After a nice holiday break, I’m getting back into the saddle
with the Windows Vista Report. When I returned to my office on Tuesday morning,
I discovered the Windows Vista December Community Technical Preview (CTP) —
Build 5270 DVD on my desk. As I’m beginning my investigation, I’m very
impressed with this almost feature-complete version of the operating system.
It’s very stable and full of new tools. I will begin covering the December CTP in
the next issue.

In the meantime, I thought that I would point out a very
interesting video that I encountered on Channel 9, Microsoft’s unique community
site that is designed to allow the company’s developers to discuss their work
with other software developers and the Windows community at large. In addition
to the standard forums that you would expect on such a site, Channel 9 provides
several TV-like shows that include podcasts as well
as short video interviews with key technical leaders.

Going deep

The most recent episode of the Going Deep show (which is
described as a show where Microsoft’s leading Architects and Engineers discuss
the inner workings of core technologies and explain how things work) delved
into Windows Vista’s kernel architecture. The host, Charles Torre,
interviews Rob Short, the corporate vice president in charge of the team that
architects the foundation of Windows Vista. You’ll then meet three of the Vista
architects: Rich Neves, Darryl Havens, and Richard B.
Ward and listen as Torre asks them a series of
questions that reveals a lot of detail on the scalability, reliability, and
security features built deep into the Windows Vista operating system.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that Windows Vista’s official release date is
over a year a way and some of the information presented here may change. As
always, if you have comments or information to share about Windows Vista
December CTP or the Going Deep episode, please take a moment to drop by the
Discussion area and let us hear.