What a letdown. I ran it during beta testing and found nothing special about it. I though Microsoft would certainly add something to it that would entice me to have it on a system once the retail release came around. We got a few copies of Vista Business at work this week. Here are the differences I found between XP and Vista with an explanation as to why none of these features are new, exciting, or even worth a d@#!.
- Windows Defender = Yet more annoying Windows security prompts. Thanks.
- Instant Search = Google Desktop Search
- Windows Aero Desktop = Yippee. Now I can flip through 3-D windows on my desktop. How this makes me more productive, I don’t know.
- Meeting Space = Little, tiny Netmeeting. A subscription is required for full functionality of Livemeeting. Citrix Gotomeeting is cheaper, easier, and established.
- New backup features = Very slightly enhanced MS Backup. It’s not anywhere near as innovative as System Restore Points were in XP.
- New Interface = The primary reason PC users tired of XP quickly declare “ooh, I like it”. Just what Microsoft was counting on. It’s finally a different desktop environment for them but hardly new to anyone who’s used alternative NFS operating systems all along.
Once again Microsoft has proven they are not innovative. Just like when the announced Active Directory with a thousand trumpets and anyone who ever used Novell NDS, or directory services on NFS said “oh look, it’s LDAP 10 years late”.
Needless to say I haven’t found one technical reason to go out and put Vista on any machine I own permanently. Now if you’re a gamer who just “must have” DirectX 10 by all means, do your worst. But for those of us who check email, write documents, script, or use remote administration utilities there is little this operating system offers past transparent task bars. Just like the ones I had when I was running the Blackbox windows manager on BSD eight years ago.
How come Microsoft didn’t sit down and try to come up with something that would actually entice a few Apple or Linux fans to give Vista a day in court? It’s almost as if they are so arrogant about their market share that they’ve decided not to try anymore. They’ll just roll with the existing user base and try not to lose anyone by throwing a bone in the form of a lousy graphical interface change every once and a while. A copied, un-innovative, bloated interface at that.
I really was hoping for more and stood ready to give Vista my endorsement in the shadow of ridicule from the Apple and Linux promoters. But I cannot. All I can think is, the hype lasted 5 years for what?