Microsoft today demo"d a post beta 1 build to PDC attendees in a packed keynote.
Bill Gates described his vision for the future. Clarity and data everywhere is the main focus of Microsoft"s future operating system.
The search functionalities were demo"d briefly although nothing new was shown. The alt tabbing in 3D is back using Windows Key + Space bar a user can tile their applications to make the experience clearer and easier to find windows. The sidebar will ship with Vista which was confirmed during the keynote.
The sidebar now contains "gadgets" like an RSS web feed gadget, picture slideshow gadget, clock gadget, WMP gadget and so on. The gadget gallery allows users to plug-in their own applications or 3rd party applications. Gadgets can be coded in DHTML/script or Avalon allowing developers to build rich mini applications straight into the sidebar.
The parental control platform will allow users to control all applications. Developers can plug into the control platform and browsers, instant messaging and games etc can all be controlled and restricted.
Phishing was briefly demo"d within IE7 but the most impressive demo was a new feature of IE7 tabbed browsing. Quick tabbing allows users can now display all tabs in a nice subset tiled into one window. Similar to the thumbnail alt tabbing in current vista builds.