Windows Vista is officially official

Yep, it's confirmed: Longhorn = Windows Vista. They couldn't keep the news from leaking out last night, but Microsoft just made the official announcement a few minutes ago. Hope you're as pumped up about the name as these guys, because you're going to be hearing the name "Windows Vista" A LOT over the next eight years or so.

[NekoTsukimi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

... I really thinks the name sucks. I'll call it MSV to avoid calling it Vista.

[Derrick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Main Entry: vis�ta
Function: noun

Etymology: Italian, sight, from visto, past participle of vedere to see, from Latin vidEre -- more at WIT
1 : a distant view through or along an avenue or opening : PROSPECT
2 : an extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events)

Lame

-Drrck

[Danny31292 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

i think the name sucks. Since it takes them so long to make an os atleast dont leave us with this name.

[james @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Why does the name matter anyways? Even if it had a bad ass name, the OS would still be the same.

[addi elding @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

vista is icelandic for save, as in to save a document not to save someone.

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

[shaved ape Ballmer]I! LOVE! THIS! COMPANY! WOOO! VISTA! WOO! GIVE IT UP FOR ME![/shaved ape Ballmer] Sorry. I know there's no Ballmer in that clip, but I can just imagine him bouncing around the stage whooping it up.

[Dale @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

That was about the dorkiest announcement video yet . . . I love it when the guy removed his cowboy hat and put on a MSV logo'd baseball hat. Sheesh.

The audience reminded my of those infomercial groups who applaud like mad when the pear gets sliced into a spiral . . . . nothing like canned enthusiasm.

[Ed @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Longhorn's dead, long live VISTA!!!!!
;)

[Joe McCullough @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

#4, and even if it had a totally different code, as long as it has "Windows", or "Microsoft" in front of it, it will be universally hated...

[Ron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

#5 I was thinking the same thing lmao

[R-Bro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Man, is that a terrible name. Really, really terrible. Gotta wonder how much money Microsoft spent coming up with that. I'll bet it was a small fortune. Either that or they just drew names out of a hat...a more logical explanation.

[Michel @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Vista...hmmmm..as in a long, long way until you actually see an OS?

[Digital Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Something tells me the think tank at msft is getting a little shallow if you know what I mean. Time for some chlorine in that water...

[Cambob @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

They should have stuck with an x.x system. But they had to go and gay it all up for the common people.

[LD @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

They have set themselves up for "Hasta La Vista, Baby" jokes for years to come.

When will we see the first governator/Vista photoshop?

[Carsten @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

that's soooo ridiculous.

[Pip @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

So I wonder what will happen to the program called Vista thats been around since the early 90s. It is a landscape creation tool, much like KPT Bryce.

[Lodders @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

MSV = MicroSoft's Virus?

Just one idea ;)

- Lodders

[Joe McCullough @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Think these guys have a copyright infringement case?

http://www.vistawindows.com/

[geeker @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Yeah Dale, Microsoft does have some pretty cheesy announcements. There better be some major changes to Vista because I'm not ready to spend $100+ for an add-on to Windows XP. I'm not yet convinced.

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

I don't think it's a terrible name, but I can't help but think of "Del Boca Vista", the old folks community Seinfeld's parents lived in. That is definitely tainting my view a bit. Makes it seem like somethin for my grandma.

[juluiss @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Vista sounds like an appropriate name for the end of the MS era. I can't imagine in 2016-2018 (When the next version of Windows comes out) anybody will care about the former monopolist.

[Dale @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

"Hasta La Vista, Baby"

LOL!!! Hard to believe they didn't think of that being an issue! . . . Ah . . wait . . keywords: "didn't think".

That explains it.

[GunForHire @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Vista?

Awful. Even Mac OSX sounds sort of mean "Tiger", but Vista? Sheesh...

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

It seems like they named their last OS well. After Mac OS X runs on Intel, we'll be seeing people saying "Asta la VISTA baby!" to all Micro$oft crap!

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Is it just me or was that a really crappy video file? Couldn't even see the text. Not that I care that much.

Hmm. I wonder why the file was not made in the better alternate video formats like QuickTime or MPEG?

[l @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

You damn fools just popped out of the wombs. XP was a bad name. It still doesn't even make sense.

Vista is a suitable, average, normal, expected, decent name.

[Richard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

18: VistaWindows has no rights to the name, as it's quite clear the trademark is limited only to the scope of the business. Vista sells windows, Microsoft sells software.

I believe there are many precedents in law for this already... think TigerDirect and MacOS X Tiger as the most recent case.

(Although, I'm pretty certain MS will just kick them a few million to skip any lawsuit.)

[jdaw @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

3.1 -> The begining
95-98 -> The ramp up
XP -> The apex
Vista -> The begining of the end
...

[Muzz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Hmm, another iteration of Windows that will be 2 years behind the innovation applied to OS X...

[A-Pow @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Lame, without question. What about playing Boom by POD at the end of the annoucement. Never let geeks intro their own product, it loses a ton of cache. I'll stick with my Mac. Oh and I love the 'Confident' remark as a descriptor of the OS. By 'confident' you mean releasing code with holes in it, exploitable Internet browsers and patches on a 5-times-a-week basis?

[Steven @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Big woop. They hold a special press even just to announce the name or did they do something else?

As for me, I'm sticking to OS X.

I knew they weren't sticking with "Longhorn" probably because of "Tiger."

[Kevin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

FYI: vista in Latvian means chicken!

[Joe Schmoe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

all of you complaining about the name are idiots! do you really think "longhorn" is better than "vista"? longhorn has got to be the gayest name ever!

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Are you telling me there is not one condo available in all of Del Boca Vista??

[ValdeX @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

I found a secret screenshoot of the new Windows Vista OS!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=27772229&size=o

[olderty @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

This is what Vista reminds me of:
http://images.google.com/images?q=vista+cruiser&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

The big ugly station wagon of OS's.

[KissTheRing @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

That video clip was the worst presentation I've seen. How about some details? Maybe MS should hire Steve Jobs to help them out with any public speaking.

[jedda @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

VISTA is already a software (although not an OS) used by many publishing companies.

http://www.vistacomp.com

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

All the script kiddie MS haters crack me up. I don't see why the name of the OS affects them, it won't run on an iPod anyway. The name is pretty lame, but the OS is far from the downfall of MS.

[Eliot Phillips @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

I can't wait for the kiddies to start grabbing Vista Pro off of bittorrent... oh wait.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Honestly, I don't think the name "Vista" is that bad. I guess I'm the only one. I like Apple, I really do, but am I the only one who realizes that unless your editing video or recording audio professionally, once you step out of your house your in a windows world? Everyone here will learn the in's and outs of Vista eventually, but the same can't be said for OSX.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

A friend of mine gave me a copy of Longhorn last week. Before I had a chance to install it, he told be don't bother. He uninstalled and put XP back on. I guess Vista is quite the RAM hog!

[Johnny Fartpants @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Hello mum!

[Johnny Fartpants @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

I've got a spudgun!

[nick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

#26 you had it all wrong its more like
3.1-> the apex
95-vista-> long drawn out death

[Eric P @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

The name is fine...better than endless number revisions, besides, MS stopped numbering their releases after 3.11!

OS X Tiger is awesome no doubt, but Joe McCullough said it right - Apple is popular and because of their "underdog" status, people will cherish everything they do, while M$ could do everything right and still be despised. Oh well, I like the name none-the-less.

[Jonathan N. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

"Why does the name matter anyways? Even if it had a bad ass name, the OS would still be the same."


So the OS will just be ass???

[sk @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

Vista is also a sign system:
http://www.vistasign.com

[Jonathan N. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:18AM]

"The name is fine...better than endless number revisions, besides, MS stopped numbering their releases after 3.11!"

There is a reason why they stopped the numbers and its purely from a marketing standpoint. Numbers show that there is only a marginal increase in the version. Windows 2000 = 5.0, Windows XP = 5.1, Windows 2003 Server = 5.2 Its a good way of eschewing the truth that there really is little difference between 2K and XP.