New Vista CTP Released to testers

As all the other Windows sites scramble to cover the release of the new Vista CTP (Build 5231), they seem to be missing the big picture on how Microsoft is handling and shaping the release through its beta process. Yes, Microsoft released the October CTP today to testers at Connect but what is more important is the addition of features Microsoft is providing with this one. This is simply brilliant, they are pacing themselves by offering slight feature incriments in each months technology preview, checking the feedback and taking hints on how to do it better. Run each part of the OS and the interface through a thorough public review and end up with an operating system they demand. Brilliant!

So as you can see on the right, Vista is bringing the novel concept of virtual search folders to Windows Explorer shell. Much like the current Outlook 2003 allows you to create virtual folders containing items from a previous search, the next operating system will bring that functionality to all of your files and change the way we retrieve information. Yes, it is a little tweak but immensely useful – MacOS users lived without snap-to-grid and auto-align functionality for years, despire their mantra of being user friendly. Sometimes Microsoft just gets it.