Failing Up
Here's an interesting take on Vista as a failure (not in sales terms - there it will succeed in spite of itself). No - in experience terms, for people who are moving from XP:
Not since Windows Me or Mac OS X 10.0 have I observed a more troubled consumer operating system. This is a difficult post to write, because I really don't want to beat on Microsoft about Vista yet again. But yesterday's continuation of the Windows Vista Capable lawsuit and several conversations I had today are reasons to look at what Microsoft got wrong and why the company should make things right.
Simply put: Windows Vista is a train wreck, but it didn't have to be. Unfortunately, my "Wow" moment: Accepting Windows Vista for what it is. Vista will succeed in the marketplace because of the huge infrastructure built up around the operating system. But that doesn't mean most people will like using Vista, or even ask for it.
And to all the people who think MS has nothing to fear from OS X, or Linux - those might not even be the threats. Recall that GM was sure that nothing was coming at them, either.
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Comments
Been wary of upgrading to it
[Mark Miller] August 9, 2007 21:48:23.204
I've been using XP. It has a few quirks that I don't like, but given what Microsoft has produced in the past, I think XP is the best OS they've made. It's mostly stable. It has good security features, if you know how to use them. The best part is most software is compatible with it. That was a concern when it first came out: would NT/2000 and Win9x software run on it? With the exception of some system software (like anti-virus), it's very compatible. A minor minus is that some Win3.x software doesn't run on it anymore (but it used to), I think due to the security patches that have been applied. For what I've needed I've been able to find 32-bit versions of this stuff.
I've thought about upgrading my hardware to a faster CPU and such, but I don't think I want Vista. I don't like how Microsoft has handled the issue of software compatibility on it. It seems like Microsoft has been pulling away from consumers and instead has put more of a focus on enterprises.