:: Intrepid Spaniel ::

The bottom line, should I upgrade?

Like cramming an info-dump into a book report the night before it’s due, there certainly are a lot of individual features within Windows Vista, but the real value lies in their execution–how the user experiences (or doesn’t experience) these features. There were some a-ha moments, and I think the improvements are solid, but much like the aftermath of the info-dump, I felt slightly disappointed in the overall result. Perhaps I’m spoiled, but after more than five years of development, there’s a definite “Is that all?” feeling about Windows Vista as competitors from MacOS and even Linux have leaped ahead.

The interface did receive a much needed makeover, I’d say it is the best Microsoft has ever designed (which some would say is not saying much), but compared with Mac OS X 10.4, Windows Vista still feels a just a bit clunky and non-intuitive. However to Windows veterans it should make sense and remove many of the annoyances of Windows XP, such as the “My Documents, My Pictures, My Everything…) although there are some confusing changes with not much rationale behind them such as moving and renaming things such as add/remove programs and renaming display properties to ‘Personalize’. Despite the addition of a system-wide, built-in Search, (a much needed improvement) and various efforts to break away from old directory trees and paths, you still need to drill down one level to even access Search.

There are far too many dependencies on Microsoft products; this is not a very objective operating system, as preference is always given to Microsoft products (of which there are many), from MSN Search to RSS feeds only from Internet Explorer. If your online world already revolves around Microsoft products such as Windows Live and MSN Search and Spaces, you may be very happy, but if you plan on using competing tools from Google or Firefox or others (which I recommend) you will likely be dissapointed as Microsoft has made it slightly less convenient for you to do so. Let the war of convenience begin.

Is Windows Vista a bad operating system? No. It’s just a disappointment for PC users who hoped that Microsoft would deliver something truly exciting to finally leapfrog ahead of Apple. They failed. I do like the interface much better, and there is definitely some eye candy there, but the above problems mar the overal usability and experience. My take: No need to rush to Vista, there are no must have features for most users. I recommend waiting for Vista SP1 (due late this year) which may offer some concrete reasons to upgrade and give more time to shake out the software compatibility bugs and add more hardware support. Really, only the Enterprise and Ultimate editions are worth having and I just can’t see paying that much for a new OS, I’d rather spend my money on hardware. Check out the most annoying things about Vista.

What’s New?

New shiny interface should boost productivity, though you’ll need a powerful computer and graphics card to take full advantage of it.
New workgroup meeting client.
New calendar client that support .ICS format (like iCal, google calendar)
Default user directories moved to c:\Users\username\ No more “Documents and Settings” Yay!
Document Directories are now called Documents instead ot “My Documents” Yay!
Search actually seems to work and is somewhat fast (*Gasp!*) ala spotlight on the Mac, though it’s not as easily accessed.
New Security Model called UAC for User Access control, which will be annoying to some, but will increase the default security level by asking permission when elevated privledges are required, even when logged in as administrator.
Bitlocker for drive encryption (Useful for corporate laptops holding sensitive data) (business, enterprise, and ultimate versions only)
Complete PC backup and imaging utility looks to be a capable and much easier to use backup client. (windows business, ultimate, and Home Premium only)

Much more to add here, but check out my Vista Wiki page for a lot more info on common problems with specific programs or links to Vista tips and tricks and other resources.