So we finally have a name for the operating system formerly known as Longhorn—Windows Vista. The Microsoft folks I talked with say the name reflects the role the operating system plays in giving you a clear view of all of your information and of finding and managing it more easily.
Many of the concepts in Vista aren't new. Apple's Spotlight search tool in its Tiger OS has been available for several months, and Microsoft has been talking for years about integrated search in a new file system called WinFS, which is not scheduled to ship with Vista. The Opera and Firefox browsers have had tabbed browsing for a long time. But what is new for Windows is the deep integration of the search capabilities. Microsoft isn't much concerned about Macintosh and Linux, because Windows runs on more than 95 percent of all desktops. Instead, the company is trying to get more people to use computers and upgrade to the new platform.
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