Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system by Microsoft. It was released worldwide on 2007-01-30. It succeeds Windows XP and was replaced by Windows 7. It reached RTM on 2006-11-08.

The development of Windows Vista has gone through many stages, starting from 2001 (under the codename Whistler +1) to it's final release in November 2006. The first build to be publicly leaked was build 3683 by XBetas in 2002 and the first build to be publicly distributed was build 4051 (Milestone 7) in October 2003 at the Professional Developer's Conference. Windows Vista (or 'Longhorn' as it was originally known) was intended as a bridging release between 'Whistler' (Windows XP) and the later version of Windows 'Blackcomb' (which much later became Windows 7). However over time as Longhorn was developed, many features originally planned for Blackcomb leaked into Longhorn and eventually because of this, in September 2004 after the final build, 4093, the development of Longhorn was reset and moved to new code. The original code base was Windows Server 2003. The new code base was this too, but with Service Pack 1 for extra security. In April 2005 finally the first post-reset Longhorn build, 5048 was distributed to attendees of WinHEC. This was followed by the July 2005 Beta 1 (5112), with CTPs (Community Tech Previews) in later months. These were: 5219 (September 2005), 5231 (October 2005), 5259 (November 2005), 5270 (December 2005), 5308 (January 2006), 5342 (March 2006), 5365 (April 2006) and finally Beta 2 (5384.4) distributed in May 2006. The betas kept continuing and the RC1 build 5600 was distributed in August 2006 and many people downloaded it. Finally Windows Vista was released and significantly marketed: however it received much criticism from the media because of its late release and new features. More TBA

Editions
Windows Vista came in many editions. Unlike Windows XP, there was no special edition for Media Center and 64-bit capability. Windows Vista also did not have an embedded version.
 * Starter This edition is intended for emerging markets and low-cost PC's. As in XP, the 3-program limit was there , and only 1GB RAM was accepted. Other software restrictions applied as well. This version is hence not available in 64-bit.
 * Home Basic Found in low cost to mid-end, this version of Windows Vista does not fully have Aero(though it has DWM) , and hence does not have effects like transparency and 3D Flip. Windows Media Center is not included as well. Parental Controls is included however. However , it does not have the hardware and 3-program limit as Starter.
 * Home Premium The mid end of Windows Vista, this version includes full Aero and Windows Media Center. It also includes Premium Games(eg - Inkball).
 * Business The business oriented version of Windows Vista, it contains several features like full RDP(client/host) capability , Group Policy and domain join ability. However , Windows Media Center is not included , Parental Controls is not included , and Premium Games are disabled by default.
 * Ultimate The top consumer variant of Windows Vista, it is a merge of the features containing on Windows Vista Home Premium and Business. Bitlocker is included in this version.
 * Enterprise The top business variant of Windows Vista. It is like Ultimate, but without Windows Media center and includes enterprise-specific tools.

Note that certain features(like Aero or TV support) may require premium/different/upgraded hardware and so may not be available on all PCs's.