As most of my readership probably knows, I'm not particularly fond of Microsoft. While some of their products are of high quality, for the most part (e.g. Office 2003 or before), the operating system with which they have held dominance in the computer world is a constant source of irritation and frustation for me. Personally, I run Linux and home and at work. However, I support users that run Windows, mainly my parents. I decided long ago that XP would be last Microsoft operating system my parents used. And due to various frustations my father had with system, he agreed. Now, it seems, that decision has even more merit. The negative (and neutral-you-don't-really-need-to-upgrade type) of reviews just keep coming. I highlight three more today.
For the impatient: If you're thinking about a new computer, get a Mac. Upgrading your system to try to run Vista won't be worth the pain, so you'll soon be thinking about getting a new computer, which should be a Mac. If you are techincally inclined, investigate Linux. Kubuntu Linux runs on most hardware out there, and should be a relatively pain-free experience for someone with a modicum of technical knowledge.
First, an article from the BBC about
trials and travails in trying to upgrade a computer to run Vista. First a new video card, then the network wouldn't work, then his webcam wouldn't work (even though the Vista upgrade advisor said it would). And why was his three year old PDA no longer supported?
Next, we have an article about the United States Department of Transportation. It seems, for the time being,
no computers are to be upgraded to Vista or Internet Explorer 7. The imposition of the ban is interesting enough, but the most interesting part of the article is a quote by DOT CTO Tim Schmidt:
"We're analyzing different client software options and also integration issues," says Schmidt. Among the options the Transportation Department is weighing as a possible alternative or complement to Windows Vista are Novell's Suse Linux and, for a limited group of users, Apple's Macintosh hardware and software, he says.
Oddly enough, moving to Linux will probably cause less compatiblity issues, and will enable them to use some of their older hardware longer.
And, for our final link, this one is another in a long line of "Mac-OS-already-has-what-Vista-has-and-more" articles. Information week says that
Max OS X shines in comparison to Windows Vista They say, despite OS X's age, it matches or surpasses Vista in many areas.
Now, I'll be honest, I've read good reviews of Vista, I've even read glowing reviews, but never in my paying attention to computer reviews of Microsoft operating systems (which goes back to about Windows 95 or so) have I read so many reviews that said either "You don't really need this, you can get what you need elsewhere," or outright "Don't buy it." I suppose there are a couple reasons for this. One, there simply are a lot of things wrong, or done poorly in Vista. Two, for the first time in Microsoft's history, there are viable alternatives to their product. Almost all software out there has Macintosh versions available (and if not, you can run them in Windows XP under Parallels or VMWare). If you are more technically inclined, you can try Linux.
Explore the alternatives. You'll be glad you did.
