What to expect from Microsoft's Vista

The task is daunting: Make a product that works with tens of thousands of devices and software programs, and will be used by perhaps 800 million people or more. Anticipate their needs and wants now and years in the future. Prepare to be attacked by haters and hackers.

Oh, yeah, and get ready to rake in billions of dollars in profit.

More than five years after Microsoft started on the road to building the next version of the