Microsoft to offer more previews for Vista OS

Microsoft to offer more previews for Vista OS

Preview versions of Windows Vista, a new operating system, are to be released almost once a month before its launch in the second half of 2006, according to the officials at Microsoft Corporation.

The software behemoth is launching a new operating system five years after it released its current version Windows XP. This is the longest gap Microsoft has given between releases of its Windows versions.

Incidentally, Windows accounts for more than a quarter of Microsoft's annual revenue of $40 billion.

Earlier, in September and October, Microsoft had released preview versions for some of its customers. By early next year, testers will be able to try out a version which will have all the major features that would come in the final release of Vista. Microsoft used to launch only two major beta reviews in the past.

Amitabh Srivastava, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Windows unit said: “Our
customers will have a feature-complete Windows Vista sooner in their hands than any previous Windows release.” He added: “We are accelerating development to get most features done by the end of December and all features integrated early next year.”

These releases of previews periodically will allow Microsoft to receive feedback more quickly from customers, which would help in speeding up its enhancements, according to the Microsoft officials.

Initially, Microsoft will integrate basic features. Later on, the company's focus will be to improve reliability of Vista till it is launched.

The initial beta test was done in July, but officials did not give details of when the second major beta test would be.

However, it is felt that a Windows Vista Community Technology Preview (CTP) would come out “before the Christmas holidays”. It is also expected that beta 2 will have most of the final product's features. Although Srivastava said: “Beta 2 is still an important milestone for broad customer testing, but it's less urgent because of the engineering and CTP releases.”