product line and Surface Pro, Surface 2 as its first product line in this space.
Microsoft Surface Pro
In the Surface Pro, Microsoft announced a new product line that’s intended to bring much-needed connectivity improvements to many devices.
This product line includes two types of Microsoft Surface RT tablets, Surface RT 4 (SRT4) and Surface Studio 4 (SMS 4) tablets, along with Surface Studio S.5 and Surface Studio 5 tablets.
Each new Surface RT tablet is designed for business use on a tablet based operating system, with an SRT4 offering the benefit of higher performance and a lower cost compared to many existing Windows RT devices.
The Surface tablet will be available worldwide from July 2017.
SMS 4
Microsoft Surface 2 has been confirmed for the second consecutive version, with the first Surface tablet and Surface Studio on the way. The Windows® 8 OS will include support for the Windows RT operating system by Microsoft. The first version, Surface Studio, will be preinstalled on first generation Surface devices as part of the Microsoft Lumia 920 family. Microsoft also announced support for USB to Digital Converter technologies that support the design of devices with integrated digital-to-analog converters with the Surface 3.
In addition, Microsoft Surface Pro, which integrates with Surface 3, is scheduled to be available in Windows RT 8 and Windows 8.1 Windows 10, according to a Microsoft press release. The new product line will add support for Surface 3 and Surface Studio from the start, support for USB to Digital Converter technology, and support for touch-sensitive devices. Microsoft also announced support for Windows 10 via the Microsoft Connectivity Store and Surface Hub.
SMS 5
Microsoft Surface Pro and SCL-1000 provide an additional layer of innovation which will provide enhanced security in a networked environment based on Internet protocols, Microsoft states. As part of those changes, Microsoft has integrated additional protocols including Microsoft Secure Socket Layer (SST) components with the standard SCL-1000 and the SCL-2000 support. Microsoft also has integrated an additional Windows 7 application server in the SCL-1000 family, which provides extra security for new operating environments.
Microsoft also announced to its Surface network and network customers that the new Surface OS will be the first to offer wireless IPX10 (IPX) connections, meaning each interface will be configured and supported by a separate network for connecting.
The Surface 3 tablet is also scheduled to join the Microsoft Connectivity Store and Surface Hub and will include an additional Windows Server 2016 operating system, as well as an additional Windows Mobile operating system, Surface Studio for tablet computers.
The first 3S Surface device, which is currently powered by the ARM Z97 chip, will be offered on September 22, 2017.
In addition, an extra Windows 10 based Surface Hub device for iPad Pro and Windows 7 based iPad devices has been confirmed with the same name and shipping dates.
Software Updates
A number of software updates are being added to the software that is available for Surface. The updates can be downloaded from the following Microsoft Store pages:
Microsoft Store App Development, Devices, Productivity Devices and Updates
The following areas have been updated from the list in January 2017:
Support for Windows 8 in the Surface Pro.
Support for Windows RT on Windows 8.1.
Support for Windows 10 and Windows RT on Surface Hub.
Support for Windows RT on Surface Studio.
Supported Languages (Language) in the Windows 8 and Windows RT Store Apps Developer