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November 03, 2006
Is upgrading to Vista worth the effort?
Webpage (article): Help File: Prepare in advance for Microsoft's Vista
In January, Vista is scheduled to be released to the general public (it will be released to business users in November, if all goes as planned). Although many computers bought after this time will come equipped with Vista (such as all Dell computers), many people will have to upgrade their current operating systems to Vista. However, Vista is not compatible with all hardware systems or software, because “device drivers and programs written for one version of Windows may not work on another version of the operating system.” The New York Times’ article “Help File: Prepare in advance for Microsoft's Vista” explains that “Device drivers are little bits of software that tell the operating system how to work with the computer's hardware.” In order to verify that your computer’s hardware and software will work with Vista, you need to check each manufacturer’s website to see if it is listed as compatible with Windows Vista. As for products you plan to purchase in the future, they will be clearly labeled as “Works with Windows Vista”. Better yet, hardware and software products that say “Certified for Windows Vista” allow you to enjoy some features of Vista that you would not with the products labeled “Works with Windows Vista”.
In my opinion, this labeling scheme is a bit confusing. I am not especially tech savvy, but I would say I know as much about computers (maybe more) as the average home user. It certainly confuses me that products labeled “Certified for Windows Vista” allow you to take advantage of more Vista features than products labeled “Works with Windows Vista”. And it certainly is not clear why “Certified” ought to have a more positive connotation than “Works with”. Why can’t they just make ONE label: “Works with Windows Vista” and leave it at that? If you’re paying the same thing, you ought to get the same features.
Also, it seems like a colossal pain to go through and “make a list” (another method suggested in the article of verifying that all the hardware and software you own is compatible with Vista) of everything on your computer. If I did this, it would take forever. There’s numerous applications, and I would hardly want to visit every manufacturer’s website. A much simpler solution would be to not get Vista at all! Microsoft has delayed so long (5 years) in releasing this new version of its operating system that I feel like many people might be accustomed to their current operating system and only see the upgrade as an unnecessary hassle, especially considering all the negative buzz that Windows’ Vista has been receiving. Most news articles mention the subpar security and the unimpressiveness of the “new features”, many of which are available in open source software, such as Linux.
I am curious to see how the public responds to the release of Vista when it is released in a few months. Maybe most people feel like me: sick of upgrades, tired of viruses pervading their Windows systems, unwilling to check their hardware and every piece of software in order to use an operating system that has already gotten a negative word of mouth. But I could be wrong. Come January, we shall see.
Posted by alathans at November 3, 2006 12:53 PM