Inside Vista's Windows Presentation Foundation
Published: 14 Sep 2005
Microsoft presented attendees of this year's Professional Developer Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles with an updated sneak preview of Windows Vista. Gone is Avalon, replaced by Windows Presentation Foundation, the graphics engine behind the translucent windows and 3D effects. Compare the images below with those in our Beta 1 screenshot gallery, and read more in our preview of the Beta 1 release.
Flip through your active applications
Experienced Windows users already know that the Alt+Tab function displays currently running applications, making individual selection simple. The function, known as Flip under Windows Presentation Foundation, now uses vector graphics, so you'll be able to see a miniature view of the active display, including any streaming video content parading by.
Pick a card, any card
New to Vista is the Windows-key-plus-spacebar function, which renders your active applications at a 45-degree angle so that you can toggle through them. Again, even streaming video plays normally using this 3D graphics effect.
Nothing's hidden up Vista's sleeves
The much talked about Aero glass effect comes through in this latest build of Windows Vista. The new Windows Presentation Foundation in Vista shows you what's behind an overlapping window, although we found the blurry view of the covered window somewhat hard to get used to at first.
Now you can browse your Taskbar
The Taskbar really comes alive in Windows Vista. Now you can mouse over an active task to see a miniature view of its display. Although the new Media Player is not part of build 5219, we think it's cool that Windows Vista will also stream video in miniature, so you can keep an eye on a breaking news story while skipping the commercials.
An early look at Windows Media Player
We expect to see more enhancements in later builds, but for the moment, the Windows Media Player in Windows Vista is sleek and efficient.
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Under Vista's new Windows Presentation Foundation, vector graphics can be rendered at any size without loss of image quality. Thus, as you slide through the directory listings, from details to icons, the folders expand or diminish in real time. Also, look for zoom to be added to the new Internet Explorer 7 in an upcoming build.
Checkmate
Not that we didn't like the three different versions of Solitaire or the old standbys of Minesweeper, Hearts and Freecell, but we think Vista's 3D Chess is the best new work distraction we've seen in a long while. There's also a kids' game called Purple Place in which players try to perform various tasks with the help (or hindrance) of various characters.
You talking to me?
The dialogue boxes throughout Vista will be expanded and will be context-sensitive. Here, instead of being asked simply, 'Do you want to save and exit?' there's also a bit of text to explain this option. Although text isn't finalised in this version of Vista, it does provide some insight into what to expect in the final version.
Everything's illuminated in Windows Vista
Even the Recycle Bin has been rendered transparent, so you can see when you need to take out the trash. As noted in Beta 1, whenever you delete a file in Windows Vista, you'll see a tiny vector image of the document or the image so that you can visually confirm that it is the page you wanted to remove.
Related articles
Windows Vista Beta 1: screenshot gallery
Preview Take a look inside the forthcoming operating system from Microsoft. Although it's not due for release until late 2006, a few features are worth checking out. [19 Aug 2005]
Windows Vista: a first look
Preview Microsoft has more work to do on its new operating system, but this first beta suggests that Windows Vista will be on a par with Linux and Apple Mac OS X. [28 Jul 2005]
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