You should probably open this article is another window and keep switching between the two.
1. The Interface
Am I a child? Am I living in a cartoon? Do I really need things to spin, slide, “dance gracefully” and have magnificent shadows or rounded edges to suck the resources of my computer like a vacuum cleaner in a whirlwind? I realise that the Mac OS looks very pretty, but if I wanted a Mac I would buy one! Try being fucking original and go your own way, it needs to look smart and be functional, that’s it!
2. Flipping people off
If this is a reason for upgrading, I’m really quite shocked. If the person who wrote the article actually knew anything about how to use Windows, he would know that if you HOLD down Alt while switching with Tab, you can take your time, select what you want with the “blue box” by hitting Tab, then release Alt. That method is actually more functional that the new Vista method, which takes you through your active Windows in the order they were created in!
3. It’s ok, I didn’t want system resources anyway…
But oooooooo… It is pretty… Do people really have that little fucking imagination that they can’t leave a window alone even when they don’t have it in focus? How often is this feature actually going to be required? Never! It’s yet another trip to lala land for Microsoft and yippee - it’s my system memory taking them there.
4. Trying to cover up?
The fact that I can do everything I could ever need with Windows XP setup with 4GB of memory aside, I see what Microsoft were trying to do here. It’s obvious that their new Operating System runs about as well as a legless, stumpy donkey in 4ft deep pigshit, so they decided to allow users to setup their system with more memory. The writer of the article doesn’t seem to know what RAM is, or that it’s possible to assign memory with XP also, but nevermind. The writer is scarily talking about using USB memory… ARGH! Can you imagine the slow access times?
5. Why would I need these?
I just love that a calendar of failures is considered a bonus… Surely if the Operating System was so good, it wouldn’t need one!? Other than the calendar I have to point out that Winows XP has a RAM and CPU usage meter if you press Ctrl, Alt and Del - then switch to the performance tab.
6. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Just bloody allow it!
During the time I spent with Windows Vista the most annoying aspect was the security prompts. Although there are ways to turn these off, the average user is never going to find them! The security also disables a lot of programs and allsorts of 32bit compatible software and services that you really would like to be able to use on the 32bit Vista… I understand the need for security, but we all know some 12 year old kid is going to walk in some big red backdoor that Microsoft left unlocked eventually.
7. Are people really that forgetful?
I personally keep all my files in folders, those folders are within other folders, those folders are in others - all my files are kept in a hierachy of folders that enables me to not lose anything 99.99% of the time… In the rare 0.01% of the time that I might need to find something, I can either look for it, or search using the existing Windows XP search… So why is Vista’s search a feature that I should upgrade for? I’ll move closer, tell me again…
8. Grrr…
More pretty stuff sucking resources that they shouldn’t, refer roughly to my comments on the interface above.
9. Please, no.
Please don’t tell me that anyone out there lets Windows manage their wireless connections if they can help it? Yes, sometimes I have had to… But from experience I found that Vista has more issues than XP!
10. This is new?
In Windows XP go to Start, Network Connections. In there you can view all details about all connections. In Windows XP go to Start, My Network Places. In there you can view a map of the Network. So, is this a “new feature” for Vista when I can find it in XP reeeeally easy too?
11. Cough…
Microsoft Digital Image Suite is also available for Windows XP… Sure, it isn’t free like it is with Vista - but I can say with unfortunate experience that it performs better in XP. Weird that, isn’t it?
12. Check my downloads page…
See the WMV downloads on the downloads page of my blog? I use the Windows Movie Maker in XP. It works great for me and has all the features I, or any other amateur, could possibly need. If you needed more features (like if you are a professional film maker or keen amateur), you are probably better off getting Avid or some other movie editing suite anyway. Also… Vista video processing is slower than XP…
13. Not new…
Ok, all the features the writer of the above linked article referred to can be done via the system tray in Windows XP, they can also be done quicker. With Windows Vista and all it’s “bells & whistles” you can wave goodbye to that battery life also, it runs down much more quickly because of the higher system usage, so the extended “support for mobility” is a little lacking.
14. Just use MSN, it’s free.
Ok, if you do have serious problems with XP file sharing (which I have at times, but not very often in a network that is correctly setup), you can just use Windows Live! Messenger to do the “synchronising” thing. Sure, it’d suck your bandwidth with large files, but I found with Vista that the feature didn’t work any better than XP filesharing anyway. Take your pick, or use a rewritable DVD.
15. Be a parent.
My sentiments on this one run along the lines of this post. What your kids are allowed to do is down to you, don’t let a TV or a version of Windows take care of your children for you.
So, now you know how I feel about Windows Vista… but you also know how I felt about that utterly pathetic article. If that really is all this man can see as reasons to upgrade, Microsoft really have wasted their money. An Operating System requires functionality over ALL else. Vista seems to be one huge gimmick, following form a lot more than function. You want to know reason 16? The Price…