VISTA COMES INTO VIEW. (cover story)

The article presents information on Vista, the next Windows operating system (OS) which will be released in late 2006. Vista will be the safest, fastest, and most reliable version of Windows in a decade. It will offer tangible security and performance improvements. The OS also promises new features, including systemwide speech recognition. And its Aero interface uses transparency, shading, and color to pack more information and control into every icon, window frame, and dialog box. It can also reduce the threat from malicious software by restricting access to key system settings and hardware.