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Posted by unregistered user at 1/6/08 10:58 p.m.

Based on my own recent experience trying to set up a new laptop that came with Vista, I think the experience of an ordinary user trying to use Vista will be lots of cryptic dialogs warning about security problems, authorization questions, compatibility problems. These dialogs ask questions that ordinary users don't know the answer to. This was true when Vista first came out, and it does not seem to have improved since then. I've been a PC guy since 1982 and I don't own a Mac, but my wife does, and I have to admit that the Mac user experience is much smoother, even with third-party software in the mix. Windows XP is somewhat better than Vista in this regard.

Posted by number.61 at 1/6/08 11:16 p.m.

My main issue with Vista is that it's not even ready for true IT administrators.

I mean you've gotta do all these workarounds to even use Windows Server 2003 support tools as simple as using an Active Directory Users and Computers MMC.

How is this operating system useful. If you can't even remotely administrate your company without going through the hassle of workarounds.

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 1:22 a.m.

When you run the software company that makes the OS, and you have unlimited resources to buy the fastest computer made with multiple, large LCD screens, I'm sure Vista is a much different experience than what mere humans have. What do you expect from a guy that thinks he can read a few books on the world's most difficult problems and can instantly become an expert.

--AC

Vista--the OS designed to make a dual processor computer with 2 Gb of memory run like a 8088 with 64 Kb of RAM.

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 6:21 a.m.

I think the world will never see an OS of the quality that was Windows XP. And don't point me towards OS X or Linux, they're better than Vista but still in the same league.

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 7:56 a.m.

Typical denial

Posted by number.61 at 1/7/08 8:18 a.m.

The world did see an OS of the quality that was Windows XP. It was called Windows 2000 Professional. A very stellar operating system of its time. Let the flamers begin on that statement :)

Posted by Jack van Kinsbergen at 1/7/08 8:33 a.m.

I started in OS development in 1963 at IBM and I am just amazed at some of the commentary I see about Vista.

It is incredible how our "quarter to Quarter" mind set permeates everything we do these days in this country. We just don't seem to be able to look at anything without impatience and requiring immediate gratification.

Every OS ever introduced by vendor with a large existing customer base since 1964 has had transition issues and complaints of its hardware requirements and incompatibilities. How quickly we forget the transition from Windows 98 to NT architecture based systems such as XP. Vista is the best yet in this regard.

Vista, as a platform (and that is what an OS is - a platform), has been completely re-architected to provide a stable base for years to come and take advantage of the continuing price/performance advances of this incredible industry. Applications are much better compartmentalized in order to restrict exposure to their activities thus creating a much more stable environment.

It is a much more stable base for the future than anything that has preceded it and you can bank on it being a solid base for the future - in spite of impatience with missing drivers and hardware requirements such as 1 GB of RAM (give me a break!).

We sure love to bash our winners in this country - don't we.

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 10:33 a.m.

It is a sad response indeed. I admire Gates a lot as he built one of te pillars of the software industry and now is dedicating his fortune to help others. But to say that Vista is a great product is simply disrespectful with us (the users). As somebody else posted, Vista runs just OK in a machine with a very fast processor and +2 GB RAM, but for the common machines out there, it is NOT a valid option. Why on earth Sony, Dell, HP are still shipping PCs and laptops with XP one year after Vista launch? because consumers demand it. Have they sold 100M copies? probably, because of the healthy Enterprise agreements they (msft) sell. I wonder how many customers actually installed Vista (Msft use the term "deployed"). The fact is that just a fraction of Vista PC are really using Vista in the enterprise, and in the consumer and sb segments it is a nightmare indeed. The arrogant position of Microsoft (denial) is what is driving people toward Apple as a valid alternative for the first time in many years. I have been a loyal PC user for over 30 years, yet this year my 11 years old forced me to buy him a Mac (as per his experience with iPod) 3 months later my wife, frustrated by her "vista"experience in a brad new HP with lots of memory and processor power, asked for a Mac too... Now I am in the process of migrating to Mac my SB and Home network. After all we just use the computers for web browsing, web based applications like gmail, google apps and free office, and the core software we use for digital imaging processing (our job) as well as accounting software is available for Mac.
Vista was the driver for us to move away from Microsoft. We needed to invest in new hardware no mater what and Mac was a better option. I know this is not the case in the enterprise world, because they are hostages of a legacy with custom made applications, but for students and home Vista forced many out of the PC.

Microsoft still in denial... of course with 90% share they can be in denial for a while, and hey probably fix things with the announced SP1 that fixes MANY critical flaws; just please Mr Gates do not think we are stupid because we did not manage to build a multi billion $$ empire. Yo deserve the success you had, but do not be so arrogant please.

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 10:37 a.m.

Which country is that then?

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 2:58 p.m.

Vista is an 'in-between' OS like Windows ME was. Vista is a version to transition us on to the Next greatest OS from Microsoft. The Next 'big one' will be a stable Vista with all the bugs taken care of. Maybe they'll listen to consumers and leave out the WGA and DRM stuff, not to mention the exessive security NAG dialogs.

They've already skipped over Vista, and are promoting the next OS.

"We're hard at work on the next big version of Windows, and it is the product that the industry tends to build its new applications on."

waiting for the next big one

Posted by unregistered user at 1/7/08 9:31 p.m.

@unregistereduser2(there are so many of them!): Don't be jealous of Bill Gates. Its not pretty.

Who are these average computer users anyway? Average computer users user pretty strong computers. I don't know where this came from but my mother doesn't use an IBM with 256MB of RAM, 400MHz processor and 4GB of hard disk space. (My one time configuration. Boy, I remember how poople laughed at me when I took it in because, "It was running too slowly)
Now, how many people use computers under 1 GHz of speed?
On another point, what's wrong with Vista Basic? I can run vista ultimate on a computer with a half gig of ram very well by just turning off aero. Well, I don't but my cousin does.
Vista is a strong OS, and I can't see what is so wrong with it. Maybe its cos I have grown up with windows but for the life of me, I don't see the problem and I've tried to see it.

Posted by unregistered user at 1/8/08 6:43 a.m.

I think Windows Vista is Windows Xp with a few tweak here and there, then to make it new they re did the feel and look of it. I been using a computer since the days of Windows 2.1, and when Windows Vista came out I went to an older Apple when my Dell C610 laptop went dead. For one you need 2 GB of ram, a 1.0 GHZ C.P.U, a video card that is half way top end, and $399 to make it worth your wild to upgrade and even then it slower then a donkey. Why the h@# would I need that to do Internet, E-mail, Office stuff(Word,Excel,ETC), and IM? That is why WIndows Xp is still going strong, and in till I.E 6 or 7 can't render web pages, Outlook 7 or 6 can no longer pull E-mail to the system it still will be .

Posted by unregistered user at 1/8/08 10:51 p.m.

just can't believe how stuborn is a Bill Gates? Hohoho doesn't he realize I am migrating to Macs?

Posted by unregistered user at 1/8/08 11:40 p.m.

It's proven failed, admit it! bring it down! An honest admision is needed if you want to be called man! swallow the loss, don't make your user get deep into more trouble or they will leave you now and forever! A decision to migrating to a better OS like Macs, and if it really done, it would mean done and Windows is done! It would sure not easy to take them back! Are you Gates still that stuborn with your stand that will surely sink yourselves down slowly but sure? I myself still wait and see, but seriously consider to migrating to Macs, it's not a threat at all, but it's all based on facts and logical thinking. Would you have anything to say?

Posted by unregistered user at 1/11/08 11:17 a.m.

I've read through several of the posts and it seems to me that a larger pecentage of Windows Vista users are all in agreement that the program is not a good one. I personally think the program is a dinosaur which went back in time instead of forward. There is so many unusable facets that won't work, has to be tweeked, converted, and not compatible with other fine products on the market that I think it should be a crime to allow them to get away with this type of fraud. My Windows Vista program will not open older photos whether jpeg or bitmap until I purchase a $399.00 package which I was guaranteed would be on the computer. Vista is not compatible with Adobe yet it was on my prepurchase package as well. If the program couldn't run Adobe then why did Gateway put it on their computers as an operable program?

My advice is to run as fast as you can from Gateway and the Windows Vista programs and products.

Posted by dswanson2609 at 1/13/08 9:15 p.m.

There are 2 totally separate issues:

#1 Vista's failure.
#2 Microsoft's denial.

1. Vista has failed, we all know that. Excellent products sell themselves. Like the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo is doing everything that it can to try to fill the demand. Microsoft is spinning and manipulating trying to convince someone that Vista has not crashed into a smoking hole in the ground. But we all know it has. The question is who are they trying to convince? Us, or them?

2. Microsoft has serious denial issues. If Microsoft had acknowledged that Vista has failed, the customers have spoken. Then put forth a plan to replace it with a great product they might have a chance. Instead they are going to follow Vista into the Abyss.

Today I threw away many Windows programming book, that I paid hundreds (thousands?) of dollars for. It felt great!

Posted by unregistered user at 1/13/08 10:46 p.m.

"Windows Vista users are all in agreement that the program is not a good one."

And these are the replies people post, they call it a "program", shows how little people know....sigh

Posted by unregistered user at 6/19/08 6:51 a.m.

I thought after using Vista for a few months I could get vista to work as well as vista did. But on my dual core Lenovo laptop - which came with vista business - I have never been able to get a wireless network to work correctly - using the intel internal wireless adapter, a netgear cardbus wireless adapter, a generic tendnet USB adapter, and then still couldnt with a new linksys wireless adapter. Seeing my P4 dell laptop with XP, my PIII dell laptop with windows 2000, and then even a Dell PIII laptop running windows 98 get on the same wireless network makes me really hate vista. I don't think it's our cisco wireless access points at work nor the lenovo machine, but vista. SP1 did not correct any issues I had, specifically with our novell server. Connecting on a wired network and transfering files to/from a network drive, or even from one folder to another, is painfully slow if it even copies correctly and doesn't create a corrupt file. Saving from microsoft office to a network drive fails. I have not once been able to save directly to the network drive without having to first save it to my hard drive and then copy it. IPv6 being integrated was a terrible idea - how many businesses are actually using it internally yet? Even as I speak I am backing up my files to a DVD for a down-grade to XP and I got a not responding message from the vista burning folder. Vista is slow and mis-manages memory to an extent beyond my understanding. I thought seeing Vista BUSINESS on my laptop meant that it would be geared toward a business user that wanted efficiency. I disabled the account security after a week - it was a bother - and security is a lot better on vista than XP - but at the cost of making it as user and application friendly as a Linux or Apple machine (please no apple comments - I am not a fan of that OS either). Windows was known for its ease of use and speed. Changing my IP address took me under a minute in XP, in vista I finally figured out how to change it 10 steps but that is only because my start menu and desktop are setup in a windows 2000 scheme. Copying a file or even preparing to write files to a CD/DVD takes well over 5 minutes for 1 folder that is over 300 MB. CAD - both CADOPIA 6 and Autodesk Autocad 2006 run poorly and have lost more than one file in vista for random reasons - mostly disc access issues leading to a system not responding. I have gotten plenty of BLUE SCREENs on vista as well - and then vista tells me I got one after I restart. Vista is like buying a lemon car - the final straw was watching Ballmer laugh at questions and gripes about vista, saying no one wanted XP anymore. Well a MAC OS wouldn't work well in my work environment - plus I do not like CAD running on any other environment, especially since autodesk uses so many XP functions. Linux has its own issues with compatiablity - but stability and security are a definate plus. XP was an excellent OS and I was hoping Vista would build on it as XP built on 2000 - Instead I got to use and hate ME all over again.