[Plain Old Jane]

Last anyone I know heard, the next incarnation of windows was going to be called Longhorn, it was going to be a Digital Rights Management nightmare, with all kinds of things that makes the internet unfun.

Microsoft has released a beta version of a new windows version called Vista to developers, this new version as said by TTT correspondant Colin "TestTube Baby", is said to be "more apple-ized, which looks to be true.

As far as I am concerned, Microsoft has been on my shit list since they dumped DOS (sniffle) but I would say they are headed back towards a more noble (read: linux-y) path.

It looks like a good build, with rendered icons and new features like being able to sort files by author, importance, and title. (not just name) I also believe they are allowing to rename file suffixes again, which is a big plus, I hate having to run: cmd, then cd to the directory, then dir to see what the cmd is calling the file, then typing: "rename colinsPSOporn.avi weekend_at_bernies.mpeg"

Another good thing is the enlarged icons for larger resolutions, and rendered folder previews, in XP, the folder is shown with 4 small thumbnails, but in Vista, the folder is rendered with a few pics shown at an angle hanging out of the folder. It is really quite pretty.

I believe that is what windows has lacked in the past (besides a stable build) and what Apple always excelled in, pretty renderings.

While I will need to see some more info on its own DRM protocols before I go out of my way to purchase it, I think this build is actually a pretty good looking one.