Microsoft's web site offers us "100 Reasons You'll Be Speechless" over Windows Vista. Quoth the copy: "Using Windows Vista for the first time may leave you searching for words".
Er, yes... searching for words, and finding them. After the initial shocked silence, Vista users (and refusers) are anything but speechless. They're speaking loudly, and speaking lots. Saying far more than Microsoft would like them to. Saying things to make even a Ballmer cringe. Vista has struck them downright loquacious. In fact, Vista users are rediscovering words they thought Mom had washed out with that bar of Ivory so long ago.
Think we're being snarky and making that up? Nope. Let's listen in to 100 things people are really saying about Vista, shall we? (A warning: it gets rough in there...)
The view from 30,000 feet (or: Through the crosshairs)
1. "Vista is a flop. A disaster. Dead."
Let's start out with a few choice media headlines, just to capture the mood:
The Vista Death Watch
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2209837,00.asp
Three Reasons Why Windows Vista is Sinking Like a Rock
http://www.dailytechnobabble.com/2007/02/26/three-reasons-why-windows-vi...
Why Microsoft must abandon Vista to save itself
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9785337-7.html?tag=nefd.only
Vista Nightmare: The “Oww!” Starts Now
http://www.pseudomarketing.com/vista-nightmare-oww/
FAQ: Giving up on Vista? Here's how to downgrade to XP
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
Time for a Vista Do-Over
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2254104,00.asp
Hoo boy! Ebola gets a better rap. Well, put on your waders; there's lots more where that came from. Into the breach:
2. "Vista is one of the 10 worst tech products of 2007!"
Here's the verdict from IT powerhouse CNET: "Any operating system that provokes a campaign for its predecessor's reintroduction deserves to be classed as terrible technology. Any operating system that quietly has a downgrade-to- previous-edition option introduced for PC makers deserves to be classed as terrible technology. Any operating system that takes six years of development but is instantly hated by hordes of PC professionals and enthusiasts deserves to be classed as terrible technology... Windows Vista conforms to all of the above. Its incompatibility with hardware, its obsessive requirement of human interaction to clear security dialogue box warnings and its abusive use of hated DRM, not to mention its general pointlessness as an upgrade, are just some examples of why this expensive operating system earns the final place in our terrible tech list."
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/0,39029552,49293700-10,00.htm
3. "Vista is the most disappointing tech product of 2007!"
PC World isn't about to dispute CNET, naming Vista the most disappointing product of the year: "Five years in the making and this is the best Microsoft could do?... Many of the innovations the operating system was supposed to bring--like more efficient file and communications systems--got tossed overboard as Microsoft struggled to get the OS out the door, some three years after it was first promised. Despite its hefty hardware requirements, Vista is slower than XP... The user account controls that were supposed to make users feel safer just made them feel irritated. And at $399 ($299 upgrade) for Windows Ultimate, we couldn't help feeling more than a little gouged... No wonder so many users are clinging to XP like shipwrecked sailors to a life raft, while others who made the upgrade are switching back."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140583-page,5-c,techindustrytrends/art...
4. "This took five years?"
And billions of dollars. Yet many have called the final Vista "alpha quality" software. (That means "at a stage barely ready for testing". It's bad.)
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/13114/1090/
"I’m looking at my copy of Windows Vista and wonder ‘what has Microsoft been doing for the last 5 years?"
http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/30/mac-os-x-leopard-vs-microsoft-window...
"Why, after five years waiting for the most important product from one of the biggest companies on the planet, was I left feeling with such an overwhelming feeling of "Is that it?"
http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006214o-2000331758b,00....
"Five years for a chrome-plated turd... If this is all the billions, man-hours and years brought, what was the point? We get a bloated, DRM infected rights removal tool that advances the state of the art to where Apple was the better part of a decade ago, and we are supposed to call this progress?"
http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/01/30/vista-makes-me-sa...
"...sexy party dress aside – it’s the same old tart underneath. Contrasting what was originally promised with what was finally delivered, Vista (nee Longhorn) has spectacularly failed."
http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/04/29/vista_end_dream/
5. "What happened to all the promised features in Vista?"
Fast Boot? Gone. "Something obviously went awry. As Computerworld is reporting, a number of Vista users are none too happy about Vista boot-up times."
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=378
PC-to-PC synchronization? Dropped. "Microsoft officials said they cut the feature due to quality concerns."
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/desktop_mobile/another_windows_vi...
WinFS? Perhaps the first big casualty that told the world something was seriously wrong. "Originally announced as one of the three "pillars" of Windows Vista... WinFS was to revolutionize how users and developers interacted with the files on their computers."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060625-7128.html
And so on. "All the cool and promised features of the original vision of Longhorn were gutted simply because it was beyond Microsoft’s capability to implement those features... Microsoft should have scrapped the project two years ago and instead patched XP until it could deliver something hot."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2209837,00.asp
6. "Vista isn't ready for release!"
It's widely called beta-quality or even alpha-quality software, depending on how angry the voice. Either way, opinion is near-unanimous that Vista was launched before it was ready. Says the BBC's business editor about Vista problems: "My conclusion? For all the expensive and much-extended gestation, Vista was not ready for commercial release."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2007/02/an_open_let...
"Vista Is Incomplete... Vista probably won't be truly ready for prime time until that first service pack version, possibly later this year."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128669-page,1/article.html
"Vista is basically XP, prettified with different bugs... It's memory hogging, slow, and still feels unfinished, but the same can be said about every previous version of [W]indows..."
http://rufuswhite.blogspot.com/2007/09/vis-vista.html
7. "Vista? Yawn."
What if you threw your biggest product launch ever and nobody came? It'd look like this: "...few residents... had come out for the launch of Microsoft's much-ballyhooed operating system, Windows Vista. At CompUSA, slightly more than a dozen people wandered the aisles waiting for the stroke of midnight, when the software giant's latest system would go on sale... "When I was on my way in, they were lined up," said a CompUSA staff member who asked not to be named. "I asked, are you here for Vista? They all shook their head" (A comment from one attendee spoke beautifully on behalf of Vista launch 'revelers': "I don't really have a reason... It's just something to do.")
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/01/72601
More: "All day, Microsoft had presented an agenda of glitz, glamour, and unusual spectacles...[but] it was quite clear that the majority of the people waiting in line were eager to capitalize on the slashed prices and had no real interest in Vista or Office 2007."
http://www.news.com/Vistas-actual-launch-Think-whisper,-not-bang/2100-10...
And more: "Vista’s buzz borders on nonexistent. Its launch has not lived up to expectations by any reasonable measure. Sure, you have some cheerleaders out there, but if you look closely enough, you’ll find they make a living supporting and advocating Microsoft’s technologies first and foremost. Vista is not setting the world on fire, and people are actively trying to avoid upgrading. There were no lines out any door at midnight anywhere for Vista... The “wow” has not started now, even with most people (including me) loving the new Vista TV commercials. They’re good. But that’s where the “wow” for Vista begins and ends for me."
http://gracefulflavor.net/2007/03/06/vista-backlash-grows-key-advocate-m...
Now see The "Wow" for yourself:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/wow.html
8. "Vista? Why?"
"PC Advisor surveyed its readers and found out that 67% would prefer their new computer come with Windows XP over Vista... "
http://vista.blorge.com/2007/10/21/pc-advisor-67-prefer-windows-xp-over-vista-upgrade/
Or in words from Microsoft Watch that put all of Vista into perspective: "Microsoft promised WOW, but the reaction was, 'What?' What is different from Windows XP? What is wrong with the hardware requirements? What is the difference between 'Capable' and 'Ready?' What is this Software Assurance requirement for Vista Enterprise? What happened to the familiarity of Windows XP? What is wrong with my Vista applications and hardware?.. More recently the 'W' question is 'When?'--as in when will Microsoft release Vista Service Pack 1?"
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/vista_one_year_later.html
"When I look at Vista, there's really nothing there that's a must-have kind of feature."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137635/article.html
"Tech is going smaller, cheaper, lighter. Vista is going bigger, more expensive, more demanding. Is that where you want to go today?"
http://seekingalpha.com/article/30042-10-reasons-why-microsoft-s-vista-h...
Vista's mark on Microsoft (or: Redmond needs a hanky)
9. "Vista: The end of the Microsoft empire?"
It isn't only users that have Vista problems. Microsoft may have the biggest problem of all: "MS is in a rut. The firm has cowered, co-opted or bought all the critics, and any message coming out of the press will be well scripted... Vista could have been innovative instead of warmed over. Vista could have defended our rights instead of raping them. Vista could have been lean and mean instead of bloated and DRM slowed. Vista could have brought new ways of doing things instead of the same old same old. Vista could have been cheaper instead of a stealth price increase. Vista could have pioneered new ways of letting us use computers instead of activated tethers and licence problems. Vista could have been compatible and advanced standards instead of breaking software in the name of locking you in... I think we would have been better off if MS packed it in and spent the money on the moon shot they are so fond of making comparisons too."
http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/01/30/vista-makes-me-sa...
"...Microsoft better start moving faster with its operating system upgrades or it can look forward to a long slide in market share as people decide that the Mac experience is just plain better. Apple is a bigger threat than ever to the empire in Redmond, Wash."
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_7310593?nclick_check=1?sr=hotnews
"Right now, Microsoft has nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. After all the hype surrounding Vista, the Emperor has finally been revealed in all his naked glory. Some folks have been predicting the demise of Microsoft."
http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/04/29/vista_end_dream/
10. "Abandon Vista, Microsoft!"
The press is even telling Microsoft to abandon Vista altogether! "Never before have I seen such an abysmal start to an operating system release... The road ahead looks dangerous for Vista and Microsoft must realize that... Microsoft must abandon Vista and move on. It's the company's only chance at redemption."
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9785337-7.html?tag=nefd.only
"Microsoft can scuttle the entire product. Why not? Work on a whole new OS starting today with one team and work on SP3 for XP with another team to keep users on Windows."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2209840,00.asp
"Vista has turned into the desktop operating system no one wants, and even Microsoft is beginning to get it... Whatever you do, even if it's just sticking with XP, you'll be doing better than moving to Vista. Vista is the walking dead of the operating-system world."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2190228,00.asp
11. "Vista shows that Microsoft is spread too thin"
Umpteen OS products, consumer software, enterprise software, game machines, music players: all things to all people is a recipe for a mess, and people are noticing that anew in the wan light of Vista. "Now Microsoft wants to be in the advertising business because Google is in the advertising business. Meanwhile, it can’t do its real job."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2209837,00.asp
12. "Microsoft knew they were releasing 'a pig'"
Within Microsoft, there are (or were) those who knew where to lay blame. Jim Allchin, who left Microsoft the day Vista was released, said in a now-famous memo to Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, "...we lost our way. I think our teams lost sight of what bug-free means, what resilience means, what full scenarios mean, what security means, what performance means, how important current applications are, and really understanding what the most important problems [our] customers face are... I would buy a Mac today if I was not working at Microsoft. If you run the equivalent of VPC on a MAC you get access to basically all Windows application software (although not the hardware). Apple did not lose their way... They think scenario. They think simple. They think fast."
He closes with this simple summary of Longhorn (the initial code name for Vista), "LH is a pig."
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/110354.asp
(The memo was written three years before Vista's release, and even the strongest detractors will have to acknowledge that Microsoft made great improvements in the intervening time. Yet not so much changed after all, as Vista has been ravaged by the same criticisms since the day of its release.)
13. "Microsoft's most loyal fans can't praise Vista!"
Although aimed at pre-release Longhorn, the following rant was noteworthy not only for its venom but also for its source: columnist Paul Thurrott, recognized as one of Microsoft's most ardent cheerleaders. "Microsoft has yet to ship Windows Vista, and it won't actually ship this system in volume until 2007. Since the euphoria of PDC 2003, Microsoft's handling of Windows Vista has been abysmal. Promises have been made and forgotten, again and again. Features have come and gone. Heck, the entire project was literally restarted from scratch after it became obvious that the initial code base was a teetering, technological house of cards. Windows Vista, in other words, has been an utter disaster. And it's not even out yet. What the heck went wrong?... If blame is to be assessed, we must start with Gates. He has guided--or, through lack of leadership--failed to guide the development of Microsoft's most prized asset. He has driven it into the ground... Promises were made. Excitement was generated. None of it, as it turns out, was worth a damn. From a technical standpoint, the version of Windows Vista we will receive is a sad shell of its former self, a shadow... [W]e do not and should not expect to be promised the world, only to be given a warmed over copy of Mac OS X Tiger in return. Windows Vista is a disappointment."
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_5308_05.asp
Jump ahead to the post-launch era. Improvements are certainly evident, and Thurrott is mollified in part; I won't purport to speak for him. But from elsewhere: "Even some of Windows' most loyal users are finding that its poor performance, lousy software support and pathetic driver support is too much to stomach."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2190228,00.asp
14. "I'm mad at Microsoft!"
You may have read the story of the disappointed mom who tackled Steve Ballmer over her daughter's Vista problems: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
There's a lot of Microsoft-directed anger out there. Here a power user takes Microsoft to task: "I was loyal to you for so long. I stuck with you through thick and thin. From DOS 5.0 through XP. Through decent functionality and through countless crashes. But this new operating system is the last straw... You’ve terrified folks like my poor dad. He is afraid to install new software for any reason. He mumbles things like “Computers – you just can’t trust them.” He’s been conditioned that if he tries to install a new program or download an update – even if he does it correctly - something is likely to go awry for no explicable reason... You made millions of poor secretaries and office workers cry just for trying to do normal things like printing and saving... The secret is out, Microsoft. The reputation that you can’t be trusted to deliver reliable software is getting around fast."
http://www.pseudomarketing.com/vista-nightmare-oww/
The BBC's business editor writes an open letter to Bill Gates: "Give me back my weekend. I bought a new Windows Vista laptop – and that’s when the trouble began... The only thing that gives me any comfort is that I am apparently not alone in my Vista-stress."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2007/02/an_open_let...
15. "Vista marketing is senseless!"
Says a key Microsoft observer: "I wasn’t a big fan of the “Wow” campaign around Windows Vista. But its newest incarnation — “100 Reasons Why Everyone’s So Speechless” — might be even worse."
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=851
"According to Microsoft, Vista brings “clarity” to our lives. What the hell is that supposed to mean?... We all know the truth - Windows XP is perfectly fine, and Microsoft’s PR machine is just inventing reasons for us to buy something we don’t need."
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2006/11/10/five-reasons-to-avoid-wi...
16. "Vista marketing is sleazy!"
Even before the class-action lawsuit over misleading "Vista Capable" marketing, Vista marketing has raised eyebrows. "Microsoft and AMD have sent free Acer Ferrari 1000 and 5000 notebooks loaded with Vista to a group of high-profile bloggers... While Microsoft’s PR department may have thought it was a great idea, the give-away is attracting criticism."
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2006/12/27/microsoft-crosses-the-li...
Not entirely a Vista addition, but along the same theme: "If you can’t beat ’em, bribe ’em. That’s Microsoft’s newest tactic for promoting Windows Live Search, whose share of the market is declining despite a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign... The Redmond Recidivists are offering enterprise customers $2 to $10 worth of Microsoft swag per seat to ditch their Google and Yahoo toolbars and go “Live” in IE7. Meanwhile, Steve Ballmer has criticized Google because it hasn’t “reinvented itself” enough. So, to recap: Making a product people use because it actually works is bad business, but arm-twisting, trash talking, and bribery are the keys to long-term success."
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/03/22/13OPcringely_1.html
Acquiring Vista (or: Getting set up)
17. "Vista's versions are a confusing mess!"
Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate. Plus a couple extra versions for Europe. Pre-launch observers predicted: "The sheer number of Windows Vista versions is going to cause massive consumer confusion." http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp
That's proven true since Vista's launch.
A kinder review notes: "It all sounds confusing, but in reality consumers are only going to really need to choose between FOUR different Vista versions."
http://www.techwrighter.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53...
Vista's multitude of versions is fodder for the competition. Apple, for example, gets good milage out of this ad poking fun at Vista choices: http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac/apple-getamac-chooseavis...
Similarly, CEO Steve Jobs scored laughs with his quip about Mac OS X Leopard's single version: "Basic version, $129. Premium version, $129. Business version, $129. Enterprise version $129. Ultimate version, $129".
18. "Vista's upgrade paths are just as confusing!"
There are actually more than six versions of Vista: upgrade options add four more. "Microsoft is losing consumer operating system market share to Apple for many reasons... That's why it may be such a costly error for Microsoft to make the Vista upgrade such a confusing mess."
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
Microsoft provides an upgrade matrix to help out... or not help out: "Good lord. That chart looks like a city block's worth of malfunctioning traffic lights."
http://macslash.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/01/0032250
Even after making a choice, upgraders need to watch out for trouble. A representative sample: "Many users have lost, or were never provided with, installation disks with their PC. Because they have XP or 2000 installed, they may decide to save money and buy an Upgrade version. If their disk later dies, or they need for whatever reason to reformat, they will then have to buy a second copy of Vista, this time, the full version. Ouch!"
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
19. "Upgrading to Vista is a pain!"
For many, Vista problems begin at installation. Let the business pros at Forbes tell it: "Should you upgrade your current machine? Are you nuts? Upgrading is almost always a royal pain. Many older boxes are too wimpy for Vista, and a 'Vista-ready' unit Microsoft upgraded for me could see my wireless network but not connect to it. The diagnostics helpfully reported 'Wireless association failed due to an unknown reason' and suggested I consult my 'network administrator'--me. Yet I've connected dozens of things to that network, including other Vista machines, a PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's own Xbox 360... My recommendation: Don't even consider updating an old machine to Vista, period. And unless you absolutely must, don't buy a new one with Vista until the inevitable Service Pack 1 (a.k.a. Festival o' Fixes) arrives to combat horrors as yet unknown."
http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2007/0226/050.html
20. "Upgrades are so much easier on other systems!"
"In the long years since XP was launched, Apple have come out with five major upgrades to OS X, upgrades which (dare I say it?) install with about as much effort as it takes to brush your teeth in the morning. No nightmare calls to tech-support, no sudden hardware incompatibilities, no hassle. Why hasn’t Microsoft kept up?"
http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/04/29/vista_end_dream/
(It has to be noted that Apple's Leopard upgrade hasn't been problem-free for everyone, though most troubles involved use of unsanctioned third-party hacks to OS X.)
21. "Why are some Vista versions so limited?"
Then again, maybe there aren't so many real choices after all. A typical comment: "Have you ever looked at Vista Home Basic? Calling it a dog is an insult to all hard-working canines. It can't run Vista's eye candy, the Aero Glass interface. It doesn't have DVD video authoring or Media Center support. Compared to Windows XP Home SP2, I'd call it a downgrade."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2169153,00.asp
Not surprisingly, many reviewers call the higher-end versions the only real choice for a serious shopper. Which leads to the next complaint:
22. "Vista is too expensive!"
The word got out before launch: "An overwhelming majority of users say the prices of the various editions of Windows Vista as posted on a Microsoft website yesterday make the product too expensive, according to a new poll." http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/5450/53/
And the word spread after launch. Says Computerworld, "Are you sitting down? The full version of Windows Vista Ultimate costs $399. If you have an XP CD, and don't mind the hassle, the upgrade version of Vista Ultimate costs $259. Ouch!"
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
But Vista's impact on the pocketbook extends beyond software:
23. "Vista's hardware requirements are unbelievable!"
Hardware requirements have sparked endless criticisms.
You'll need lots of memory: "Microsoft's on-the-box minimum RAM requirement "really isn't realistic," according to David Short, an IBM consultant who works in its company's Global Services Divison. He says users should consider 4GB of RAM if they really want optimum Vista performance. With 512MB of RAM, Vista will deliver performance that's "sub-XP," he warned."
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&...
All modern computers need that much memory, right? Wrong. "In contrast to Microsoft's Windows Vista, [Mac OS X] isn't a memory hog... it can run just fine on an older Mac with 512 megabytes of main memory. Vista really needs something like four times as much to run all applications smoothly... Mac OS X 10.5... isn't a fat pig."
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_7310593?nclick_check=1?sr=hotnews
"A new level of the absurd… Windows Vista requires more hardware resources than Microsoft’s Windows for Supercomputers. Yet one operating system is designed to run on home computers while the other is aimed at the high-performance computing (HPC) market."
http://www.indianpad.com/story/142664
The lesson: If you're looking at Vista, make sure you choose a PC that's Vista Capable.
Then again, maybe not:
24. "Windows Vista Capable is a lie!"
"A lawsuit alleges that Microsoft Corp. engaged in deceptive practices by letting PC makers promote computers as "Windows Vista Capable" even if they couldn't run the new operating system's "signature" features."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/310004_msftsued03.html?source=rss
Microsoft denies the claims, but the press has harsh words in response. "What actually happened was that they discovered that "Capable" was proving incapable. Nice one, Microsoft! No wonder I've been hearing your customers—not Mac fans or desktop Linux users—referring to Vista as Windows ME II."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2169153,00.asp
But if you're confused by the meaning of "Vista Capable", don't worry – so is Microsoft.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62035012,00.htm
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
Icerocket
PubsubTrackback URL for this post:
http://www.microsplot.com/trackback/35
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
nice article, i really enjoyed reading :D
the only thing i want to say is:
everyone runs the OS he/she deserves :P
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
That's something like "...get the government they deserve", right? : )
Thanks for the compliments!
what is so wrong with vista
having read most of the messages i understand vista has its difficulties , Anything new these days in technology is pushed and deadlines cause pressure for release dates etc. But 5 years in the making is a long time , However im not sure what problems vista users are having> for me the perks of it are great Ideally dealing and working in photography the ability to see photos on a large scale in folders is a huge bonus. I have not experience anything out of the ordinary with vista. However i do not alowe this machine to go online It a work machine and any updates i need> usually software updates everything is fine. never updated wondows on vista yet untill they are ready and approved.
Everything runs on the machine perfect and with Adobe open , logic music program and various text and grapics program the machine handels beautfully , usually render a 1 hour movie eidt in under an hour whith all applications running. As for games i have around 100 titles including the current top 20 which all run a dream ( Except for broken sword 4 ) but there is shader trouble with the game and trouble handing multi processor machines. I think its how yoru machine is built that makes the vista a difference, If your mother board and everything in the pc is build according to vista then it should work nicely. direct x 10 is only a vista quality and so good for gaming and graphics which i do. the machine boots up and shits down around 30 seconds. they talk bad about dell machines but for some reason my dell works fine too. I think luck sometimes comes in to it but also what you install on yoru machine make a lot fo difference, and if its connected to the net the amount of junk it downloads without you knowing is crazy all can make a difference how the system runs
I disagree
This really annoys me cos vista is fine for me - sure i cant run some games - that are made for windows 98 but this is vista not stone age computing. Everyone loves XP cos it is stable - vista has a few bugs tht jsut need to be ironed out - like with XP - XP has been around 4 so long that it now doesn't have any bugs - fine - but when everything else is too advanced for XP it will sux. Vista has consant updates fixing bugs ect. And also I am also a flash developer and adobe runs fine - a mac would b great 4 it but vista is fine. BTW Firefox is far better than IE7
Re: I disagree
Hmm, I don't quite get the annoyance, since it sounds as if you're one of the fortunate people who shouldn't be annoyed! If Vista works well for you, that's a good thing. Yet please understand: even if it works great for you, there are many, many people – from computer newbies to IT professionals – for whom Vista has truly, genuinely, spectacularly proven to not work well. And hell hath no fury like a shopper disappointed, so those crowds will speak out!
winblows is a ripoff of other free sistems.
winblows rips other sistems like gnu linux & mac os x . but a bad one. i personaly prefere enithing ower winblows, mac is the best but again moust expensive one. if like me you are not loaded with tons of money switch to linux (ubuntu, opensuse, etc)linux is a litle hard tu adopt to but winblows is to a pain in the eass. if you have ever tried to develop a program that uses some of winblows core dll's then you know what i mean. end the moust importan thin is you gaved a ton of money for a brand new pc yust to be able to run vista end you still have tu pay for it, but it will never be yours! acording to the licence!!
Re: Vista running just fine on minimal hardware
I don't use computers so I can run the operating system, I use them so I can run applications. Vista does not do that well at all. Right now, I'm typing on a Vista laptop (AMD Turion TL-64 X2 2.2 GHz; 2GB RAM). My old laptop (1.7 GHz, 2GB [of quite a bit slower] RAM) was much snappier with XP than my current laptop with Vista. The manufacturer won't downgrade me to XP (yet), but I'm pretty sure I can get a refund on the whole thing --- just need to jump through the hoops.
I may be able to salvage the product code from my old (broken) XP laptop. Anyway, I'll be pricing MacBooks real soon now; I suspect they're too expensive --- even with the usual caveats about better speed, efficiency, quality, and service. Since I've been using linux for about ten years, I'm at least going to see how my laptop does with a live CD of fedora 8 64bit. If that works well enough, a Mac may have to wait, and warranty be damned at this point.
I suspect that if about a half-dozen top rank games ran really well (i.e. native) on mac/linux, windows desktop dominance would be history in six months. With all the virtualization, emulation, and dual-boot options now available (all second tier choices, to be sure) ... we'll see how the landscape looks in about a year. Who wants to guess which gaming console will steal the most market share from windows desktops? One thing I'd bet on: xmas 2008 is going to be relatively better for Apple than for MS.
YOU CAN FIX WINDOWS
what i did is i replaced almost every windows proccess with something else. here is a complete list...
PROGRAM REPLACEMENT
1. ADD REMOVE PROGRAMS----------------------EASY UNINSTALLER
2. TASK MANAGER----------------------------------WINPATROL
3.WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER----------------------QCD PLAYER,ZOOM PLAYER
4. EXPLORER.EXE-----------------------------------RIGHTCLICK, WINDOWS BLINDS,OBJECT DOCK
5. NOTEPAD-----------------------------------------DREAMWEAVER
6.PAINT-----------------------------------------------FLASH, FIREWORKS GIMPSHOP
7. MICROSOFT OFFICE-----------------------------OPEN OFFICE, ABI WORD
8. DISK CLEANUP------------------------------------TREE SIZE FREE
9. SYSTEM RESTORE--------------------------------ADD AWARE
10. INTERNET EXPLORER--------------------------OPERA, FIREFOX
11. OUTLOOK----------------------------------------THUNDERBIRD
12. MSN MESSENGER-------------------------------TRILLIAN
13. LOGIN SCREEN----------------------------------LOGON EXP
14. BOOT SCREEN-----------------------------------BOOT SKINS
you name it i replaced it with free open source goodness :)
even dell is putting ubuntu on thier machines.
and i am able to run ubuntu from a flash drive (480mbps) faster then windows can get to the loading screen on a sata drive (3gbps)
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Vista is the best thing to ever come out of Microsoft. It had me switch my PC to Ubuntu 7.10 and get a MacBook instead of a laptop with Vista pre--installed.
I've waited for Windows Vista, since Longhorn was first revealed, they were 3 years too late, many missing features, confusing GUI, slow performance, and decreased stability. Worst bit of them all, DRM and TC, that is spying on you!
Vista is OK and will be no.1. Just have patience!
just haters...
In one year or two all of them will be running Vista.
you need it because of the new technologies such as directx10 and forth
and pc's will be faster and faster and Vista will boost performance overtime
On my Q6600 with 4 GB ram and raid 0 runs flawlessly... Even Windows XP can't match Vista on that machine... considering for 4 GB you must install xp x64 which is way worst than Vista x64
Just wait and see. I'm pretty sure!
XP was heated before.
Vista is the best Microsoft OS (till Windows 7 will came out)
Re: Vista is OK and will be no.1. Just have patience!
You're totally right man! Vista forced to check out alternatives, and I discovered PCLinuxOS! Never been happier with my computer! Thank you Microsoft!
Re: Vista is OK and will be no.1. Just have patience!
lol not everyone that realizes that vista is windows ME version 2 is a "hater". Try realistic:
"In one year or two all of them will be running Vista."
Think so huh? Even business have been wary of spending money to upgrade to it. Not everyone has the money or incentive to upgrade to a quad core to run all the eye candy in vista. Most people want basis functionality--office & word, web browser email. And I guarantee you most people don't care for drm at all.
"you need it because of the new technologies such as directx10 and forth
and pc's will be faster and faster and Vista will boost performance overtime"
You don't need vista for new technologies at all. What new technologies? DX10? DX is nothing more than an api for graphics cards so windows programmers can more easily get at the metal--it doesn't add more features than the graphics card already itself is capable of providing it merely makes it easier to tap the power. And DX10 is fully capable of being deployed for XP. In case you weren't paying attention MS created numerous versions of DX from win95 to DX 9 on XP. Has absolutely NOTHING to do with vista at all. Do you think everyone is naive? You obviously got that machine for DX10 and gaming and are a power user--you should know better since power users often want the most out of their hardware investment--you won't get the most return using VISTA at this time, thats for damn sure, and SP1 is unlikely to fix the bulk of the issues. XP worked much better than vista did before id even had SP1, esp. for games. That b/c they had released SP's for win2k and the transition was a lot easier--not so this time.
"On my Q6600 with 4 GB ram and raid 0 runs flawlessly... Even Windows XP can't match Vista on that machine... considering for 4 GB you must install xp x64 which is way worst than Vista x64"
Yeah of course with a quad core and 4GB of ram, it's going to work better. And that's just BS--I call BS. Windows XP it outperformed by the bloated drm ridden vista? How do you figure since the OS inherrently is calling on the CPU's to do more work than with XP? Perhaps your XP installation was hosed or you're just on crack. And most people aren't going to upgrade to the latest and greatest just to use vista. A lot of people bought computers just 1-2 years ago and aren't going to upgrade again just so vista doesn't bog down. As for XP64--hardly a fair comparison since MS hasn't spent the time pushing XP64 and support for it like they have for vista. They've bypassed it altogether in favor of vista. Vista should never have been released and they should have pushed XP64 along with improvements to security and DX10.
"Just wait and see. I'm pretty sure!"
I'm pretty sure too--that VISTA is windows ME version 2 rofl.
"XP was heated before."
Not like vista are you kidding? What are you 10 years old or something? XP was much more compatible when it was first released than vista is. I had numerous games and apps work right from win98/se even. You're gone dude...get a clue
"Vista is the best Microsoft OS (till Windows 7 will came out)"
Black XP is superior to Vista. Windows 7? lol when will that be, the year 2010 or 2012?
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Well, Microsoft has done a great thing for the world of computing.
Vista is the best move by Microsoft that I have ever seen.
It has now shot itself in such a way that Linux and Mac will take over and the world will finally be at peace... :)
Don't you love it?
looks nice.
the only thing good about vista is the look. so download Vista Transformation Pack 7 to make XP look the same! fuck all the bullshit attatched to the REAL vista, you dont have to change your whole fucking system just to make your computer look awesome!!!
download WindowBlinds for even more styles or better still just fucking get a mac!!
looks nice.
the only thing good about vista is the look. so download Vista Transformation Pack 7 to make XP look the same! fuck all the bullshit attatched to the REAL vista, you dont have to change your whole fucking system just to make your computer look awesome!!!
download WindowBlinds for even more styles or better still just fucking get a mac!!
Re: looks nice.
You say Vista looks nice but check out compiz!!!!
you can install it on most kinds of linux as long as you don't have a rubbish graphics card
P.S. If u cant be bothered to find out about it then I'll tell you here:
it gives you all kinds of mad effects like having several desktops around the faces of a cube or wobbly windows
Also with regard to vistas translucent windows, you can get the same thing on Ubuntu without installing anything extra
Reactos
Hi I liked the article. I've enjoyed my Vista experience for nearly a year now on a new HP dv9000t notebook. It's been working well except for a few minor things.
The secret to this success has been by not having my computer connected to anything. No internet, network, as many services turned off as possible, and of course all hardware matched from the start. I fell for the sales hype but really went with it for the intel T7200 chip.
I use a nice soundcard (external) via the firewire connection and as long as I have the ASIO driver on before boot-up I think the DRM stuff is either bypassed or not engaged in some way.
I use this laptop a lot (many hours) in doing audio encoding work which goes almost twice as fast as my XP desktop. So for some people, some applications it's ok.
I have no interest in watching premium content DVDs on laptop so at first wondered what all the fuss was about. I read thru this website for some really great information and recommend it to you. It is 486 comments long from IT pro guys with some MS input as well. It's really a very long read but the quality of the posting is excellent.
Windows Vista Content Protection - Twenty Questions (and Answers)
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/20/windows-vista-content-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx
One of the IT guys posted a link to an emerging (almost ready for prime-time) Windows OS replacement. Open source NT build from the ground up allowing you to use your System32 DLLs. Quite interesting total MS replacement. I'd love to read your comments about that. See it here at:
http://www.reactos.org/en/index.html
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
wait a minute ot all those vista lovers......ur ought to make a mistake i really dont have to say anything about ur loyality to ms$.but hey pay,that i dont for linux and ubuntu,well all i get everything i need works perfectly without,the MS$ tag,guess what no BSOD screens.hehehe.......
Vista
the mountains of Vista-bashing are ridiculous.
i just got a fucking dell inspiron with amd athlon dual core 64 bit processors running at a little over 5 Ghz - over 3 GB of ram - and a shitty NVIDIA 6000 series graphics card built in - for only ***$699*** at best buy (and that includes the 19" flat screen and awesome epson printer - but - sorry - sale's over) - and my windows vista runs like a fucking spaceship. it's beautiful. no. GORGEOUS. it's totally secure (i'll deal with those constant user approval pop-ups instead of all that shoot-myself-in-the-head annoying norton (or whatever else) shit). and it's faster than a fucking speeding bullet.
all you vista-hating shit eaters just need to cough up a buck or two to update your piece of shit computers. then install vista and have a blast!
Re: Vista
A dual core, 64-bit machine, with 3 GIGABYTES of memory, with no slouch of a graphics card... and you can run the operating system. Well done.
I can also run an operating system, on an AMD K6/III running at 400mhz, with an old Geforce 4 MX. It's called Windows 98. Remember that?
I can also run an operating system with a GUI that has more 3D effects than Vista, is more efficient than Vista or XP (check the required specs for www.eve-online.com between the versions), on a basic 3ghz P4 with a Radeon 9000 IGP chipset. It's called Mandriva Linux. I'm sure you've heard of that one. Incidentally, compiz is designed to run nicely with basic Intel GPUs. Budget machines, yaknow?
So you don't need to spend $699 on unneeded crap.
Linux is fast. Vista is slow. Deal with it, but don't make your bullshit so obvious.
Vista sux
offtopic: LOL I had GeForce 4 MX on my old PC
Well since i got my new PC I installed both Vista and XP and guess what? XP is running like a bullet (event with custom WindowBlinds themes) while Vista takes like 5 min to start!!! (2GB ram, AMD 64 x2 4800+, ATI Radeon x1650)
I recently installed Ubuntu Linux and when I saw all those effects running with so less resource consuming (even less than XP) I instantly deleted Vista. But i keep XP for games ;)
Re: Vista
lol if you think vista is fast, secure and gorgeous Ubuntu will make piss your pants in happiness. Not much for games though =[ but oh well
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Wow ... I must be lucky. Obviously got the only working copy of Vista. NONE ... really NONE of the 100 topics mentioned here affected me when I installed it. I was really suprised 'cause I read about all those traps waiting for me ... I personally don't want to go back to XP AT ALL. Period. And I feel sorry for those who think a downgrade will make them happy. But it's their choice ...
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Give it time, give it time... : )
Seriously, if all works well for you, that's great. If only the masses in general had had a similarly good experience.
Vista disaster; M$ DRM+spying users+bullying law making bodies!
the biggest sin M$ is doing is esp in EU&USA is that most laptops and desktops bundles M$ Vista crap (by gunpoint!hehe!) forced by M$FT.Still,Vista failed!also M$ hidden agendas too failed like entering DRM(rootkit) ed Musik etc.also,US Army and M$FT itself spies ur Vista by creating logs !Vista sends this and allows US army(NSA?) etc to probe ur Vista!!!pathetic monopolist!
No way windows series can compete with the stability of UNIX-like systems GNU/Linux etc.also win XP SP2 is also not secure!It is just a placebo effect which users are experiancing!
Windows fanboys wont like to hear this-still,
Windows 7/Vienna is goona be launched this year july/October!Now see!... WinME=WinVista.although Vista copied too many UNIX ideas wrongly implemented like UNIX system-wide-permission system as UAC :lol: and 90% of networking stacks! :x also who knows how much devil(M$) had/having copied from GPLed Linux and GNU Softwares?
M$ are FUD making morons who want to killl sane Open Source Community by Software patent FUDs,SCO FUD(failed already hihihi!) etc.
EULA is Poison!Users rights are killed by big corps like M$,Intel etc who can bully for their monopoly in law making bodies in USA,EU etc :x !
Move to Linux and Free Software!Save urself.
http://www.getgnulinux.org
http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net
http://www.fsf.org
http://www.gnu.org
Fuck RIAA,M$,MP3AAA,DRM,Software Patents :x
Vista disaster; M$ DRM+spying users+bullying law making bodies!
the biggest sin M$ is doing is esp in EU&USA is that most laptops and desktops bundles M$ Vista crap (by gunpoint!hehe!) forced by M$FT.Still,Vista failed!also M$ hidden agendas too failed like entering DRM(rootkit) ed Musik etc.also,US Army and M$FT itself spies ur Vista by creating logs !Vista sends this and allows US army(NSA?) etc to probe ur Vista!!!pathetic monopolist!
No way windows series can compete with the stability of UNIX-like systems GNU/Linux etc.also win XP SP2 is also not secure!It is just a placebo effect which users are experiancing!
Windows fanboys wont like to hear this-still,
Windows 7/Vienna is goona be launched this year july/October!Now see!... WinME=WinVista.although Vista copied too many UNIX ideas wrongly implemented like UNIX system-wide-permission system as UAC :lol: and 90% of networking stacks! :x also who knows how much devil(M$) had/having copied from GPLed Linux and GNU Softwares?
M$ are FUD making morons who want to killl sane Open Source Community by Software patent FUDs,SCO FUD(failed already hihihi!) etc.
EULA is Poison!Users rights are killed by big corps like M$,Intel etc who can bully for their monopoly in law making bodies in USA,EU etc :x !
Move to Linux and Free Software!Save urself.
http://www.getgnulinux.org
http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net
http://www.fsf.org
http://www.gnu.org
Fuck RIAA,M$,MP3AAA,DRM,Software Patents :x
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
crap vista rocks ppl hate change stick with old xp then ! clunk
Be a Human
These UNIX supporters' saying that there are problems with Windows that UNIX OSs' don't have suggest us an Analogy :
"It is safer, easier, cheaper, simpler to go to a Brothel rather than marrying someone"
Those mindless & inhuman beasts may feel so, but they are brain washing us Windows user to follow suit.
The wind blows the harshly at those who stand strongly.
"We may need patience. Some problems may arise & some wounds cannot be healed quickly. They must be given time. In the meantime, we can appreciate the new capabilities we are developing, such as the capacity to mourn and the willingness to accept. Let us share our losses and triumphs with each other, for that is how we gather courage..."
Microsoft is like a One-Man Army opposed by hundreds of idiots.
It is impossible for anyone or anything to achieve 100% efficiency.
All OSs' try to achieve that, the truth is that Microsoft Windows is the one at the top of the achievers. But these idiots make people believe that Microsoft is just crap & UNIX OSs' don't even know how to host viruses. How??? Many people don't get this Point.
These idiots with infinite Distros hide the flaws of UNIX & hold the few problems of Windows against a single company Microsoft.
I will never in my life say that or will never agree with any one else saying that UNIX
is just crap. The same goes for Microsoft. Both these options have problems. But, why should these who understood Microsoft wrongly wants others to do so as well.
"We have two kinds of fears. One is a fear that whatever is going on is going to go on forever. It’s just not true -- nothing goes on forever. The other is the fear that, even if it doesn’t go on forever, the pain of whatever is happening will be so terrible we won’t be able to stand it. There is a gut level of truth about this fear. It would be ridiculous to pretend that in our lives, in these physical bodies, which can hurt very much, and in relationships that can hurt very much, there aren’t some very, very painful times. Even so, I think we underestimate ourselves. Terrible as times may be, I believe we can stand them; as humans we should be"
"Because we become frightened as soon as a difficult mind state blows into the mind, we start to run away from it. We try to change it, or we try to get rid of it. The frenzy of the struggle makes the mind state even more unpleasant, we may get instant relief but a final blow awaits us. It's like jumping out of a plane without parachutes for the Excitement, it will be so Refreshing but there will be that inevitable blackout awaiting you"
These Linux Distros can change versions, debug, update, correct their problems overnight cause it's like a cool drink made in a local drinks shop, where it's taste & quality can be quickly changed & we get them at low price. But Microsoft Windows is like say the Pepsi or the Coco-Cola, where they try to maintain very high quality, do comprehensive researches & revisions, which may take some time.
"Nothing in life is to be feared, or throwed, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less about Windows"
Vista is not a completely bloated OS, it is loved by some people and hated by some people. The same goes for any other products in this world.
So, what i want to say is that use whatever OS you use. But, don't try to force it on others, don't just say that the multi-$dollar researches of Microsoft is simply of no use against those people working to make the Distros of UNIX. As humans we must do this. Respect everyone's efforts.
Pardon me if you don't agree with my thoughts or if my thoughts hurts you.
Please, don't start a discussion or a website having biased views about any company.
Always, respect the work they do.
Re: Be a Human
Whilst I agree that there are security problems with any Operating System, my displeasure with Microsoft has little or nothing to do with the quality of their software. (On my personal laptop, I run a linux distro) My Disappointment has to do with the view Microsoft takes to the consumer.
Windows vista does claim to give High Definition content to end users, however, this content is so wrapped up in security and DRM, it is screaming two messages:
To the computer cracker, it is almost a dare, saying: "I am hidden in some of Microsoft's most secure code, try to find me"
To the end user, who may not know the difference between a hacker and a cracker, the message from Microsoft is this: "No user can be trusted with intellectual property" (in essence, I believe this was number 33 on the list).
I resent the fact that Microsoft does not trust its consumers!
Also, in a free market (i.e. a capitalism where monopolies are not allowed to exist), competition is what drives innovation. Very few people would say that Microsoft has any real competition in the OS market. This seems to have led to stagnant development of Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer.
With the introduction of Open Source, Microsoft now has a competitor that cannot be bought out. This is why I personally support Open Source (because of the innovations it brings into the market).
One final note: The most dangerous security hole in any operating system is the End User. Running Unix doesn't mean you are untouchable (from any hackers) any more than running windows paints a big red target on your machine. If the End User does not exhibit intelligence in what he/she clicks on or runs, the computer will be vulnerable.
Re: Be a Human
"Respect everyone's efforts."
In a big, context-less picture, that's an admirable sentiment. Still, come on – there's a place in the world for parody, poking fun, and – the real matter here – legitimate complaint. A huge corporation spent a fortune and many years developing a product, hyping it wildly throughout years of delays, and hyping it even more ("The Wow Starts Now"! "100 Reasons You'll Be Speechless"!) upon release. And... some people yawn, some people refuse to buy it, other people try it and revile it with some of the strongest language you've ever seen a tech product generate, thanks to big, real problems with the product. People are campaigning to have Vista stricken from new computers and replaced with its aged predecessor.
That's not an everyday thing. It's news. And it'd be unrealistic to think that people won't razz the big-talking creator of such a flop, or that purchasers burned by a bad product won't shout and yell a bit. People are doing what people do normally. (The folks at MS are big boys and girls, and can take complaints from angry customers. In fact, they're used to it.)
BUT, you completely shoot down your appeal to gentlemanly respect anyway, in a post that has "Always, respect the work they do" preceded by rants against people as "mindless & inhuman beasts" and "idiots".
My friend, you have issues! (But I do dig the beat-poetry-like philosophical natterings mixed in there. Tony Robbins? Deepak Chopra?)
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
I've dealt with people like this before. He has got nothing to do all day then to gather all this stupid information from stupid people who don't know how to operate a computer. Hey! Why don't you jokers go all the way back to Windows 95 while your at it...
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
The only Jokers are the people who refuse to admit that Vista was a mistake. They got all excited about Vista, they installed it, and they know it sucks, but they don't want to hurt their ego by admitting they made a mistake, and admitting that Vista is complete garbage. Grow a sack and admit you made a mistake with Vista.
good call
great article, i love it.
ms has an agenda and they are pusing it through, call it drm , lock in content, drm embedded tech for hd content, packets of data sent to redmond every 10 whatever you call it, it just stinks . all ms are going to do is improve that so we don't notice it as much. as for the user experience that will now always be 2ndry.
if i was running a company or governemnt outside the usa i would not use it ,though if i was american i would expect a company like ms to be farming data for national advantage, it goes without saying.
Re: good call
I, too, have always been surprised by the readiness of foreign governments to rely upon a company from a foreign land – a very geopolitically sensitive one, at that – to supply a component as critical, and as fraught with potential for intelligence-related mischief, as a ubiquitously-deployed operating system.
Even if, in an imaginary world, the product were reliable and the supplier were reputable and law-abiding, it would still surprise me. Oh well, it's hardly the most inexplicable thing governments do.
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
I own an IT support organization. We naturally needed to train for Vista. We were not happy with it. The most common complaints are speed issues and connectivity issues. While MS likes to talk about optimizations that they made to speed things up with each version, we speed test them. Each version of NT has been slower than the previous version. It's been that way since it was known as portable OS/2 LAN Manager. Unless you transition old PCs to a new operating system, it doesn't matter, since computers gain processing power at a faster rate. Vista's speed issues are different; it is more like hangs for awhile and goes again. This frustrates the common office user. Another problem is it runs engineering software between 10 and 100 times slower, if it runs it at all. It has similar issues with some games. If it was only 25% slower, nobody would care. Other problems are email and internet connections. Another issue that may or may not be related is VPN issues. Another issue is stability. Another problem is companies have software investments that they do not want to get rid of or update. They've encountered a lot of resistance to accept Vista by web application developers. The problem there is Internet Explorer 7. The developers need Internet Explorer 6 to test with because of its market share, and it is the worst browser known to man. Thus they need IE 6 for testing purposes. To address this, Microsoft offered a free seat of Virtual PC and XP that installs with IE6. The IE6 market share situation has actually worsened slightly. We've seen IE 7 go backwards in market share. Recent patches require digital signatures on software, like Vista does, and larger businesses have lots of mission oriented software that are not digitally signed. They have downgraded to IE6 to remove the digital signature requirement, but according to our web stats, it appears the real benefactor for internet browsing has been FireFox.
We had more customers with Vista machines during the spring of 2007 than we have today. There are more PCs available from OEMs with XP today than there was in the spring of 2007. Vista caused a flurry of sales for us by smaller businesses because they didn't have VLAs and they were concerned they soon wouldn't be able to get XP. It's the first OS from MS where you get support to downgrade with an OEM license. One of our specialties is supporting large tier-1 automotive suppliers. They all have volume licensing, their own IT departments, and have one thing in common, zero seats of Vista.
Over the years we've seen less and less of the Mac in business. We know of one highly successful company that designs packaging that uses them, but they have been using them since before Windows could do that type of work, and that's all they do. Personally, I'm not crazy about the Mac. If they had stayed with the FreeBSD kernel, their machines would be performing much better today. Contrary to the hype, Safari is dog slow, on Windows or a Mac, and has Mac's inferior font rendering means fonts need to be larger in order to read them. We had to work around that issue for our e-commerce sites. Our website stats reveal that a lot of Mac users are not using Safari. While we don't see Macs in business much, we know of users that have them at home. In every instance we know of, the reason they cite for having a Mac is they bought a PC with Vista. They either brought the PC back, sold it, or gave it away, and bought a Mac. In every case, they are very happy with their Macs. Vista is Mac's best salesman. Whether for business or home, over the past year the number of Mac users on our web sites has doubled from ~3% to ~6%.
Most people, including myself, expected more from Vista after a 5 year investment. Similarly, the industry had much higher expectations for IE7. In both cases, some of the new features that were perceived to be the main reason for the upgrade, were not delivered in the final product. However, it is possible that Microsoft's purpose for the upgrades was more about starting with a platform with all security fixes put in, and make some changes that they couldn't make to the original installs. You wouldn't want to patch NT4 to Vista using 20 service packs and 150 security fixes. They also have no viable competitor for the desktop, and may have chosen to spend their time targeting other areas. In the vast majority of cases, they still get paid for either XP or Vista, no matter which OS the user decides to buy or downgrade to.
It's unarguable that releasing Vista in its current state was a mistake. They would be in an indefensible position to attempt to call any product a success that doubles their competition's market share. For the first time, a high percentage of large companies have indicated that they have no intention of moving to Vista, ever, and would wait for whatever follows Vista. Former customers had to buy all new software and drivers to switch to another platform, so no one can point to existing software incompatibility or drivers as being the sole issue. If the continued sale of XP licenses and a downgrade path had not been implemented, the situation would have been worse. The PC's main performance detractor is the number of viruses it needs to check for, thus adding UAC and code signing makes sense from a technical standpoint. However, after implementing those annoyances, there is still such a speed reduction that a 4 year old computer runs better than a new one, combine that with stability issues, software incompatibilities, and connectivity issues, Microsoft created a situation that has caused a large scale mutiny. Some former customers found relief in other platforms, and the transition to a new environment less painful than staying. Many more standardized on XP. To power such a movement requires extreme frustration on a large scale. It would probably be safe to assume that things have been shaken up inside Microsoft and that they are taking steps to address the current debacle.
A Mac User Chimes In
I've been a Mac user since before Windows existed, and it's always been easy to use (even the oft-maligned Leopard has given me few problems — none of them real). Well, someone gave me VMWare Fusion (virtualization software) for Christmas and soon after, someone else gave me a free copy of XP Professional, so I set up an XP VM, and I've had fun with it, kind of like one might have fun with a Tamagotchi. In other words, it was irritating. Then, the search for SP 2 would have driven me insane had it not been for the bottle of Johnnie Walker being within reach.
My point is this: If XP was a headache just to run on a virtual machine as a secondary OS, and people consider it to be better than Vista, then Vista ought to be stamped with the following warning label:
ALL HOPE ABANDON, YE WHO ENTER HERE.
Re: A Mac User Chimes In
Vista is a big improvement over XP. I think you'll find most complaints against Vista are invalid (e.g. system requirements - I've run Vista HP on an old machine with an Athlon XP2200 processor and 512MB RAM with a rubbish old graphics card and it ran perfectly fine.)
I suggest if you want to make a true comparison use a dedicated PC not a 'virtual' PC running on a Mac.
Re: A Mac User Chimes In
Johnnie Walker and Jim Beam: My own personal Geek Squad for times of computer trouble. : )
Sorry to hear that your XP experience was a bad one. On the other hand, I think people will ask, fairly enough, whether the added layer of virtualization is at least partly at fault. (I don't know; I don't yet have VMWare or its sort to play around with.)
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Remember the headaches 95 gave us when it was green? Now look at 98/se/xp/vista. Beginning to see the trend? Amusing article in the simple fact that so many people have yet to realize that OS releases from Microsoft have never gone smooth. It literally takes about a year or two until an OS becomes "fully" compatible, take a mental note.
I suggest to all, that dual booting xp/vista be the norm for past, present and future endeavors.
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
No doubt, many of the distressed users are people who should have waited for later versions before jumping aboard. Only those willing to take the risks should adopt early. (Then again, we can't entirely blame the buyers, when MS is/was doing its darndest to make Vista the only choice for new PC buyers, as well as shouting to the world "it's ready,
it's great, buy buy buy!".)
Then there are more experienced folks who, like you, know that a brand-new MS OS is not going to run smoothly. They may have known what they were getting into, and gave it a shot anyway. As such, they perhaps have to place a little "I should have known better" blame on themselves. Still, if they want to raise a ruckus of complaints, curses, and general anti-Vista noise to let off steam and warn other potential adopters – well, I say that as people who paid big bucks for an under-performing product, they have every right to!
a very clever answer
guys...i'm not supporting microsoft...but if you don't like vista or any other product of Microsoft...why are you using them????it's simple...change it!!!and don't think about them more...
Re: a very clever answer
"If you don't like Vista, or any product of Microsoft, or any product of anybody, don't use it." Sounds good to me!
I'm not sure exactly who the "guys" you address are, though. Whoever they may be, let me note:
Lots of general users complaining about Vista indeed should change to something else, as you suggest.
Lots of users complaining about Vista are changing to something else, or have done so already. (Those un-switchers have been quite an eyebrow-raiser in the Vista story.)
Finally, if you're suggesting that people just make the change without so much danged complaining, that's probably good advice for lots of people, but the many reporters quoted in the article will have to forego that suggestion. If they tried a product, disliked it, and quietly switched away without a word, they wouldn't be doing much of a job as reporters! : )
Thanks for the feedback.
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Wow... This artical sucks, Vista is not bad, it is perfectly stable, it starts up fast enough on my pentium 4 2.8, with 2 gigs of ram, and a ati radion x1650. People who think it starts slow must be running it at the bear minimum. And the application breaking, Vista don't do it, your application does, I don't know about you but I haven't had a problem in vista. And about the OMFG this desktop is slow, TURN OF AREO FUCTARD!!! (yeah, I probly spelled areo rong, and alot of other words)
Fuck You Morons
Derek
Email me about how much you think i'm a moron Columbia747@gmail.com (I will make fun of you back)
Re: Anything but Speechless: 100 Things People Are Really Saying
Thanks for setting things straight, Derek! Hold up while I draft a memo:
Dear Wall Street Journal, PC World, CNE