If you buy a new computer or upgrade your existing system any time after January 2007, you're likely to be engaging with Windows Vista. That's the new operating system which supersedes Windows XP.
And there's no such thing as a manual - which is why O'Reilly have produced this independent guide to understanding and running the new operating system. So - the big question everybody wants to ask is what's new in Vista? What does it have that XP doesn't? And the answer is - quite a lot. First there's a whole range of increased security - new anti-virus features, a phishing filter, enhanced parental control, and anti-spyware protection.
Next, there's a new 3-D look desktop with lots of Mac-like visual frills.
All this, plus lots of new programs, such as a speech recognition system which allows you to dictate email and documents into a file, directly by voice. But with this comes with the problem of knowing which version to choose. Because you can have any one of five - Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate. This means bewildering combinations of features, which you need to look at quite carefully. David Pogue lists them and explains them all.
On top of that, you can run all of these features in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Vista - and 64 isn't necessarily quicker or better.
I've also heard from some early adopters that Vista won't necessarily run programs you had installed on XP, so be prepared for re-installing your software and downloading new drivers.
After explaining these general Vista principles, the guide takes you through all its features, starting with the welcome page and desktop, then going through the features in detail.
One of the sensible design moves Microsoft have done recently is to give you the option of reverting to 'Classic Windows'. This means that if you feel disoriented by all the novelties, you can make everything look just as it did on your old system, which many people will find reassuring.
Organising your files should be a lot easier, because there are lots more visual clues - files are shown by icons, and there's a breadcrumb trail to help you know where you are.
Vista has adopted tabbed browsing, and given it an extra twist. You can have multiple browser screens open on the desktop at the same time - and they can be displayed in '3D'. That is, they're automatically tiled and stacked like a deck of cards. You riffle through, click on the one you want, and you're there. It's fast, animated, and a lot of fun.
Of course Vista comes with its own Help file system to guide you through a lot of these issues, but it's good to have advice from an independent source. Besides this, the average user will always prefer to have a printed guide rather than online Help files - even if it's for the emotional security which a thick, printed book supplies.
If you need full technical guidance written in a user-friendly manner, you can't really go wrong with these Missing Manuals. And given their huge size, they're pretty good value too - especially with a stonking 34% discount at Amazon.
