Microsoft’s Windows operating system has been the company’s pinnacle software.

It has catapulted the company’s name in the technology hierarchy. Almost every personal computer on the planet runs a version of Windows, and people have familiarized themselves with the program for years.

With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft plans to progress their already successful software and thwart off rivals. Vista hosts a bevy of new features that will undoubtedly satisfy current users as well as intrigue new users.

The most obvious and significant change in Windows Vista is the look. Clicks open an icon on the desktop and the window appears seamlessly from the background. Vista provides a more aesthetic and dynamic interface than its predecessors through Windows “AERO,” which stands for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open.

AERO gives a new transparent look and animation to the interface when users browse through their files and surf the Internet. It also supports a new display button on the toolbar that diagonally aligns current active applications so users can toggle easily between tasks.

As for browsing files, Vista features a handy search bar placed on top of the start button. Instead of waiting several minutes for your computer to search for files, the new search bar immediately displays matching files under the typed keyword.

Internet Explorer 7 is also featured in Windows Vista. The updated browser includes new features such as “quick-tabs,” where users can toggle between multiple Web sites through tabs on one window, and much more.

Windows Vista also includes gadgets. Gadgets are mini-applications that serve as virtual tools for users. Gadgets provide the current time, display news, and even show the weather forecast. Windows Vista will include over eight different gadgets such as calendar, clock, weather and more. Additional gadgets will be available online for download.

Gaming is also upgraded in Vista. A new application-programming interface allows 3-D graphics, such as in games, to be fully rendered and enhanced as well as maximizes computer performance. In other words, games will look beautiful.

With so many more new features, Windows Vista will allow Microsoft to take PC technology by storm.