14 DAY TRIAL // Compatibility is one of the aspects where the Windows Vista experience has suffered following the operating system's commercial availability. In this context, Microsoft is now focusing its efforts on improving compatibility and the fruits of this labor have materialized in a first set of free downloads destined to streamline Vista's deployment and management.
Microsoft Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007, the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0, Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 1.0, the Volume Activation Management Tool, the Key Management Service for Windows Server 2003 and Virtual PC 2007 are the tools the Redmond Company released yesterday to lend a helping hand with Vista migration.
"One of the things we've done differently with the release of Windows Vista is made it a priority to provide IT professionals with the tools and guidance they need to successfully deploy the new desktop OS as easily, quickly, and with as little cost as possible. We are happy to announce that the full set of tools we've created for business to deploy Windows Vista are available for free download. Many businesses have been using beta versions of these tools," revealed Windows senior product manager, Alex Heaton. To the list presented above, Heaton has added PowerShell 1.0, the new command line shell and scripting language.
However, Microsoft also plans to make available a list of no less than 800 applications that are compatible with Windows Vista. These applications will be labeled in accordance with the compatibility level, from "Windows Vista certified" to "Works with Windows Vista." According to Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft should have made the list available yesterday, February 20, 2007.