Putting Vista behind...

I guess it is safe to declare that even after two years after its initial release, Windows Vista is still the worst thing to happen to software in recorded history!

I mean seriously, what were they thinking when they rolled out an Operating System that was slower than the previous one; refused to work with almost all existing devices at the time and hogged entire system resources?

I’m not getting into all the details here; I already wrote another post a long time ago on Why I hate Vista and incredibly, most of it still holds true even today more than a year after I originally wrote it.
And I’m not the only one saying it – ask any guy with a (new) computer and he will agree that Vista should be sent to Computer Hell and put behind us as a bad dream as soon as possible.

In fact, I guess even Microsoft knows this, and this kind of explains why the beta for Windows 7 (which by the way, was already released a couple of months ago) was out in just under 2 years from their this-is-gonna-be-so-great Vista launch, which came nearly 7 years after Windows XP.


All said and done, now why am I still getting so worked up about this?

Because it puts anyone looking to buy a new computer or notebook in a tight spot. Desktop computers are one thing, but laptops normally come with an operating system pre-installed on it by default, and in most cases you need to buy the whole package (as opposed to getting a blank system or one with a free Linux distribution).

And here’s the messed up part – laptops don’t come with Windows XP anymore so like it or not, you are forced to throw away good money on Vista, just because the computer manufacturers had a deal with Microsoft.
How bad is that?

What makes this problem even bigger is the fact that most happy-go-lucky home users don’t really care much; and hence most manufacturers don’t bother to give you too many options selecting your own OS; getting one with Linux or without anything at all! There are far too few notebooks that allow you this freedom.

In fact, I know at least 4 people who bought computers with the ‘mandatory’ Vista pre-installed on it - despite them hating it - just because it was the only easy way out. I just can’t see myself doing that.

And because the only other viable option is the gorgeous-looking and terribly expensive Apple Macbook , I guess the only thing left for me to do is hang on to the ancient monster I have and wait for Windows 7 to hit the streets.

And hope they actually get it right this time!

25 comments:

Aersh said...

the only - mind it - the only thing that i ever lykd about vista was its styling - the over all look was very glamorous. and it ended there and then.

vista i feel was lyk one of the most famous tragedies - like that of titanic. everybody said titanic was unsinkable but down into the ocean it went. Same for vista. it was such a well hyped disaster of this millenium!!!!

nd i ve put up a new post so u can read it too

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Aersh
Famous tragedies is right...can you imagine developing an OS for 7years and then the whole world throws it back at you
:D

Boy, the guys at Microsoft must've had a real stupid manager for Vista!

Darshan Chande said...

That is true of Vista.. Have you tried Windows 7? I love XP though. I wonder what is the use of glossy interface and graphics which make the system so resource hungry. I hate the MS Office 2007 too.. 2003 was the best.. why did they do away with classic menu and all??

Anonymous said...

my vista was replaced my windows xp recently..i dont know which one is better though.. :) reading your post made me hate vista but does that mean i should love xp..

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Darshan
Nope...my current laptop barely scrapes through XP...Windows7 would kill it
:)
Maybe I should get a mac instead.

@pink
I guess you're also one of those people who got Vista because it came to you?
Or did you actually buy it and make an upgrade???

Rayees Ahamed said...

I think, MS has ran out of fuel with almost no improvement in the performance.

Even i felt xp to be better than vista. But i would rather love the new version of Kubuntu linux - it is fast, secure and looks cool with many (vista like) desktop effects at minimum computer cost.

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Rayees
I'm not too sure if its about running out of fuel...after all, they DID make the Zune and Xbox360.
I think what happened is, MS thought all their users were stupid and would accept any garbage they threw at them.

Btw, Kubuntu support MS office formats...like doc, xls etc?

Unknown said...

dude, dell gives you an option to downgrade to xp... check it out...

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@issam
yeah but there's a clause; only OEM versions are allowed and even that with serious limitations.

Btw, I guess Dell is also the only manufacturer to offer models with Linux on it too.

Rayees Ahamed said...

rahman , I dont have too much inside knowledge about compatibility issues, but Open Office usually somehow handles the Ms Office files (sometimes i do get issues).

m said...

U have me there in this one....i hate Vista... and I am stuck with it becoz it came pre-installed! i am just waiting to finish with the submission of my thesis...then i will clean this Vista stupid from my laptop and install windows XP again...damn the windows Vista, Microsoft and the laptop manufacturers!

Intern said...

i had always been pessimistic about vista, even before it released :P

and i was right :D, it was no better than XP, and u get the vista look alike theme fr XP, so u wont be missing much on it :D

im startin to dislike microsoft prdcts, day by day... even hotmail is gettin weird nd slow

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Rayees
K...no problems.
I just found something better: iWork'09: Handles .doc, .xls etc. natively and unlike MS-Office, doesn't come in a hundred different versions.
Only $79 for the whole thing.
Macbook, here I come!
:D

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Ela
Ah, another victim of the "no choice, so got Vista" saga.
Rayees seems to have fun with Linux...maybe you shld change too.


@Shimmer
Don't be surprised, but you happen to be the ONLY person I know who still uses hotmail.
:D
Yeah, I know they had a face lift a while back with Spaces, and SkyDrive, but hotmail is still soooo oldish.

Kavitha said...

Doing a clean install of Vista helps, but it is only for the brave of heart. Or one needs to at least patiently go through and uninstall all the junk packaged into this monstrosity of an OS!

Cheers

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Kavitha

Thx for dropping by!
And yeah I agree...Vista is full of bloatware.
I'm just praying for Windows7.

Lena said...

i got my laptop with vista preinstalled, had to reinstall it the same day as it was not working fine... but then me is totally dumb, me cant install xp because it somehow does not work fine and asks for some drivers, even when i install drivers it still does not look good, so i got back to vista... and since Microsoft isnt eager to support xp anymore, guess we should be stuck with vista for a while

Intern said...

i maintain a hotmail account bcos it was my first ever email acnt :P
and many school frends are ther,

im basically using yahoo nd gmail(gmail is goooooood :P)

come to the gulf, microsoft has dominated this region.. loll

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Lena
...Or you could get rid of the whole thing and go the Mac way.
I don't know why I'm so head over heals with Macs; but then it does seem like a long wait until the next Windows release.
:)


@Shimmer
I know...hotmail was my first Email as well;
but then I moved on when I realized (this was 7yrs ago!) that Yahoo was offering a lot more storage. At the time, hotmail only had 25MB or something. I quit MS then and never came back to it.
:)

Sheeraz Ahamed Khateeb said...

Ahem... i am the only guy here to support Vista... i say it aloud I LOVE VISTA... u heard it right!! I know it has bugs, i bought vista when it was just released, same like XP when its just released.But u know wat
1. XP bugs were solved very late, but vista many of bugs and compatibility issues solved within a year...

2. Many hated XP intially, same way how u all r hating vista now. They couldn't just come over 98/2000.

3. Yes any software advancement needs ur hardware upgrade, if u r not ready to upgrade then dont buy new software, stick to old PC.
u people want old jeans in new pack....?? y u want XP... just use vista with SP1 and keep on updating patches, u will feel it really it has come long way...


People who are waiting for windows 7, jus remember u need touch screen [Although its not must].
Don't say me apple doesn't release new OS and if it happens it doesnt require any hardware changes

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@sheeraz
Ah yes a believer, but then you Vista-lovers are a small minority.
:)

But let's get this straight: Vista IS the worst thing to happen to Windows ever. Why else would MS hurry up with the beta of the next OS (Win7) in two years...after spending over 7yrs developing Vista??

1. Vista bugs had to be solved ASAP because there was a very real chance of the OS being totally rejected by the software community. I mean come on, the stupid thing failed to work with virtually every single printer, scanner and peripheral on the market. XP had problems yes, but not at this level.
And even today, how many businesses do you think run the Enterprise edition for their networks?

2. Yup, guess humanity is always hesitant to changes.

3. No dude, hardware upgrades are needed ONLY for major changes...that's always the way it has been. The Unisys mainframe I work on has had the same hardware since 1991...with software upgrades every 3months!! It still works because the software is designed to take into account hardware limitations.
Any software that doesnt give a damn about existing hardware and claims: "I don't care, I need 2GB RAM to run" is not worth it...especially if the only thing you get is a cool interface.

Oh and just for the record; most Mac upgrades don't need hardware upgrades...in fact you don't even need to spend good money and buy it: as long as your internet is fast enough, a Mac will automatically upgrade your OS!!! Apple rules :D

Dhanya said...

I guess I am one of those who got Vista preinstalled into my new laptop without having any other choice. Before buying the lappy, I was aware of the disappointment Vista was causing. Even asked the seller if he could install XP instead. He looked at me as if I asked the most dreaded question in the world and shook his head vigorously saying 'no no'. :(

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Dhanya
Ah yes, another victim.
:D
I guess that question isn't so dreadful anymore...entire businesses are downgrading to XP; and Microsoft even supports it.

I'm sure they fired whichever idiot conceived Vista, and burned all his documents.
:D

AMIT said...

I have not used Vista yet.

Boise real estate

-=A.R.N.=- said...

@Amit

You're not missing much.
Vista is a load of junk that hogs your resources and sits looking pretty.