Microsoft has defended its decision to cut back on the amount of users who can download the beta version of Windows Vista.

The software giant claimed that the pre-release versions of Vista are not appropriate for use by a broad, non-technical audience.

"As such, we want to limit the availability of the code to a technical audience, while also keeping the program manageable from a logistical standpoint," Microsoft spokesman Richard Saunders told vnunet.com.

According to an official Microsoft blog post, the Windows Vista beta was originally restricted because of fears that the huge downloads could cripple the internet.

However, the company now claims that the cap on the number of downloads is designed to help it manage the beta test.

"Our goal, especially at this point in the development process, is to make the feedback process as efficient as possible, and we are confident that we will get a high level of quality feedback regardless of the cap," said Saunders.