“Like it or not, you’ll probably be using Windows Vista before you know it,” Brier Dudley reports for The Seattle Times.
MacDailyNews Take: Don’t bet on it, Brier.
Dudley continues, “Vista is being marketed as a ‘breakthrough computing experience.’ That may be pushing it, especially since some of the more radical innovations were cut when the project bogged down two years ago, but it will rapidly change the way many people use a PC. Vista looks and feels great. In fact, it’s dazzling. Its 3-D icons, transparent ‘glass’ effect and improved buttons and layout feel crisp, modern and sharp — as if you’re using a high-definition PC. Mac users will note that OS X has had a similar feel for years; still, Vista feels new and different.”
MacDailyNews Take: Breakthrough? Come on, let’s get real here: “breaking point,” “breakdown,” or “breakup” all work much better. Poorly executed fakes often look and feel “new and different.”
Dudley continues, “Vista also finally gives Windows a built-in search bar, like OS X, that makes it as easy to search for computer files as it is to search the Web. At the very least, it’s a refreshing change from that XP screen you’ve been staring at for five years now.”
MacDailyNews Take: Gee, that oughta get the midnight lines forming. See also Mac OS X Tiger’s Spotlight system-wide search, released over a year-and-a-half ago.
Dudley continues, “This is Microsoft’s first new operating system since the company realized in 2002 that it had to make security and reliability its top priority. Vista includes an improved firewall, a browser that runs in a “protected mode,” built-in malware protection and changes that will reduce the damage an attack can cause to a system. Out of the box, the system is configured to run more safely, although you’ll still want to have additional virus protection.”
MacDailyNews Take: What about security? Bill Foundstone says that, “Windows XP can provide the strongest network security available.” Now why is that? Well, there are many things that we added to the system — Internet firewall, so that when you install a product you get instant protection from attackers trying to get into your system. We added a bunch of other capabilities to the system for security, but we also worked with the industry, the anti-virus vendors, the consultants to ensure that their products, together with Windows XP, created a holistic experience. We also came up with a new advanced technology that let us scan all the source code in the system to look for potential security issues, and we removed them before we shipped. We also put Windows XP on the Internet and we didn’t have a single compromise, and we left it on there for a very, very long time. – Jim Allchin, Windows Vista chief honcho in charge of bloat, slippage, and spaghetti code, at Windows XP launch, October 25, 2001
Dudley continues, “Microsoft… includes several great applications bundled with Vista that make the system more useful out of the box. They include an improved e-mail program that replaces Outlook Express, and a slick calendar that you can synchronize with other users. Also included are Photo Gallery, for managing and editing digital photos, and Movie Maker for working with digital video.”
MacDailyNews Take: You mean like how Apple’s Mac OS X includes Mail, iCal, iPhoto, and iMovie HD, but nowhere as good since they’re half-baked, first generation, bad Microsoft copies of Apple products? Where are Microsoft’s “answers” to iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb? Guess Windows sufferers will have to wait another 5+ years for those knock-offs.
Dudley continues, “Standard home and business versions of Vista will cost the same as XP. But given all the concern about security and stolen information, consumers and businesses will want Vista Ultimate, a pricey premium version with the new BitLocker Drive Encryption security feature. Businesses, in particular, will want BitLocker because it locks down files if a computer is stolen. Unfortunately it’s only available to big corporations, governments and people who buy Ultimate, which costs $399.”
MacDailyNews Take: In related article form:$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Dudley continues, “That’s just part of the cost. Many will have to buy a faster PC or upgrade their current machine to run Vista smoothly. At a minimum, you’ll need a system with a recent processor, 1 gigabyte of system memory and 128 megabytes of graphics memory. The word from insiders, including Dell’s chief executive, is that you’ll really need at least 2 gigabytes of RAM. The price of Windows XP desktops has fallen to around $300. It’s going to be a shock when you have to pay two or three times that much for a decent Vista machine.”
MacDailyNews Take: Only Apple Macs can run both Mac OS X and Windows. Stop wasting your money. It’s time to Get a Mac.
Dudley continues, “Vista works in tandem with new chip sets to create powerful new system locks. The locks will prevent illegal copying of Vista itself. But they can also be used by Microsoft, movie studios and record companies to restrict how people use digital media files on Vista PCs. Combined with Microsoft’s sophisticated copy-protection software, the locks enable new subscription services — so you can rent a movie by downloading a copy that will expire after three days, for instance. But expect the system to add even more restrictions to digital content in the future, particularly high-definition video content.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Rob M” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: It’s come to the point now that a person must be ignorant or just plain stupid to buy any PC other than an Apple Mac.
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