14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has provided additional details on the "Life with Windows Vista" program. A total of 50 families from seven countries have been involved in the largest-scale consumer research program the Redmond Company has implemented prior to the launch of an operating system.
"Windows Vista has taken the whole concept of a computer and expanded it to something you can take out of the computer room and put in the family room," says Thuy Shimizu, a Bellevue, Wash., resident who was asked to participate in the "Life with Windows Vista" program along with her husband, Brandon (bottom left image). "It's not just an operating system; it's a family entertainment system. I never thought that I would be taking my computer into my personal life. I've always associated computers with my work life. Not anymore."
According to Microsoft, the families that have participated in the Life with Windows Vista are responsible for the identification of more than 800 bugs across the operating system. Life with Windows Vista initiative has had a duration of approximately two years. And back when the Vista families have signed up for the participation they were agreeing to test Longhorn.
"We wanted to make sure that our core customers were involved throughout the development life cycle and could clue us into what worked well and what did not," revealed Trish Miner, research manager for the "Life with Windows Vista". "We also wanted to make sure that everything they wanted to do with Vista, they could do easily. We encouraged them to try new things and test the features to the max."
Robin Mason from Phoenix, Ariz., has tested Vista with her daughter (bottom right image) and husband, and says that everything that she wants is already built into Windows Vista.
"I was beyond thrilled about being asked to participate," said Mason. "I thought, 'What an amazing opportunity to have an impact on this product and affect how people use computers across the world, and in my house.'"
