Internet Explorer 7

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This build of Windows VISTA featured the upcoming Internet Explorer 7 web browser.  Personally, I like the look of it.  It is clean yet "high-tech" in design to blend in well with the rest of the GUI.  Also, those fans of Firefox will be pleased with it as well.  I'll explain why...

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All you Firefox fans will be pleased to know that IE7 will indeed feature tabbed browsing and it does work very well! 

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IE 7 had an Phishing Filter that was not operational in this build.  Would be a nice additional though.  It also gives you quick access to a Pop-up blocker as well as manager any add-ons such as any third-party active-x controls.  Overall, this version looks promising and perhaps something that can cause many to consider it over the spyware-safe Firefox browser. 

Hardware Requirements

Ever since VISTA has made waves across the web, there has been plenty of speculation in regards to the hardware required to run it.  Many have stated that you need a "super computer" to run it.  This is absolutely not true and is why I would like to take this opportunity to clear up some of the confusion regarding its hardware requirements. 

While it doesn't require the processing power most think, you still need to consider running it on a fairly fast system with hardware that will run the GUI and its appealing Aero Glass interface smoothly.

Processor

In terms of the processor, a dual core processor will provide the absolute best experience.  However, any 64-bit processor will be capable of running VISTA well.  Right now, AMD has the most inexpensive 64-bit processors that are not only fast, but inexpensive as well.  An AMD setup, even if you choose to configure one now, will be suitable for running the new OS.

Memory

While Microsoft claims you can run VISTA with as little as 512MB of memory, I would seriously recommend you run it with at least 1GB.  A 1GB matched dual channel pair is actually not that expensive nowadays and that should be sufficient to run the VISTA fairly smooth.

Graphics Card

This is the one area where you VISTA will push boundaries and take full advantage of high-end video video cards.  Despite its graphic-intensive look, it will allow you to configure the operating system to work with low end cards as well.  However, there are a few things to keep in mind here... 

Depending on the card you use, you may not be able to run its impressive Aero glass-like design smoothly.  You may need to adjust settings to make it run similar to Window XP.  Also, if you plan on running this OS with integrated graphics, I would seriously consider otherwise.  As long as you have a decent graphics card with full support for Direct X 9, you should be able to run and take advantage of the impressive visual effect this OS has to offer.

Networking

The version used in this preview failed to work flawlessly with a majority of networking products I had on hand for testing.  However, the final release will take full advantage and focus greatly on wireless networking.  As of now, it looks promising and you have have no issues running your wireless products.

You should also expect their next OS on a DVD rather than a CD.  With that said, you will obviously need a DVD-ROM or DVD Writer installed as well.

In this early build, the Operating System certainly struggled with the decent hardware used for testing.   Everything from the install to the boot times was unacceptable.  However, keep in mind that it is indeed still in beta and you should expect some significant improvement in these areas when it is ready for release.  While it happens to have me a bit skeptical, even with this Beta 2 release, I'm have hope that it will be designed to run decently with older hardware.  After all, it wouldn't make sense to release a product only capable of running on only high-end systems.  That is something to think about.

Conclusions

The next Operating System from the software giant seems promising.  They appear to not only be focusing on making computing tasks easier, but also make the interface much more visually appealing as well.  However, some of the features will require some decent hardware to run them.  While I have shown you that you will not need a "super computer" to run the OS, you should still consider sticking to some of the hardware options mentioned in this article for the best overall experience.  Also, considering a Windows operating system can be a security nightmare, it's nice to see some added attention in this area as well.  The install was a bit scary but I'm sure it will be designed to be as smooth a process as possible with little to no user interaction during the installation.  Another area where they have given plenty of attention is their new web browser.  Obviously, they know many avid computer users have switched over to Firefox.  They have done their homework and the new IE7 not only has some of the features Firefox users have grown to love, but it also provides added security features that hopefully will do a good job at fighting the one threat that can practically cripple your computer...spyware.  It's still too early to jump to any conclusions though and we'll have to wait and see if Windows VISTA will be a worthy upgrade. 

Questions?  Comments?  Discuss them here!