Microsoft Vista – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Truth

I spent several days working with Windows Vista. I tested the Pro version on a 64-Bit system with gobs of space and plenty of memory to make sure I could enjoy the full Vista experience. I started using Vista the way I would start any OS. I began customizing my environment. I must say, it seemed more troublesome than usual. Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player finally step up to the competition. Below I will share a few thoughts on the new operating system.

The Good – It looks pretty. Internet Explorer now with tabs – Finally!!! Vista’s IE is now somewhat up to par with Firefox and other tabbed browsers. XML and RSS feed integration is also now included with IE. I tried several major RSS feeds and it worked well. The feed layout is clean and simple as any good feed reader should be. I really like the “Switch Between Windows” button. Not only does it present a visually pleasing display of your active windows (Aero Mode) but it shows them in real time. OS X has done this for a while now, but it does not show the windows in real time. I like the revised My Computer / Explorer view. Built in Search is nicely integrated and produces good results. Microsoft finally realized that everyone loves Widgets. Again noting new to the Apple folks but I know Vista users are going to go Widget crazy. I browsed the Microsoft Widget site and found that they have an impressive selection of Widgets available. Microsoft promises better security with Vista. We simply have to wait and see if this holds true.

The Bad – Four versions to choose from! Does the average user know what version is right for them? OK back to the actual OS. It is pretty, but the visual appeal soon wears off when it seems to become obvious that this is simply Windows XP with a makeover. The first thing I noticed was the overuse of window transparency. It simply seems overused and only serves to create a confusing layout instead of visual enlightenment. What is really new here? The look is so amazingly a rip off of Mac OS X and the latest Linux OS’s. Widgets have been around for years. Mac and various Linux desktops have included them for a while now. So what does that leave… not much in my mind. The OS still presents numerous dialog box’s for every action. Are you sure you want to click that, confirm that you clicked that; are you really sure that you clicked that – please confirm you clicked that… Good God Man, just do it! To much clicking. Windows has always been action oriented but for some reason it seems that Vista has even more redundant dialog boxes that simply waste time. As I ventured here and there in Vista I really didn’t find anything new.

The Ugly Truth – I remember when I upgraded to Windows 95 from 3.1. The 3.1 to 95 upgrade was awesome and I loved every minute of using 95. My upgrade to XP was a similar experience. It took some time to get used to XP’s bubbly layout, however XP really improved the user experience. Unfortunately I just don’t see the same with Vista. I don’t try to hide the fact that I am an Apple convert. This little walk thru Vista simply reminded me why I switched to Mac’s. The fundamental system is the same. Vista claims to have improved security. Will it deliver? Only time will tell. I chalk Vista up to be a simple eye candy upgrade that falls way short of any real revolutionary changes. I will stick with my XP box for a while.