Microsoft Vista Launches

Microsoft Vista Launches: ZDNet UK Article1 | ZDNetUK Article 2

A new ZDNet (UK) article talks about the release of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista. It provides a brief run through on why many will resist upgrading to Vista from Windows XP or Windows 2000. With many having only deployed Windows XP recently in the business/corporate environment, most IT managers are in no rush to go through what are often nightmarish headaches just to view their desktops in the new theme and UI upgrades known as Aero and Glass.

Some of the problems that this long-talked about, and long-delayed release faced include:

• A re-write of over 70% of the original code-base
• Creation of six different "flavors" (versions) for users from home user, to corporate enterprise, and nearly everything in-between
• Lack of drivers for important hardware resources such as Wi-Fi adapters and video cards
• 20 minutes or more to return a machine from hibernation
• Requires a medium-high-end video card to get the full experience from the new/improved AeroGlass user-interface.
• Battery draining issues that are still unresolved, with an expected resolution sometime in January 2007
  

From personal experience, with the first couple of Betas, and the subsequent final release candidate, Vista sure looks spiffy, but it relocates many items within its UI that will force many users to relearn who to change basic settings on their PC. It took me 15 minutes to figure out how to add a Wi-Fi profile for a network that didn't broadcast its station ID (a basic/common practice for Wi-Fi owners to use to help "shield" their Wi-Fi signal from prying eyes). Keep in mind, the first beta didn't recognize much of anything on my Dell Inspiron E1505 Core Duo machine, but later versions only left with me ailing Wi-Fi (though mostly fixed) and ATI Graphic card issues.

Once you learn how to navigate this new UI and theme, one releases how much "prettier" it is compared to the visual refresh we received with either Windows XP or XP Media Center Edition. While I love the new AeroGlass look, I have taken to calling this release, at least based on its look, Windows OS X. MAC users will probably have to do a double take at first to see that spiffy OS X look semi-replicated on a Windows PC.

I wouldn't rush out to upgrade just yet though, for a couple reasons. For one, any of you gamers need to wait a bit until various video driver and other issues are worked out. And consumers can't purchase this new Vista version until March of 2007, though many new computers you buy now, including those from Dell computers, will ship with a vouchers (at a cost of $10 on the Dell site) to provide a Vista Upgrade Disk upon its release.

Sorry if I geeked out on any of you, but I'm sure a few of you might appreciate this bit of dribble about Vista ;)