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Software giant, Microsoft will soon release the next version of Windows, called Vista. Bill Gates and his empire of software engineers has pushed back the release dates many times so far. The only version available to the public users is the second beta version. The multi-billion dollar company has offered 30,000 free copies to users of there choice as long as they fill out the "secret" survey. Of course, the selected users will have to file an IRS tax form and eventually pay Uncle Sam. As of right now, Microsoft announced it would sell copies to businesses, including the government already. It will not be available to public users until January 30th, Microsoft said.

According to market researches, only a small percentage of companies are expected to update their systems from Windows XP to Vista over the next few months. Despite Vista's long waiting period and the length of time since Windows XP's release, it is not likely that businesses will adopt the operating system right away. The announcement is more likely to mark the start of serious system analysis and design testing within companies. By all rights, a systems analyst should do extensive performance testing with the new system and wait for the service packs to release.

One thing a systems analyst should research is the positive developments and capabilities of the new operating system. One thing Vista promises is better security and improved search and claiming it will be the fastest ever adopted operating system it has released. This is the usual promise Microsoft makes about its debut operating system. Some of the pro's I have found are listed below:

* Search or create virtual files--No more directory trees. Vista can search throughout its new operating system. You can search for all documents authored by who ever, then save the search as a virtual file folder for later reference without having to physically relocate or make copies of all those files.

* Gadgets--In Windows Vista, Microsoft allows you to drag and drop Gadgets (Which is a bite off of Apple Mac OS X) to tell the time, calculate currency or just about any task you perform regularly that would be handier if it were on your desktop. In the near future, Microsoft says you will be able to write your own Windows Vista Gadgets, allowing you to really personalize your desktop. I have to admit, that is pretty cool.

* Built-in diagnostics--Programs refusing to run, operating system crashes--Microsoft says these will be things of the past with Vista. This I will have to see.

* Speed?--Vista will optimize it for you. Vista has the capability to borrow some from that 256MB or greater USB drive. In Windows Vista, the new Windows ReadyBoost feature can swap flash memory with any large USB device. If your computer has a new hybrid hard drive, the Windows ReadyDrive can improve your system's overall performance and reliability by taking advantage of the drive's built-in flash capabilities.

* New help Feature--Help currently in XP is limited to a few sentences about the task you want to perform. In Windows Vista, there are more options available within Help. For example, you can initiate a remote-assistance session so that someone you trust can take over your PC remotely and diagnose a problem or perform a task for you. You can also go online and search Microsoft's knowledge base or contact Microsoft's technical support. Nevertheless, some of this is already available with Windows XP. However, it does have a Do It Automatically feature. Here, a task such as checking the version of a driver will be automated, with your desktop going a pointer arrow floats over the screen indicating what to click and where. From time to time, the pointer will stop and a dialogue box will require your input before it continues to perform the task.

As you can probably tell, I do not support Microsoft's near monopolizing operating systems. Even though I run Microsoft's products, I have used more robust operating systems that do not compare to

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