So for those of you into computer collectibles and the like (I myself have a copy of Windows 1.0, the original Netscape 1.0 when they used to sell them in packages, Microsoft Bob shrinkwrapped, special commemorative editions of Win95 & Windows 2000, and a few other doozies) we’ll be releasing a limited edition, ENUMERATED set of Windows Vista Upgrade "Signature Edition" copies available for pre-order at Amazon.com.
Each features Bill Gates’ signature on the front. They don’t cost anything more than the normal Upgrade copy and considering the pretty tremendous amount of new application functionality in Windows Vista it’s kind of a piece of history.
If you’re not convinced:
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Think back to the days of DOS where word processors had to include their own printer drivers & their own graphics libraries. People had to buy their own memory management tools (Remember Wordstar and it’s infamous printer drivers? QEMM? DoubleDOS?)
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Think back to the days of Windows 3.1 where people had to buy their own TCP/IP stacks from companies like Wollongong & FTP Software. (Yes Virginia, TCP/IP wasn’t always free & included in the OS and DirectX didn’t always exist)
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Think back to the days of Windows 95 where people couldn’t use more than a single processor & plug & play was called plug & "pray". Remember how HTTP I/O & HTML rendering were components of an application? (Nowadays no program includes an HTTP stack or a HTML engine – they assume it’s there in every copy of Windows)
Now, assume that Windows Vista is incorporating 4 new core technologies:
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Windows Presentation Services – A massive graphical engine mitigating the need for 3rd party application developers to incorporate graphics rendering libraries into their products
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Windows Communication Services – A sophisticated set of technologies enabling 3rd party developers to incorporate peer-to-peer communications & client-server communications without having to worry about security, latency, negotiation, etc.
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.NET Framework 3.0 – An advanced environment for "managed" applications to run in, allowing developers to focus more on creation & "software engineering" & less on debugging & "programming", while still running extremely quickly & securely.
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64-bit Computing – The ability to process twice the amount of data on today’s CPUs, the ability to address 32x the amount of RAM/memory, and the ability to compute more per-clock-cycle than any CPU before. All exposed to new applications written for Windows Vista.
The value of Windows Vista will, simply put, be in the applications it makes possible.
So I assert that Windows Vista will be a historical release, deserving of a "commemorative edition" of this nature. Geeky? Yeah. Will all 20,000 copies be bought up faster than than you can shake a stick at it? Damn right it will.
kurtsh
Kurt Shintaku's Blog 