BentUser
takes a look at the differrences between Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista b5270. The differrences are interesting and help to show what improvements, if any, have been made in the oft-delayed operating system.
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Member since:
2005-06-29
Actually this review wasn't too bad. I think it's the first time I've seen an article with shots of all of those programs and not 8 shots of this "pretty" thing and that "pretty" thing.
I'm not sure if I like or dislike the ui on the calendar. It looks great when the window is big, but I imagine all that wasted space gets frustrating when you make the window smaller!
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:
2005-11-12
It looks better then XP no doubt but when I look at Vista I see that it really has not much more to offer than KDE-3.5/SuSE 10.0 now. It's OK making it look shinny and good looking but to me it's just another Windows.
Does Vista Solitaire come any where near KPatience?, The start menu is better but it has nothing that a simple Kmenu don't do functionality wise. The classic control panel looks a mess which is all I can say about that. WMP looks better yes but for music does it come close to AmaroK now?, I don't think so. Sorry but I have a feeling KDE4 will better Vista, simply on the fact how good KDE 3.5 is NOW!
Edited 2006-01-11 01:07
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2006-01-11
Member since:2005-07-06
So what ?
Vista seems focused much more on updating the desktop manager and the graphic layer and not so much about improving the underlying technology.
This review is also focused on the usability and visual aspects.
I don't see how a comparison with KDE is irrelevant in this context.
Member since:
2006-01-08
The new solitare is interesting, but where is the new minesweeper. The xp minesweeper is the same damn thing as the 3.1 minesweeper. I hope microsoft copys their new minesweeper design from gnome mines. And I hope that no minesweeper being mentioned was an oversight of the article and not an oversight of vista.
I know I should care about all the other great stuff, but I am so addicted to minesweeper it is not funny.
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:
2005-11-11
Member since:
2005-07-06
Member since:
2006-01-10
Member since:
2005-07-06
>Definelty non-news on the day Intel Macs are released. Vista is a joke compared to OS X now and especially a year from now.<
Making fun of the devil is never a good thing, even if you have God on your side 
Don't underestimate your adversary, they may produce an inferior product, but they have the cards stacked in their favor. Anybody know how to count cards?
Member since:
2006-01-08
It was an ok article, but rather than comparing programs and panels, I'd have rather heard more about the new security features and more about how the concept of Users has changed from NT/XP to Vista.
I've read that Vista embraces the Least-privilaged User Account mindset common in *nix, *bsd, etc. So I want to know how this will actually work. XP kind of supports it, but without any sort of data-hiding AFAIK if you know where to look, and many programs need admin rights so much so that any user doing more than web-email-word processing needs to be an admin unless they have a real-life admin to configure it correctly.
Bottom line, Vista needs proper user accounts that my mom could set up and I'd like to know what they're going to offer.
Member since:
2005-09-21
I like the breadcrumb address bars, but how does it work with copy and paste? Can you still properly select parts of addresses?
The tilted tab switcher looks like Microsoft really wanted an Expose-like feature but didn't want to copy it too blatantly, and so they came up with the tilted windows. It's just not as good because you cant see the whole window.
I also have a hard time thinking of use cases where I would want to see a live preview of minimized applications. If an application is performing a background task, a tiny preview window probably wont allow me see enough to determine the status of that operation. I suppose you could see what webpage a browser window is at, but with tabs I only ever have one browser window open anyway.
Looks like it will be a nice upgrade though, just not really the revolution that one would expect after so many years.
Member since:2005-07-06
I like the breadcrumb address bars, but how does it work with copy and paste? Can you still properly select parts of addresses?
Clicking on an empty part of the breadcrumb bar turns it into the address bar, and you can copy the address from there. IIRC, you can also just right-click on the breadcrumb bar and select copy address.
Member since:
2006-01-11
Looks pretty slick; At least nicer than XP 
How much of this visual stuff will be available under Home Basic edition, though? According to the version comparison tables in the following linked article, editions below Home Premium will not have the Aero Glass visual stuff:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp
I wonder whether people will care, and what version computer vendors will be preinstalling... defaulting to Home Premium would probably up prices, but most people might not appreciate the hit in the final price tag.
KDE4 is looking neat, but it's much further from completion than Vista at the moment. On the plus side, Crystal -> Oxygen fuels hope for at least as big a visual improvement as Luna -> Aero Glass. (Die, cheap-plastic icons, die!
Still, I'm a little concerned that Windows may be overcoming its flaws quicker than Linux is overcoming its flaws...
Member since:2005-07-06
I wonder whether people will care, and what version computer vendors will be preinstalling... defaulting to Home Premium would probably up prices, but most people might not appreciate the hit in the final price tag.
After news of Vista users being able to unlock additional features, I suspect the OEMs will ship the bare minimum standard users require, with a small booklet detailing the additional features, and how to acquire them. OEMs may have been one of the driving forces behind MS integrating this "one image" of Vista with purchase benefits.
Member since:
2006-01-11
Member since:
2005-07-06
The comparison is interesting but what surprised me is that while it showed nothing really interesting between Vista and XP (better search, a bit eye-candy, who cares?), it ends by saying that Vista is a major upgrade on XP..
I failed to see where was the 'major' interesting features..
The 9X -> XP transition was a major transition, XP to Vista offers nothing really interesting, users will switch only when they can't get anymore security patches for XP or of course when they buy a new computer.
Member since:2006-01-12
Member since:
2006-01-05
Vista dont look bad but side by side with XP on these shots but I see newness moreso than drastic improvment.Sometimes the colour scheme is awful and a downgrade.Control panel looks too much for those who like me who exclusively use the classic theme.
I wish them the best though.Just the world not standing still.KDE4 and from watching that Macworld keynote.If Microsoft dont score they have problems.
Member since:
2005-12-05
Member since:
2005-07-06
"i actually like the new look. the features dont seem terrible. if they allow you to turn off all the extra wizards and disable all the unneeded processes it might b a usable OS."
why not use just windows xp with a decent firewall rather than waste money on buying hardware only to turn off stuff??
Member since:
2005-07-06
To me, this looks pretty bad from a useability point of view. It makes sense, but it would scare the hell out of technophobes I'd imagine:
http://www.bentuser.com/image.aspx?ID=4f302732-a2a2-4ebb-a8d0-8ccd1...
In this instance, I think it's a step backwards. For the user to see their drive list like that shown in the XP screenshot, they have to click "Computer", then click on "Computer"? Ugh.
Off topic: I just want to say what a difference the change to no anonymous posts has made to this site. I clicked this story expecting to see the usual fights and slinging matches going on, preparing to sift through the rubble to get to some decent comments, but was greeted with nothing but good debate and incitefull comments. It's like having tinnitus for the last 18 months and waking up one morning with it gone
Member since:2005-07-06
In this instance, I think it's a step backwards. For the user to see their drive list like that shown in the XP screenshot, they have to click "Computer", then click on "Computer"? Ugh.
That shot is not a direct comparison of the My Computer and Computer windows. I'm guessing this is a mistake, though some of his other shots aren't direct comparisons either, such as the Classic Control Panel view being shown in details mode rather than the default view.
Here's a shot of Vista's Computer window:
http://www.activewin.com/screenshots/vista/5270/mycomp.JPG
Member since:
2005-07-14
This guy does not know how to praise Microsoft fast enough. Please try to find one single criticism not follow by a excuse for it. I look forward to Vista but I don't need that.
A little objectivity would have him realize that some new features are not so great...
- a window switcher which may require a new hardware button on my keyboard ? no way.
- a breadcrumb bar ... how do I copy an address from that ? Gnome/nautilus tried it last release... it's a pain.
Member since:
2006-01-08
The article is a bit long.
Here is a small list of what you will get:
o DX-based vector graphics (something like Cairo)
o An updated minesweeper and solitare for managers.
o A new skin for the UI of other applications
o A new skin for WMP
o A new skin for IE
o Castrated OpenGL support
o Supercool multitabbing you will never need (MS said that)
o Supercool indexing search.
o The computer is not yours anymore. Now it is a computer and everyone can do with it what they want to.
o Defender. Tries to protect you from malware. Has three lives. Punkbuster installed. Similar to Space Invaders.
o Multilevel product activation.
o MSPaint now in vectors - the biggest Flash concurrent!
o You can read two sites at ones with IE. The left with the left eye and the right with the right eye.
Conclusion: I find Alt-Tab very cool. Microsoft thought directly into right direction. Just after fridges which will buy everything the hackers wants to buy HDTV-eye-implantants will come. If the doctor installed it in the wrong angle (left eye looks straight while the right implant. looks 30° into the right direction), you can just press ALT-Tab and with 50% chance you will be able to watch your Video still without any probs. Accessability delux I say.
And of course I can read 2 sites at the same time - that's why I have two eyes. Due to the lack of that functionality I had to open two browser instances and let the computer read two websites for me at once - that's why two ears are for.
I hope that they will also insert the same functionality into WMP and especially into the task bar. I need two start buttons - I could start one with the mouse and the second with a shortcut and start two applications this way at the same time.
Good job, Microsoft! But already now I have more functionality (except that two-windows feature and that implantant accessability) with linux distros, I have a better hardware support (just try to install XP no S-ATA), I have more choice and I have more freedom. And if I'll get fed up by Linux, I'll choose a BSD - PC-BSD is very cool. And if I wanted that disco-function (those graphical bells and whistles), MacOSX provides a far better plattform.
If you find some irony or sarcasm, you can have it. As Vista is nothing but a new vector-lib+skin+multitabbing+desktop search. Wow, I say WOW - innovation the world didn't even dream of in its wettest dreams and is every penny worth.
Edited 2006-01-11 18:01
Member since:
2005-07-07
" I also have a hard time thinking of use cases where I would want to see a live preview of minimized applications. If an application is performing a background task, a tiny preview window probably wont allow me see enough to determine the status of that operation. I suppose you could see what webpage a browser window is at, but with tabs I only ever have one browser window open anyway. "
indeed. there was such an taskbar-applet-replacement for KDE 3.3, i tried it for some time, but it's not usefull at all. it looks good, but its really useless.
they should add virtual desktops, i think its a shame windows still doesn't have that... almost as bad as IE still not having tabbed browsing.
