2May/0812
I don’t hate Windows Vista
All right, despite the inherent unpopularity of saying this, someone has to: everywhere I turn on the 'Net, it seems there's some Apple/Linux fanboy bashing Vista. I know the cool thing to do these days is to hate MS and love Apple and/or Linux, but come on: it seems more like a case of being socially acceptable (hating MS) than Vista actually being that bad.
Before I get into this, two disclaimers: 1. I am not an MS Fanboy by any means...I use their products, yes: Windows XP, Windows Vista, an XBOX 360, and a Windows Mobile Phone. I generally like their stuff...it has served me well over the years; 2. I love Linux and open source software in general. I have an Ubuntu box and a ClarkConnect (CentOS-based firewall) box. I don't use Apple stuff much, but I am aware they make some very nice products...and I'm not shy about admitting they often create hipper, cooler products than MS. And yes, FireFox is better than IE.
Anyway, I have been using Vista Ultimate x64 for four+ months now, and I can sincerely report I haven't had any issues with it. Honestly. Hasn't BSOD'd, hasn't crashed, hasn't erased my hard drive and sent all my sensitive data to Redmond. I have used all of the following applications with no issues:
- Raxco PerfectDisk 8
- AVG Free 7.5
- MS Office 2003 and 2007
- Picasa2, Google Earth
- Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign
- MS Visual Studio 2005
- QuarkXPress 7
- FireFox & Thunderbird
- The GIMP
- WinMerge
- CleanMyPC Registry Cleaner
- uTorrent
- iTunes
- TurboTax '07
- Daemon Tools
- WinRar
- Goldwave
- e-Sword (Bible software)
- ...and many others.
Of course the 'Net is rife with forums about how Vista won't run Netscape Navigator 4.04 or 7th Guest or something absurd like that, but come on people! Let's get with the times (these are the same people who are mad they can't watch reruns of Full House).
And, let's not forget about my games that have run without a hitch:
- Oblivion
- FEAR
- HL2, Garry's Mod
- Geometry Wars
- Worms World Party
- Crysis
- UT3, UT2k4, UT2k3, original UT
- Deus Ex and Deus Ex: IW
- ...and many others
So as you can see, I have had zero application issues thus far, with one exception: FireFox was crashing, but it turned out to be an AVG 8.0 plugin causing that. I disabled the plugin and all was well (hardly Vista's fault).
But what about driver issues? No problems here, and I honestly expected a few issues using the x64 version of Vista. But after installing Vista, every single device on my computer was recognized and the appropriate drivers were installed (I have pretty modern hardware, though).
But what about slow performance? Well, my Vista box is running pretty nice hardware (Core 2 Duo Q6600, 4GB Ram, 8800 GTX, Sata II, SB X-Fi, etc.), so it's hard to say. I have used XP x64 on this same box, and honestly, Vista feels faster. I can't quantify this for you...just a feeling I get using both OS's. I have also used Vista on my older P4 system, and it didn't seem slow to me. I haven't run Vista on really old hardware though. On a P3 and/or low memory box, I imagine XP would be faster.
Oh, and speaking of memory, people complain about Vista's RAM requirements, but honestly, I put 4GB of nice Corsair XMS memory in my gaming box for less than $200. Cheaper RAM is even less...you can get 2GB these days for $40 online. So who really cares if Vista runs smoothest with 1GB or more? I wouldn't recommend using it with 512, but I've used Ubuntu on a 512MB box, and that was a little pokey too.
But Vista doesn't have any useful or new features! I don't agree. The new Network & Sharing Center is slick, and the ability to generate a map of my network is cool (if not a little gimmicky). Wireless works well. The new Media Center UI is very well-designed, and seems light years ahead of anything Apple or open source. The search seems to work as well as Apple's Spotlight, although I admit it's not super-intuitive to configure it to index additional locations.
The overall UI seems to be nearly as pleasing as Mac OS. SuperFetch does its job well, and ReadyBoost can speed up older systems. Yes, User Account Control is irritating. I disabled it; not a real biggie. Previous Versions is nice, although it has been done before. IPv6 support will be useful soon. The ability to adjust the volume for individual apps is handy. DX10 may be a little overhyped at this point, but I think it has potential down the road.
And one other thing. The new fonts they put in Vista are very pretty—at least equal to MacOS, and a night and day difference from Ubuntu (which has ugly fonts, imho).
So to sum this up, is there a real and compelling reason to get Vista if you have XP and are happy with it? Maybe not. But then again, is each new version of Ubuntu or Mac OS absolutely critical? No. The bottom line is, Vista has new features, seems rock-solid stable, does everything I need it to do, and doesn't suck as bad as people say. Is it perfect? Hardly. But I don't hate it. Nay...dare I say...I like it?
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Ava
May 25th, 2008 - 16:15
VISTA SUCKS and there isn’t any two ways about it not doing so. Billy Bob had his head in his …. looking through his belly button as like a bay window on this one. I guess he likes the smell of fresh humas. Maby his other newer one I think called Windows 7 may have some thing to offer that has got to be better than Pista Vista. P-U Vista.
May 25th, 2008 - 22:57
Fair enough…to each his own, I guess. Got some facts or personal experiences you’d like to share to back up your strong opinion?
May 31st, 2008 - 07:55
I have been very pleased with Vista. Turn User Account Control off and you’ve silenced most of the whiners out there.
–> Dancer, when you learn to spell MAYBE you’ll be taken seriously.
June 3rd, 2008 - 11:15
skylane, you have a point. Good spelling goes a long way toward bringing credibility to a comment!
As far as the “meat” of your comment, I agree: there’s way too much whining about UAC when it’s simple to disable it. Sure Vista’s got its issues, but I was using Ubuntu 8.04 last night and it hung up on me. All operating systems have their flaws…it’s just that people disproportionately pick on Microsoft.
June 14th, 2008 - 08:48
I’ve had several issues with Vista. While none is a show stopper, cumulatively they could cause some dislike (as they do with me). Of course there’s UAC, turn that off and things get better. Then there’s TMM, which kept rearranging my monitors and icons, turn that off too. A vast majority of daily use items have moved or disappeared like telnet, twain support for existing scanners and 32 bit help support for existing programs. Some can be fixed, telnet can be installed from the Windows DVD and 32 bit help support can be downloaded, but as bloated as Vista is you would think they would have included it. Others like TWAIN, I haven’t figured out how/if to get my old scanner working again. Everything I try to do takes at LEAST one, if not more, additional clicks ie: setting display properties, configuring network settings, adding printers.
I know I’m resistant to change, but it sure seems like everything got harder when I got Vista, and don’t get me started on Office 2007, AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!
June 16th, 2008 - 07:35
oz,
Lol @ Office 2007 comment.
And, I am aware that my relatively positive experience with Vista has not been…ahem…universally shared (to put it mildly). I get that, and I’m no Vista fanboy, so I’m not going to try and persuade you that Vista is great! Maybe stick to XP for now? I have to admit I don’t know what “TMM” stands for…care to educate me?
I think one thing that made my vista experience good is that I have all brand-new hardware. People with older hardware seem to be going through nightmares getting it all to work with Vista.
Anyway, after the writing of this article, I must say I have experienced some very bad slowdown with Vista. Not sure what the problem is, but I double-click stuff, and I get the spinning cursor for a 5-10 seconds before the app even tries to launch. I’ve done a/v & spyware checks–that doesn’t seem to be the problem. Then I uninstalled my a/v, and disabled Windows Defender. No dice–It’s something else. I’ve disabled indexing and System Restore and even used a registry repair tool, and yet it persists. It is agonizing having just purchased a new gaming PC to have it chug along like a virus-ridden Windows ME system. So right now my sentiments toward Vista are not as warm & fuzzy as they were at the time I wrote this article.
If it keeps up, I might have to retract my “I don’t hate Windows Vista article,” or simply remove the “don’t.” Either way, thanks for your comments.
September 3rd, 2008 - 23:18
For something interesting about Vista Misconceptions check out mohaveexperiment.com.
They told people about this ‘new OS’ by Microsoft and showed them the features.
Most people said ‘this is so much better than vista’… then they told them it WAS windows vista.
Its amazing how rumours spread.
September 4th, 2008 - 10:24
Gish,
Great point. A lot of the Vista hate–in my opinion–is really conformity to social pressure. The cool thing to do is bash Vista, so people do it. It’s a classic case of group-think! I don’t bash Vista. I try to think for myself. It has problems, yes–but I’m not jumping on the Vista-dissing bandwagon!
Now, Windows ME was an OS that deserved all its bashing and then some, but that’s another discussion….
December 10th, 2008 - 16:29
Windows vista has been nothing but problems. I bought this on a brand new system. All new hardware. Problems example: would not let me make update from user administrator with over two users. Would not let me delete program as I was listed as administrator. Alot of other problems reported to microsoft. Their final answer wipe clean and start over. Vista finally gave me answer. Had another problem reported by Vista itself. Came back with problem solver. Stated my problem cause was Vista. Please excuse my spelling.
December 14th, 2008 - 15:29
@Don,
Well that is lame that MS (or was it your computer manufacturer?) told you to wipe the machine. I’m well aware that Vista hasn’t been all roses for everyone…apparently you’ve had some trouble with it. To each his own…it has worked great for me. Sorry to hear about all your Vista-related angst!
April 3rd, 2009 - 10:14
Now I know your bullshitting when you say Oblivion runs without a hitch…Mmmmmmmm.
April 4th, 2009 - 14:56
@ Phil – fair enough. I should have said “with no more hitches than if it were run under Windows XP.”