Whereas Microsoft and Apple spend time developing new technologies for their forthcoming operating system, third-party developers emulate these technologies for previous operating systems. Sometimes they can be successful, but often the software generated has mixed results.

One useful development within Windows Vista is the visual preview you’ll see when you hold your mouse over a minimised application, residing in your Task Bar. In Windows XP, you just get information about the minimised window, but the more you have open, the more difficult it is to determine which minimised window applies to which open application. In Windows Vista, hold your mouse over a minimised application and you’ll see a visual preview of the application.

Visual Task Tips is an application specifically designed for Windows XP that enables you to see a visual preview. However, there are limitations. Some applications do not ‘draw’ themselves correctly, so you can’t see a preview of applications such as Microsoft Word, amongst others.