Windows Vista Thoughts

 I have been using Windows Vista since the second Beta. Lately I am increasingly accused of being Bill Gate’s fan boy and Windows Vista proponent, so here’s a post about my take on Vista.

Another reason for today’s recap is this pre-SP1 Vista patch that was released today. As you can see, the list of issues is quiet disheartening.

For several years now I was excitingly awaiting the “promised land” in this be-all end-all Microsoft OS. As the release date drew closer, I accepted, along with everyone else, the news that more and more features were being dropped from Vista.

And that really brought it home for me. There is no such thing as be-all, and especially no definite end-all Operating System. Software, even more so than hardware, goes through many iterations as it evolves.

I applauded Microsoft’s decision to take so many bold steps and rebuilding such a large amount of operating system components, including kernel and other portions, almost from scratch. At the same time, I think bowing to content owners and including the draconian DRM in Vista, unlike anything ever seen before, is a grand mistake.

But, although I constantly find small quirks and issues in Vista that need to be worked out, I know Microsoft will iron these out sooner rather than later and deliver the super stable and functional OS that everyone wants.

Yes, the system is barely half a year out the door, and yes, there are still lots of issues to iron out. But, does that mean you need to avoid it at all cost? I say — Not at all. Take the express, even as you know to expect some turbulence on the way there.