What’s Wrong with Windows Vista?
Posted in Technology by George
I anticipated great things from Microsoft in their upcoming operating system: Windows Vista. I had heard rumors of great features, a beautiful looking interface, and increased reliability. Plus, Microsoft was building on Windows XP, which in my opinion, is an excellent operating system. Furthermore, with increasing competition from the Mac OS and various distributions of Linux, Microsoft had a huge incentive to try to hit a home run with Vista.
Yet from the looks of it, Microsoft is dropping the ball. Rather than improve upon XP, Microsoft has made Vista into something completely different. For one, there are FIVE different versions of the operating system. That spells total confusion for the average consumer. Does the average consumer know whether they want the “Aero Glass Interface,” or whether they want “Remote Desktop?” I’m guessing there are going to be a lot of people buying a version of Vista that has too many - or too few - features compared to what they want.
Secondly, beyond the basic version of Vista, you need a really powerful computer to get all of the features the operating system provides. For instance, for any version of Vista beyond the entry-level “Basic,” you need 1GB of RAM and at least 128 MB of video memory. Note that if you have just 1GB of RAM and 128 MB video memory, you’re not going to be speeding through Vista… rather, your computer will be working hard, all the time, just to run the operating system. Ever start up a computer that just barely meets the minimum requirements of Windows XP and have to wait fifteen minutes for everything to load? Imagine how long Vista might take.
Finally, there are plenty of new features, but none that really change the computing experience dramatically. There is a new search feature that allows you to find files instantly (already available with Google desktop and many other pieces of software). The virus protection is better… but you can do that with free or paid protection software. Basically all of the key features Microsoft lists are features that can already be incorporated into Windows XP with third-party add-ons. Where is something groundbreaking? Why do I have to buy a new expensive computer to run this operating system if it’s not going to do anything that’s going to dramatically change my computing experience for the better?
My parents have a 10-year-old computer in our house that was collecting dust in a corner a year ago. When I was home over winter break, I decided to wipe the hard drive and install Linux (Beatrix distribution) on the computer, just for fun. Now that computer never crashes, and it runs faster than my relatively new laptop running Windows XP.
No, Linux is not a complete replacement for Windows. It’s not nearly as user-friendly and has far fewer features. But with the number of people switching over to operating systems that are faster and more reliable (Linux, Mac), rather than feature-robust and bloated (Windows), maybe it’s time that Microsoft take notice.
December 13th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Five different versions huh? That sounds useless but smart at the same time. Just like the place that I work, you aim to sell to different lifestyle groups–some eccentric and some more conservative. Obviously, the top version would go to those in urbania; the 3-4th versions would go to the suburban buyers who have a lot of money but don’t care to spend it friviously; and lastly, the 1st-2nd would go to those in the rural communities who are just picking up on the computer revolution–not too expensive and an overall reliable system based on the corporate quality history. It’s all about what would “x” consumer wants: a lot or a little.
Urbania (Urban Trendsetters)–They purchase what is at the top and is the latest and greatest; seeking to make their lives more efficient with technology
Suburban (Upscale Suburban)–The wisest but the most grossing (profitable) people for a business. They tend to have families and will spend so long as the product given has a clear purpose and will help simplify thier lives. They spend with reason as to not put thier family in financial turmoil.
The Average Joe–These people look arduously forever: reasearching and evaluating products–often never buying. This is the group that is our parents. They are categorized as the thrifiest consumers but in turn always get the adequate products only.
December 13th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
In theory, it’s nice to provide different choices for consumers, but when the average consumer doesn’t have any idea what the different terms mean, it’s going to cause confusion. The average consumer probably couldn’t explain (without research) what differentiates windows 98 from windows XP, and I’m doubting anyone knows microsoft-branded terms like “Aero Glass,” etc mean.
People are either going to get ripped off or buy something that doesn’t give them what they want.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:07 am
Its actually six versions:
* Windows Vista Business
* Windows Vista Enterprise
* Windows Vista Home Premium
* Windows Vista Home Basic
* Windows Vista Ultimate
* Windows Vista Starter
December 17th, 2006 at 1:36 am
If you include starter, which will not be sold in first world countries.
“*Note: Windows Vista Starter is not currently scheduled to be available in the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, or other high income markets as defined by the World Bank.”
December 31st, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Vista is only compatable with systems that can handle the extreme graphics that Vista produces. This one of the biggest flaws of the program. This will hold back any success that it may have seen otherwise.
December 31st, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Microsoft Vista is bloatware at its finest - packing in features that 99% of the public does not use (nor will ever use) and has each of those processes running in the background.
Switch to a flavor of Linux - it is only a matter of time before Linux is what people will be using most… and for the most part, Apple OS releases are just UNIX with a nice graphical user interface (or GUI, for you 1337 people out there).
December 31st, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Will and Garrett, I totally agree. I feel like the goal of Vista is just to dazzle with graphics rather than create functionality.
As for Linux, I think I’m going to go with Ubuntu with my next computer purchase. I have been a windows user for years (except for Mac when I was very young), but I feel that I can do everything I need (and faster) on Linux. Will, do you have any recommendations for linux distros?
January 8th, 2007 at 12:17 am
Honestly, Ubuntu isn’t as bad choice at all, especially if you are looking for a easier transition (learning curve wise) from Windows to Linux.
I was running Fedora for a bit, I have recently switched to SUSE, which has been great thus far.
January 8th, 2007 at 12:53 am
I’ve been playing around with ubuntu and I love it. The only problem is a lot of law schools I am applying to require that I have a windows machine, because of exam software that is windows-specific. I’m not too happy about that… but I guess I can always dual boot.