Forbes takes a look at Vista, and writes: "More than five years in the making, more than 50 million lines of code. The result? A vista slightly more inspiring than the one over the town dump. The new slogan is: 'The Wow Starts Now', and Microsoft touts new features, many filched shamelessly from Apple's Macintosh. But as with every previous version, there's no wow here, not even in ironic quotes. Vista is at best mildly annoying and at worst makes you want to rush to Redmond, Wash. and rip somebody's liver out." They also look at Office 2007.
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Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-07-06
Not yet but I read somewhere that a rumor leaked that the next Zune is going to be a 4G, wireless phone a lot like the iPhone and that it's been in the works for a while now.
*shrug*
Doesn't seem too far fetched with everyone an their mother *now* announcing iPhone like devices, 2008 is going to be a crazy portable-device year.
Member since:2007-01-01
MS had to come out with Zune2 annoncement after the Zune leader was sacked, retried, or retired, whatever.
Can you imagine the BS that the Zune Leader had to feed to Ballmer for the guy to keep his job as the leader of the Zune project without having chairs thrown at him for what was obviously a long time, to get out such an inferior iPod copy?
Sheesh, it is was not like Apple didn't give fair warning to everyone.
Member since:2005-08-19
If you aren't expecting much you will likely be just fine. If you are expecting Microsoft to "finally get it right, like Apple" then you *will* be disappointed.
It's not that the tech is bad, it's just clear (from end to end) that the OS was kicked out the door with no serious time infront of a usability team that took their job seriously. [...]
[...] That being said, if you are NOT a gamer, I would strongly suggest you take a look at Linux (OpenSUSE & Ubuntu) and then Mac (in that order).
If you're talking about usability teams (i.e., ease of use for everyone) why do you suggest Linux? It's a system for experts and I haven't yet succeeded with making any of my (non-technical) friends happy with it. OS X is much better in this regard.
Member since:2005-07-17
Linux desktop (meaning standard KDE desktop like in Suse or Gnome desktop in Ubuntu) is much more usable than Vista. It's not that Windows is bad, XP is quite good and very easy to use but Vista is a step back. Explorer and Control Panel, two most essential parts of user interface, are just horrible mess with incredibly cluttered design and lots of bugs. I suppose that most people reading OSnews are technically competent and there's no reason to be surprised that Linux was recommended before OSX, especially that former one is often considered too restricting.
Member since:2005-10-02
Bllaaahh...
Linux today is much easier for a newbie than Windows XP or Vista or anything MS has ever shipped.
Linux is very good for experts - but with KDE or Gnome on a distro like uBuntu or Fedora, it's very easy to install, configure and use.
Linux is only difficult for Windows power-users.
Member since:2005-07-06
Givas,
That's a good question. My reason for including Linux as something to evaluate before Mac was because Linux is a free install, Mac you have to buy a new computer. So if you installed Ubuntu and ran Gnome (which IMO is a fairly consistent desktop) and were happy then I think that's a nice easy solution that was quickly attained. But if you installed it and hated it, then my next suggestion would be to get your hands on a Mac and see what you thought.
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2006-04-21
If you ARE a gamer, then you have no choice. Just suck it up and like it. Oh, and get ready in a few years to drop another $400 on Vienna (prelim name) or whatever the next version of Windows is called.
Well, you could "have a Wii". Or allow MS to continue churning crap out like this for another ten years by buying an XBOX360.
I would suggest buying a PS3 before an XB360, if I were sure of the release date. But there's plenty of time for it to Vista^H^H^H^H^Hslip yet AGAIN.
Member since:2006-05-29
The Problem is, pretty much all Console games suck if you are used to good pc games and without a Mouse and Keyboard there isn't even an acceptable input device for most genres.
So this is just an option for people who want simplistic sports games.
I'd rather not play at all than playing crappy console games.
Member since:2005-07-05
"...you can read a lot of articles about the corporate environment over there (yell loud, pass the buck, do whatever the guy yelling the loudest says)"
That is exactly right! I worked at Microsoft back in the late 90s, but had to leave because I failed to see the intelligence or innovation in making all decisions on a product via shouting match.
With regards to Vista, it probably isn't so much that Steve Jobs is a benevolent, forward thinker and Bill Gates is pure evil, from the soles of his hooves to the tips of his horns, but simply that Microsoft either can't or won't let go of their old technology.
Apple REALLY did it right with OS X. They totally screwed backward compatibility and jumped into a whole new feature with both feet.
Microsoft will never be able to provide an Apple-like experience until they throw absolutely everything away and start fresh; preferably with new people who aren't familiar with their past technologies.
Member since:2005-07-06
Clinton,
I think you really hit a big issue on the head here. The way Apple solved this (I think?) was to include optional emulation for OS 9 for folks that had to have the backward compat. I think you are right that this is what MS needs to do, just break the chains, offer emulation for the compatibility and come out with something totally new that can serve as a platform for 10 years moving forward.
Member since:2005-06-29
First, I agree with you. But to some extent Microsoft has done this.
With NT they were supposed to be throwing everything out and starting fresh, and the same with OS/2. But what happened was they migrated massive amounts of the codeveloping code into NT to make to compatible. And with OS/2 they just dumped it in favor of NT (I don't care if that was a good or bad decision, but I do think that if they'd stuck with OS/2 there would have been more tendency to keep things clean because of the dual company nature of development).
Of course, they drug NT out for almost decade before they released it onto the desktop, because it was "too slow" for those cheap PC's. It probably would have run fine if people were willing to spend twice as much on a PC (what they spent 5 years before). And now Microsoft is somewhat enforcing the same constraint (although I don't think the cost increase will be that dramatic). Vista PC's are going to be more expensive (if they can run Aero glass), and that's just a reality of the technology: It requires a bit more graphics hardware (although not too much thanks to Intel and others) and a lot more RAM.
I don't think it's the users Microsoft fears though. It's the developers: If they alienate developers they'll encourage cross-platform development. And Windows-only programs are probably Windows' strongest attraction.
Member since:
2005-07-06
NOTE: I went into Vista hoping it would finally be a revamped version of XP with a user-centric design like OS X. That was the wrong mindset as I've been disappointed from end-to-end. Vista is essentially XP with a nice new UI, don't expect more and you will be fine.
If you aren't expecting much you will likely be just fine. If you are expecting Microsoft to "finally get it right, like Apple" then you *will* be disappointed.
It's not that the tech is bad, it's just clear (from end to end) that the OS was kicked out the door with no serious time infront of a usability team that took their job seriously. To get a bit more insight into how this happened, you can read a lot of articles about the corporate environment over there (yell loud, pass the buck, do whatever the guy yelling the loudest says). Hardly an ideal work environment to mull over button placement for 3 months.
To save you the time, go into Vista thinking of Windows XP with a nicer interface, but all the same quirky stupid design decisions that bothered you in the last 10 years of windows and a slew of unexplainable new ones (like moving over 1k files will take upwards of 10mins). You will likely also notice the absolute clutter of the entire thing, like the new explorer. It seems like portions of Vista were developed by a usability-reviewed team, and others were developed by programmers and they were all thrown together into this 50-million-line-of-code salad, and then tossed. It's not a smooth experience, but it's also not insurmountable.
But then there are some other nice touches to combat the new stupidity like file content previews, the nice interface (yes, it's mentioned a lot because it's the only major new thing people can focus on) and searching CAN be handy.
As far as device compatibility and any of that junk, it's the same it's always been but likely worse due to insufficient drivers (not really Vista's fault, but just don't expect a smooth out-the-door experience).
That being said, if you are NOT a gamer, I would strongly suggest you take a look at Linux (OpenSUSE & Ubuntu) and then Mac (in that order).
If you ARE a gamer, then you have no choice. Just suck it up and like it. Oh, and get ready in a few years to drop another $400 on Vienna (prelim name) or whatever the next version of Windows is called. I would be willing to bet $100 by that release that Microsoft will really have something very cool. They have always been a 2.0 company and continue to do so (Zune v2, Xbox 360, etc.) but luckily their version 2.0s of things tend ot be very slick.
I think Vista + SP1 will be sane, and Vista + SP2 will be like XP "stable enough to carry us until the next release" but still not fantastic (fantastic meaning Microsoft finally being competitive with OS X as far as user-driven design goes).
Edited 2007-02-11 16:36