"With Windows Vista, the Media Center functions will be built into the "Home Premium" and "Ultimate" editions, which will probably quadruple its installed base in no time flat. We all know Windows Vista will cause a huge change in the way the desktop looks and feels, and MCE is getting a similar face-lift." More at ExtremeTech.
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Vista is not even in Beta (ie: its features are not fixed and not all implemented yet), and it's the same for Vista's Media Center.
As the author says, "MCE team has a long way to go"....
Nice project. Call me back when the products is nearing completion.
Until then vaporware like this make me thing of Longhorn and all the features it promised...
Member since:2005-07-06
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2005-07-11
I'm not a fan generally of stuff MS does. They seem bent of designing things in an awkward kind of way. Apple on the other hand seem to have this worked out (for the most part), and create things in a more intuative way, almost anti-geek way :-)
Having said that, I think Media Center is one place where MS have done the Apple thing and created a simple, good looking (imo) interface. I understand because they don't own the h/w that it can struggle sometimes to work as nicely as you'd like, but overall I give MS the gold star for this one. I love how this time Apple's Front Row has a very Media Center feel to it.
I saw some screenshots of MC about a month or so ago and was worried that they'd lost the plot, but it seems my concerns have been removed.
I think the main advantage Apple will have over the coming months when Front Row ][ is released will be the h/w that comes with it and how it intergrates with that. MS's main advantage will be most other vendors will ship with MC. I really need to check out the offerings in the Linux world, last time I looked, their were some very good alt. Interesting times a head.
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2005-07-06
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2005-09-15
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2005-11-27
We all know Windows Vista will cause a huge change in the way the desktop looks and feels,
I must be missing something, because the only really big changes I've seen are a "prettier" interface (to some) and the move towards task-centered designs, which are great if you want completely dumbed-down, any monkey could use it interfaces, but terrible if you want any more than a few features. They also tend to be used fairly inelegantly in cases where an object-based interface could be used effectively, basically every kind of app you'd want on a normal pc.
I have absolutely no problem with media center, though, as long as they stick to tvs. If they start applying the same thing to general computer use, though, they're just asking for trouble (microsoft bob, anyone?).
Member since:
2005-08-10
1. starter (poorer countries only)
2. home
3. home w/o wmp (Europe only)
4. home premium
5. professional
6. professional w/o wmp (Europe only)
7. small business edition
8. enterprise edition
9. ultimate edition
and there are to be 64 bit editions of everything but starter as well? And this is only for the client editions?! So there are going to be 17 versions of the Windows Vista client? Mystifying.
If you're not into the UNIX way of doing things, and you don't like being limited or confused, buy a Mac...
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2005-11-26
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2005-10-19
I keep reading all these posts from people claiming MS isn't doing anything "radical" or "revolutionary", with Vista.
Why would Microsoft dramatically change the interface or operation of a system everyone is already familiar with?
Simple answer: They wouldn't, shouldn't, and won't.
Edited 2005-12-01 13:09
Member since:2005-07-18
I have to agree that Vista won't likely be anything revolutionary. Large companies rarely implement any experimental/on the fringe; they stick with what has worked for them ($) in the past.
Look at the Windows interface. After 10 years... aside from some added color depth, lipstick, and bubbly window decor, it still boils down to: TASKBAR (w/ tray+clock on the right side), the START MENU, and the DESKTOP.
I won't argue that changes under the hood (e.g., going from a 9x to NT-based kernel) weren't a great improvement. But those changes are transparent to the user. And please don't argue that having fewer bluescreens is a "new feature" justifying sale as a 'new product'---that should be a free upgrade, as it provides functionality that was promised w/ the original product you purchased.
[Imagine buying a refrigerator that wouldn't stay consistently cold. The salesman tells you that for a nominal "upgrade" fee (50% of the original price), you can finally have a fridge that stays cold.]
Anyhow... it's all about money. Remember that MS is a business first; they have a responsibility to their shareholders...who demand high revenues. Thinking 'out of the box' works against this focus, as it poses an unnecessary risk to company profit. Big companies will milk an idea for all the money they can squeeze from it... and when it starts to dry up, they repackage it with some little gimmick (e.g., new colors, more transparency).
And most of us fall for it.
It reminds me of an old Simpsons episode: Malibu Stacy. ...where Lisa Simpson teams up with a rich woman to make a doll called "Lisa Lionheart." The Lionheart doll was designed to combat the sexist stereotypes reinforced by the Malibu Stacy line (an equivalent to our Barbie).
To combat the Lionheart sensation, the Malibu Stacy design team worked day and night to make "redesign" Malibu Stacy. All they did was take the original malibu stacy and add a cheap, plastic hat. It sold like hot-cakes, and Lisa Lionheart was forgotten.
Member since:
2005-07-06
Seriously, when I read a review about a Media Center that says : "For starters, we couldn't display video of any kind (TV or simply videos on the hard drive) without crashing the system." (from TFA), I'm like... whoa. Media center without, well, media - video ones, at least. It's like reviewing the next big video game except without the graphics. But it's got sound, really !
Uninformative and disappointing article from some hyped up guys at ExtremeTech. I've never been excited by media centers, whether it's Microsoft's or Apple's or someone else's, and Vista MCE - from the looks of it, because that's all we got : looks - still leaves me with the "Why the hell would I want that ?" question.
I suggest reviewers wait for something with more flesh around the bone to do reviews.
