Vista : against the wall
People from various places have asked me about upgrading to Vista. Most know I have been and still am running a Beta version.
There are things I really like about Vista. It's been very stable, especially for a Beta version. I love the new Windows Mail: It has a built in SPAM filter and seems to do a more than passable job of catching most SPAM even before setting rules.
Things I don't like about Vista are a slightly longer list and most of them were in the release I'm running. Some things have apparently become worse in the final release such as the resource hoggieness of Vist as a whole. So, let's do a list:
- Drivers.
Drivers have been a problem from the very first Beta release. Either there aren't suitable drivers or the drivers that are supposed to work, don't. We're talking about sound and video all the way to printer drivers. I have a fairly new Lexmark all-in-one printer that will not run with Vista so far. Since the final release it's possible this has been rectified. - Resource intensivness.
Currently I'm running a 2Gig processor and a full gig of RAM, 64bit based system. Should be more than adequate to run Vista. For the most part it is with this RC1 build. But I've been hearing rumors and reading reports at tech sites, MS's own site included, that it's taking a full 2gigs of memory to even run the final Vista release at a basic level. HUH!!?? This was one of the things MS promised to make better before final release, not worse! - Program incompatibilty.
There are thousands of Windows based programs out there and so far only 1000 have been certified by MS to run on Vista. "Oh?" you say? "Well, what about the compatibilty mode?" Sorry to say, I've not gotten that to function properly. There are even programs that are supposed to be specifically for Vista in the 64bit format that still will not run on my machine. Programs like Adaware, SpyBot, and other security based programs. I had to jump through hoops to find an anti-virus that was not only compatible with Vista but with my 64bit software. I find this ridculous as I'm running 64bit hardware that's been on the market for about 3 years. There has been more than adequate time for programs to have kept pace with the technology. And by the way, the anti-virus I found is giving me problems. I did a definitions update and suddenly a site I've been visiting daily for over a year would not load. I had to turn off the real-time protection. - Security.
They, everyone, keeps saying this is the most secure platform ever created by MS. That may be. But let's look at the realities. MS has always been head-in-the-sand about security and vulnerabilities. They have to actually have a panic on their hands before they address these kinds of things. Yet, for many of the issues they've known all along the problem was there. It just hadn't been exploited yet. For me, in my opinion, the jury is still out about just how secure Vista really is. MS finally brings their newest platform up to par with where they should have been to begin with, long ago, and we're supposed to be impressed? I say, "I'll believe it when I see it."
So what does this translate into? There are business, big ones, that are not planning to upgrade to Vista til at least 2008, if at all. Any new computers they buy that have Vista installed will be wiped and XP installed instead. There is as least one government entity that is thinking of actually dumping MS products altogether. For more information here's an article that will shed a bit more light on the concerns.
For home users, friends that have asked me about upgrading, I've told them to wait at least until June to see how many of the problems MS is able to get resolved. Personally, I'm waiting til June myself and even then I may go back to XPpro if I'm not convinced that Vista is ready for prime time.
MS and others
Well someone in this house has to run Windows! Most of our customers do!
So someone has to have *some* knowledge to impart.
You can do Windows if you so choose. But you don't like it and choose to leave it to me. Sigh. That's ok. I know where you sleep.
MS is and always has been all about the money. That's why they have to come out with a new platform every few years. The current market is saturated with XP in various flavors and sales is dropping as a result. What really ticks me off is MS "forcing" people to upgrade by ending support on older platforms such as 98SE and others. I realize that we must go forward and follow the technology but it might behoove all the software creators out there to keep pace with or even a bit ahead of the technology they all know is coming instead of creating problems like what is being seen with Vista.
I would say I told you so
… but I can't.
When it comes to Microsoft, I usually keep my head in the sand. I read your Vista articles with piqued attention; I hope for better things from Redmond and your determination to find OS worthiness is an encouraging note for the majority of workstations in the present time.
I find occasional promise from Microsoft PR of concern for user security, but ne'er-do-wells, driven to prove Microsoft is negligent, seem more compelling with constant exploits and increasing rates of failed security detections.
The 64-bit hardware drivers is a more universal problem. The recent migration to wider data paths causes problems for me — and I haven't used Windows in my personal workstations since 1992. Drivers depend on disclosures from hardware manufacturers, but many seem unwilling to share; if they won't share, they should produce drivers across the OS spectrum … but they won't. From the other direction, OS publishers should provide sufficient API for developing correct hardware interface; Linux does this; MacIntosh and Microsoft will provide, but the cost of playing the game is prohibitive to upstart companies.
We should push for Open System specifications.
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