Windows Vista Ultimate?
I have been considering returning to school for a while now and finally decided that this might be the time to take the necessary steps. In preparation for some online classes I thought I would dual boot one of my computers with a Microsoft operating system. At a Microsoft event a few months back I was given a free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate edition. I still have Windows XP laying around, but thought I would give Windows Vista a valid try.
So over the weekend I spent some time installing, configuring and using Vista Ultimate edition. I can say with absolutely no bias, Vista is really crap. Believe it, and I hope for your sake you do not have to experience it. The firewall is a mess and confusing or apparently lacking any standard outside of Redmond. Even when you allow connections they might not be allowed by the machine, the network seems non-compliant with anything that is not Microsoft. I ended up turning the firewall off completely, the router is enough for the little bit I will be using Vista. Also when the firewall takes an error, you are told you cannot see the error without switching to this other screen, stupid and left me wondering why. Using the Vista desktop reminded me of using Linux back in 2000 when it was not ready for the desktop. Nothing seemed to work well together or without extra clicking. Vista is a huge step backwards as far as a graphical user interface. Also, when installing something I had to okay the installation at least twice for everything I installed in the event I changed my mind in the last second I suppose. In reality I think I clicked more than twice to allow the installation before I was finished. The entire experience is horrible. Seriously, Windows XP is like a dream compared to Vista. During my prior use on a virtualized machine I never really did anything with Vista. Now that I actually started setting the thing up for use I can honestly say it feels unfinished. Which if it had not been out for something like two years I could maybe understand. At this stage, should it feel that way? I remember being impressed with Windows 95 and even liking XP when it first came out.
The network seems to be among the biggest problems. I have had absolutely no trouble accessing my Mac or Linux computers from one another, but for the life of me I cannot properly remote connect to the Vista machine from the Mac or Linux computers. If my kids are going to be using a computer I want to watch their use from my computer. Within the walls of my home you are not in America, you are in Buffland, a dictatorship run by me. Vista is interfering with my parenting and I AM NOT running another Microsoft operating system just to get to another Microsoft operating system. I spent enough time over the years repairing Microsoft computers ruined by teenagers to know that when it comes to family computers freedom is bad. If you monitor your kids behavior they will not be chatting with one of those weirdo’s Chris Hansen always exposes. I would not even consider keeping Vista on this computer if I had not been given a free copy from Microsoft. If I had paid for this, wow, I would have to say I would feel like I was sold a lemon and seriously pursue a refund. Even now I am considering reloading the computer with Windows XP.
Let's continue on with the GUI, yuck, the graphical interface, yuck, even with all the graphics turned on, yuck. Does anyone actually think this works? It resembles a bad OS X rip-off. Who came up with that design? It looks like a poorly designed webpage where someone found widgets from all around the web and embedded all of them. I switched to classic view, which still has problems. With all the bells and whistles turned off Vista uses over 500MB of memory. In regards to the behavior of the GUI, I have to click on everything to accomplish anything; nothing is done for me as it was on prior Windows operating systems. To go into programs I have to click the folder and to expand program folders I have to click each of them. This feels broken and old. I am used to just hovering and each would open. Thankfully I always set up the Quick Launch toolbar to access almost all my programs. Task Manager has been routinely hanging in a way that the close button disappears. I have to find task manager in the task manager list and kill it. This is a NEW install with all the updates, what the hell? More on Task Manger, why as an admin do I have to tell it to show me all the programs running? If I am left to do all this clicking and killing of programs, what is Vista doing with all that memory?
Every operating system has pieces you would like to see function differently, but never have I seen any group literally cripple their operating system to the extent that Microsoft has done with Vista. Vista Ultimate, I would really hate to experience the five other versions and learn what they are lacking. Perhaps in the next week I might get to do some actual computing, if I can stand it. Now we know why Microsoft has extended XP support until the release of the next Windows operating system. Vista deserves all the flak it is getting and it probably deserves more.
