Scot Finnie, Computerworld’s online editorial director, takes readers on a tour of Windows Vista in his article “Visual Tour: 20 Things You Won’t Like About Windows Vista.”
“It boils down to this: The software giant is favoring security and IT controls over end-user productivity. Don’t get me wrong, security and IT manageability are very good things. But some of the people actually using the Beta 2 Vista software describe their experience as akin to that of a rat caught in a maze,” Finnie reports. “Business and home users will be nonplussed by the blizzard of protect-you-from-yourself password-entry and ‘Continue’ boxes required by the User Account Controls feature, for example. Networking functions and settings are scattered all over the place. The same is true of what Windows XP calls Display Properties. By default, the main menus (you know, File, Edit, View, etc.) are turned off on Windows Vista folders, Internet Explorer 7 and several other programs and utilities that come with Vista. Listing 20 things you won’t like about Windows Vista was unfortunately all too easy. The question is: Why couldn’t Microsoft see this coming?”
“Make no mistake, the new Windows lacks a gotta-have-it feature, unless it’s the increased security that protected-mode browsing, built-in spyware protection and the new User Account Controls provide. To my way of thinking, security shouldn’t be something you have to pay for. What’s more, it seems like Microsoft is building some of the most ambitious security components of Windows Vista not for its customers, but for itself,” Finnie reports. “Where does Windows Vista fit among many of the PC-based operating systems of today and the last couple of decades? With Beta 2 running on multiple test units, I feel comfortable predicting that Windows Vista will not outpace Mac OS X Tiger for overall quality and usability. It’s hard to beat Apple’s top-notch GUI design grafted onto an implementation of Unix variant BSD. Mac OS X has excellent reliability, security and usability. That isn’t to say that the user interface wouldn’t gain if Apple adopted some other best ideas of the day, but Apple has the best operating system this year, last year and next year. It’ll be interesting to see what the company delivers in its 10.5 Leopard version of Mac OS X. Meanwhile, I’m placing Windows Vista as a distant second-best to OS X. I see Linux and Windows 2000 as being roughly tied another notch or two below Vista, with XP being only a half step better than Win 2000.”
“So, why is the year-old Mac OS X Tiger so much better than Windows Vista, which Microsoft won’t even ship before January 2007? It isn’t that Apple has put more effort into its operating system; Microsoft has mounted a gargantuan effort on Windows Vista. It’s that the two companies have very different goals. I’ve come to believe that Microsoft has lost touch with its user base,” Finnie writes. “Everywhere you look, Microsoft has copied things that Apple has offered for quite some time in OS X… More than 15 years later, Microsoft is still following Apple in operating system design and bundled materials… I have no problem with Microsoft copying Apple’s or any other company’s best interface designs. We all win when that happens, and I wish Apple would steal the best things Microsoft does right back. What’s really strange is when a company lifts good ideas and makes them worse, not better.”
Finnie writes, “After more than 15 years reviewing Windows operating systems, I didn’t just suddenly begin hating Microsoft or Windows. (Although I have to admit, OS X is looking better and better of late.) Windows Vista has plenty of good aspects to recommend it. In a future article, Computerworld will make plain the many good things about Windows Vista. When the product ships, we’ll also make some final recommendations on the new operating system.”
Make sure you haven’t eaten recently and then go see Finnie’s 20 things users won’t like about Windows Vista here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “vitaboy” and “MacDragon” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Another great review for Microsoft’s latest bloated mess, er… Windows Albatross, sorry… Windows Vista. By the way, Apple’s “so much better than Windows Vista” Mac OS X Tiger is already over a year old right now (released April 29, 2005) and will be over 20-months-old by the time Microsoft currently says they plan to inflict Vista (early 2007). Of course, many expect Apple’s Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to debut around the same time as Windows Train Wreck, leaving Microsoft’s “new” OS even further behind on the day it finally ships.
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Moving train wreck that is Windows Vista to leave the station in late 2006/early 2007 – June 01, 2006
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Pirillo critiques Windows Vista with long lists of mistakes – May 30, 2006
Video of Microsoft’s Windows Vista beta 2 release in action – May 23, 2006
Report: Microsoft Windows Vista could drive users even more nuts than usual – May 16, 2006
Yankee Group: Windows Vista to alienate business with disruptive security features – May 09, 2006
Windows Vista to be Microsoft’s last operating system? – April 21, 2006
Thurrott: Microsoft collapsing under its own weight, Gates has driven Windows Vista into the ground – April 20, 2006
Microsoft employees call for heads to roll over continual Vista slips – March 27, 2006
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Microsoft Vista fumble could lead to score for Apple Mac; Mac OS X Leopard may beat Vista to market – March 23, 2006
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Microsoft delays Windows Vista again – this time until January 2007 – March 21, 2006
Thurrott: Microsoft going to get eaten alive over Windows Vista’s resemblance to Apple’s Mac OS X – March 09, 2006
Episode 2 of Microsoft Windows Vista, Bill Gates CES keynote video spoof now online – January 07, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista, Bill Gates keynote video spoof debuts online – January 06, 2006
NY Times’ Pogue on Gates’ CES demo: Most of Vista features unadulterated ripoffs from Apple Mac OS X – January 05, 2006
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Microsoft Windows Vista compared to Apple Mac OS X – December 05, 2005
Gartner: Ignore Microsoft Windows Vista until 2008 (why not just get Apple Mac OS X Tiger today?) – November 12, 2005
Microsoft’s Windows Vista strives to deliver what Apple’s Mac OS X already offers – October 10, 2005
Thurrott: Microsoft’s Windows Vista Beta 1 vs. Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger – August 29, 2005
Apple to unleash Leopard on Microsoft’s Windows Longhorn; Mac OS X 10.5 due late 2006 – early 2007 – June 07, 2005
Thurrott: many of Windows Vista’s upcoming features appeared first in Apple’s Mac OS X – September 26, 2005
Microsoft’s Ballmer: It’s true, some of Windows Vista’s features are ‘kissing cousins’ to Mac OS X – September 19, 2005
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Apple leads; Wintel follows as usual – November 11, 2002
All this negative talk about Vista is interesting– almost the inverse of what happened to OS X and Apple in the media around 2000/2001. As momentum built in favor of OS X, Vista’s criticisms seem to be growing.
I’ve heard reports Vista may not be out until June 2007. If they push Vista out early with all of the bugs people are finding in Beta 2 they will hurt themselves in further and Vista could be the biggest Operating System failure next to OS2 from IBM.
Leopard will probably not show up until Q2 2007, given the late WWDC demo. I wonder if it’s better for Leopard to come out before or after Vista. It probably won’t matter in the long run.
Amen to that! You can buy a cheaper computer than a Mac, but you can’t buy a better one!
Good to see. The mainstream media have a duty to inform the ignorant masses that there is a choice of platforms, rather than just drooling over Vista’s “innovations”.
My favorite quote from the story:
“I have no problem with Microsoft copying Apple’s or any other company’s best interface designs. We all win when that happens, and I wish Apple would steal the best things Microsoft does right back. What’s really strange is when a company lifts good ideas and makes them worse, not better.“
Amen.
Here’s the list:
20. Minimum video system requirements are more like maximum.
19. Aero stratification will cause businesses woe.
18. User Account Controls $#^%!~\!!!.
17. Two words: Secure Desktop.
16. No way to access the Administrator account in Vista Beta 2.
15. Some first-blush networking peeves.
14. Windows peer networking is still balky.
13. Network settings user experience went backwards.
12. Too many Network Control Panel applets, wizards and dialogs.
11. Display settings have changed for no apparently good reason.
10. Where are the file menus?
9. Windows Defender Beta 2 is buggy.
8. Problems without solutions.
7. Lack of Windows Sidebar Gadgets.
6. Media Center isn’t all there and falls flat.
5. Faulty assumption on the Start Menu.
4. Installation takes forever.
3. Version control.
2. Price.
1. Little originality, sometimes with a loss of elegance.
You’ll need to click through 13 pages of advertisements to get the details.
Leopard will ship no later than November ’06, and probably more like October.
“…lifts good ideas and makes them worse, not better.”
they did this with their version of Expose, by making it apparently less efficient to manage multiple open windows.
While OS X becomes better with each version, Windows seems more cluttered. Do you think?
I’m glad to see that MS is not able to copy OS X. By the time Vista is finally released, Apple will be hard at work on 10.6.
Reading the full 20 points made my eyes bleed . . . . 750 million blue screens . . . HA
“After more than 15 years reviewing Windows operating systems, I didn’t just suddenly begin hating Microsoft or Windows. (Although I have to admit, OS X is looking better and better of late.)” …BUT THEN -> “Windows Vista has plenty of good aspects to recommend it. In a future article, Computerworld will make plain the many good things about Windows Vista. When the product ships, we’ll also make some final recommendations on the new operating system.”
Such a blatantly tacked-on-by-the-editor closing statement, as is typical in all PC rags. They can seemingly never end on a “Mac OS X is just plain better, period.” note.
Why must they always take the cowards way out? Are they just afraid of a torrent of MicroWeenie flames? Or is it that they are a “PC” rag and must always cater to their PC advertisers and consumers? Well, the Mac is a “PC” so long as that stands for Personal Computer and not Impersonal Computer. If a “PC” running Linux or Solaris is still a “PC”, than a Mac is too.
Switching to Intel has done wonders for our sheer ability to be able to be lumped in with the rest of them in terms of being reviewed and compared directly without that fuzzy, awkward caveat about the processors being different.
This is a great time to be a Mac fan…long live Vista! 😀
MDN Magic Word: “enough” as in “Computer users have had enough of the arrogant and unearned Windows hegemony.”
MDN Magic Word: (sssshhh, quiet please) “appear”, as in, “A better Windows will ‘appear’ when hades gets as cold as antarctica’s penguins in July (some of y’all boys might have to think on that one).
An acquaintance refused to get his daughter an iPod because he hates Apple so much – for this kind, they will continue to buy M$ junque… hopeless.
When Jobs is ready to release Leopard to the masses, he should bypass MacWorld Expo this time around and buy a prime time hour on ABC (Disney). Nobody but industry insiders and Mac enthusiast get Steve’ RDF treatment at the Expo. Advertise the big event and launch OS X 10.5 to the great unwashed on TV. I bet you’d get a lot of curious viewers wanting to see this guy “Steve Jobs” who they’ve read and heard about.
Good investment.
But Tiger won’t even be out until 2007 (if you believe Apple can do it).
Vista is out (public) now!
So don’t go comparing Vista to Apple’s vaporware. Your head has to be REALLY buried in the sand not to realize that IF Tiger ever ships, Vista already does most of what Tiger will do–and Vista is NOT as unfriendly as people say, not once you get over yourself and accept that MS knows what they are doing.
MDN: “Another great review for Microsoft’s latest bloated mess, er… Windows Albatross, sorry…”
Mal (Serenity): “Way I remember it, albatross was a ship’s good luck, ’til some idiot killed it.”
But Tiger won’t even be out until 2007 (if you believe Apple can do it).
Might I just point out (from my machine running Tiger) that it’s been out for a year and change? So yeah, I think they might pull it off.
Leopard might be what you mean – but the reviewer (right or wrong) was comparing Vista and Tiger. Might want to calm the vitriol down a bit. Helps accuracy.
Dunce of the year award to Microsoft, the kid who copies answers to the test from the class genius and still manages to fail.
Pathetic!
Spark, that’s a great idea. Send it to Apple.
Exqueeze me – You Dork!
Tiger is out NOW – Leopard is the next version of OSX!
Twat
Heh heh, Exqueese me. pwned. Heh heh.
Tiger, OS 10.4, has been out for almost one year. I think you meant to say Leopard, which is scheduled to be released in either Q4 2006 or Q1 2007. Either way, I would be careful with the vaporware tag. Apple has not missed a shipping deadline for their OS in about 5 years. Whereas Microsoft can’t seem to do anything right. Honestly, what has Microsoft been doing for the last five years other than the xBox 360 and Windows XP?
Pookiebear,
“Computer users have had enough of the arrogant and unearned Windows hegemony”
I wish that were true, but I don’t think it is.
They will line up like sheep, they will buy it
with a smile, and they will think it’s great.
They are good little slaves.
Did you see the version comparison chart? You actually have to purchase the $700 “Windows Vista Ultimate” in order to get “Windows DVD Maker”!
Windows users love taking it up the ass, don’t they?
>>”But Tiger won’t even be out until 2007 (if you believe Apple can do it).
Vista is out (public) now!
So don’t go comparing Vista to Apple’s vaporware. Your head has to be REALLY buried in the sand not to realize that IF Tiger ever ships, Vista already does most of what Tiger will do–and Vista is NOT as unfriendly as people say, not once you get over yourself and accept that MS knows what they are doing.”<<
Hilarious!
Your head has to be REALLY buried in the sand if you:
1. Think Tiger hasn’t been shipping and being used by delighted Mac users for over a year+.
2. Think Apple will not be able to get (Leopard) out by 2007. (Hello?? It’s Microsoft that can’t seem to ship Vista).
3. Thinks Vista (still beta/vaporware mind you!) does “most of what Tiger (does)” – and has been doing!… let alone “most of what (Leopard) will do”. NOTE WELL: Vista CAN’T ship or be finalized until WWDC, when Apple introduces the remaining set of features for Leopard that Microsoft will hamfistedly try to ape as quickly as it can (i.e. another year delay).
4. Thinks that Vista is not unfriendly.
5. Thinks that “MS knows what they are doing”!
Keep typing! This is fun!