I like Vista
I got a new computer for my home office last week, moved the old one to the kitchen so my wife and son could use it without my standing behind them impatiently waiting for them to get out of my way so I could put up a blog post or edit one or check my e-mail. Had a hell of a time getting a strong wireless signal to the kitchen so my wife could surf online with reasonable speed. I bought a Linksys range expander, which knocked my wireless off of the Internet entirely, and it took a long phone call with their tech support to finally get the connections to work properly. Now the signal is very good and my wife can upload photos to Shutterfly without any problems, and I have a new computer all to myself. Life is good.
And so is Vista. I was reluctant to get a computer running Vista — I’d heard the complaints, seen the Mac ads. I know some people hate PCs. And Microsoft. And I’m sure that Macs are good. Everyone I know who has one likes it. But Macs are expensive. It would have cost me two to three times what I spent on my new computer to get a decent Mac. Maybe more. And I don’t do major video editing or graphic design. I barely use the functionality of my PC in these areas. I had no need for a Mac. I could use the money for other things. Like pizza.
A programmer friend doesn’t use Vista because he has an older PC, but he pointed out that it couldn’t be as bad as the Mac ads said. It might have a bug or two, but new computers would have the known major bugs sorted out already and other fixes would be made available if necessary. Did I really think that Microsoft was providing an operating system that would just crash new computers and make files impossible to find? And, he noted, really, it was just an operating system. Maybe it was different from Windows XP, which I was used to, but it shouldn’t take long to adjust to the changes and just get on with the business of using the programs on the computer, which are what they are.
He was right. Although online customer reviews I read complained that start up with a new computer using Vista took hours and required uninstalling all this stuff that Microsoft bundled into Vista, I had no trouble getting started at all. The computer was up and running in a few minutes. I said “no” to aol and a couple of other options, and that was it. Vista has a “classic view” on the control panel, which looks like the one on XP, if I am having trouble figuring out where something is, but I’ve found that so far it’s not difficult to use and the new features are actually occasionally helpful.
My mother-in-law insists that Vista is terrible. She doesn’t have it, but her friend can’t use her programs on it, or something. Her friend tried loading photos, but Vista doesn’t put your pictures in “My Pictures.” No, Vista steals your pictures and hides them. Because that’s how Vista rolls. It couldn’t be anything wrong that her friend did. No way — her friend “is good with computers.” I must be amazing with computers, because I’ve had no such problems. My pictures even go where I tell them, by Vista’s default into an obscure place called “Pictures.”
Tweet
Print This Post
While Vista has its faults, I agree that it is definitely workable.
My primary complaint with Vista, and with other Microsoft products like the 2007 Office suite, is that they have gone out of their way to redesign the interface to make it pretty but without taking in to consideration the actual use of the software.
They took a workable system that has been in use for many iterations and replace it with a new GUI that is only peripherally related to the older version.
Since the majority of the computer world does use Windows, this enforced reeducation is bound to cause countless lost hours and untold frustration.
Form over function has won another battle.
Preacher, yeah, I can see what you’re saying — I’ve had to adjust to Word 2007 and sometimes can’t find the function I want as quickly as I would like (though some things are now easier to find, for me). And I don’t doubt the compatibility issues that people have had with Vista, though I think some concerns have been blown out of proportion. Maybe “I like Vista” is not what I mean so much as “Vista is working fine for me; it isn’t a big deal.”
You might be alone on this one:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/08/microsoft.ballmer/index.html
Jackie, yeah, I read that. But it seems to be saying that the new Windows might not be out for a while, since Vista came out a couple of years after it was announced. Maybe it’ll be sooner than that. But if you need a new computer, are you going to sit around waiting for a year or whatever just to avoid Vista? Are you going to pay hundreds and hundreds more for a Mac when you don’t need and won’t use a Mac’s features (if you have the extra cash, great)? Are you going to get a Dell and drop an extra $150 or whatever they’re charging just to get them to install Windows XP — the old OS — on your new computer? All of these choices were not options for me. I didn’t want to wait a year or more for a new computer that uses whatever comes after Vista, and I didn’t want to spend what a Mac costs. And I have XP on my first computer and now I have Vista on the new one, and I notice no problems or less efficiency or anything like that with the new one. I doubt I’m alone on this. I’m sure plenty of people got new computers recently, spent a few days using Vista and adjusting to it, and are mostly fine with it, notwithstanding whatever the real issues are and even if they don’t love it. That’s really the point of my post — for most people, this isn’t a big enough deal to dictate computer purchases, or shouldn’t be.
Mac’s rule…. worth every extra penny. Their support is insane and software amazing. I am so jonesing for their new mac book to go along with my desktop! I don’t use all of their extra features — but I love not having to pay for virus software that sends me reminder updates every 2 days! Save up and get a mac!
article in today’s NY Times that you might enjoy….
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/personaltech/22pogue.html?em=&pagewanted=print
So far I have not had any of the problems they mention. It is far faster than my older computer (which uses Windows XP), though that is because it is a new, more powerful computer. Still, it is very quick. I am not nagged with pop ups to warn me very often, and it gives me the option to turn it off. Haven’t been bothered by it at all. I don’t use that much software, not older software, and haven’t had anything not work as a result of incompatibility. Maybe at some point I will.
Regarding your earlier points about PCs in general, there is free virus protection available. And if you want to pay for more convenient protection, it’s only like $39 a year. That’s less than eating one meal at a diner, hardly a reason to drop a ton of extra money on a Mac. The virus protection I have does not bother me every couple of days. It does most of its work and updating in the background. I hardly notice it.
As for saving up and getting a Mac and it being worth every extra penny, I don’t know what economy you are living in. Something is worth every extra penny if they are really just extra pennies and you don’t have something else you would prefer to spend them on. Must be nice to have that. Did your computer cost you $379? Mine did. Not a very expensive purchase. To get the Mac that you love, what would I have to spend? $2,000? More? Considering that my system seems quite fast to me and works just fine and I mainly use Word and blog and listen to some music, an extra $1,500 to just be in the Mac fan club is not reasonable, to me. I could save up. I wouldn’t have to save up — I’m not poor. If I wanted to, I could have bought a much more expensive computer, but then there’s something else I wouldn’t be able to afford.
The amount I didn’t spend to buy a computer like yours is enough to pay for a vacation with my wife this summer, or a good part of it. It’s enough to put a 46-inch 1080p LCD in my basement. Or whatever else I want to spend it on. If you have enough money to do all of the things you want and still get that computer, good for you. Most people do not.
Anyway, my mother-in-law came over and tried out my new computer, and now thinks Vista is fine. And to be clear, I am not denying any of the issues the article mentioned about Vista. I don’t know much about it. I just haven’t had any problems.
I confess, I like vista. I also like XP. I have both in my house and they both seem pretty stable. My only problem? They don’t seem to talk to one another very well. The printer is hooked up to an XP box? Share it up and only the other XP machines will see it. Hook it up to a Vista box and share it up. Only the other Vista boxes will see it.
It is the only problem I have found with Vista, but that’s a pretty big one. Oh, and it sometimes doesn’t like Civilization IV. Only sometimes. What’s up with that?