Chris Pirillo chooses the Vista Sucks bandwagon over ethical journalism

A recent article on MSNBC headlining Chris Pirillo‘s experiences with Windows Vista really frustrated me. I think I am a pretty objective person to write this article for the following reasons:

• I have been using Windows Vista since October 2006
• I use XP, OS X and Fedora Core Linux regularly
• I know Chris Pirillo
• I am a realistic person

Ok, the last one is debatable, but the first three are true. I am not a “Vista Fanboy.” I am purchasing a laptop in the next few weeks and it’s probably odds on favorite it will be a Macbook. I am not here to kiss Vista’s ass.

So let’s break this article down into the key points, and attack them one by one. I will not speak to sales figures and such because that is not relevant to the quality of the new Operating System.

• Chris’ Printer/Scanner/Fax wouldn’t scan or fax
• The software he uses for his life/productivity doesn’t work
• It’s hard to open the plastic box Vista comes in (are you serious?)
• UAC is annoying

The Printer: I almost feel silly for addressing these points. There are of course a few unknowns. What kind of printer was it? Is it one of those bloatware Lexmark printers with the 180MB driver? Is it possible it’s one of those printers that has a standard print engine that Vista recognized and additional features that are only available through a bloated driver/console? If so, isn’t that the fault of the printer manufacturer for not updating it’s driver and not Vista?

Expecting an Operating System to support all hardware, especially dated hardware, is just silly. There has to be lines in the sand at some point that say look…if you are going to use a 8 year old printer, use an 8 year old operating system. Hardware has to keep up with software. The plain truth is that Vista is for new computers. If you dig back into your news archives you will remember that Dell, HP and the likes were upset that Vista was delayed because they needed it to drive new computer sales.

I have well documented my experiences with Vista, and have had some driver complaints of my own, but I am smart enough to know that a new operating system is not going to have support for specialty hardware from day one.

I am quite familiar with new versions of OS X being way more picky about software and hardware. I know that when Pro Tools users see a new upgrade to that Operating System come out, they pretty much expect a 6 month plus wait for support.

The Software: What productivity software are you using Chris? Seriously? I use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Office, Pidgin, Filezilla, Reason, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Windows Live Writer, iTunes, Synergy, Lightscribe, AVG Antivirus, Picasa, Google Desktop, SQL Server 2005, Nero, Skype, WoW, Lord of the Rings Online, Streets and Trips, Acrobat, Distiller & Virtual PC. Just a cursory look through my apps and those are the ones I use. With some admitted driver problems getting World of Warcraft working well, I have had very little trouble getting my day to day apps going. What software is he using that he can’t get to run?

User Access Control: Yea, it’s annoying, but it’s not for everyone and it’s very easy to disable. Let’s be frank, the people that UAC was made for..NEED User Access Control. I used to call a friend of mine “the mad clicker.” If something came up asking for him to install it, he did, he just clicked OK until it went away. That’s who needs UAC.

I would be curious if Chris dealt with these types of problems on the Acer that Microsoft sent him. I am sure it ran Vista swimmingly. I am not saying Vista is for everyone. In many cases Vista isn’t for me at all. It comes down to a simple question: Are you ready for Vista? Your checklist should be as follows:

• Is your computer certified for Vista? If not, don’t bother. I don’t really believe in these little stickers, it’s just my opinion that nobody should upgrade to Vista unless you have bought a computer since Vista came out. Dual Core and 1GB of RAM should be your minimum considerations.
• Are you ready to get your software current? Why upgrade your OS if you aren’t ready to let go of that aging DOS app or a creaky old printer you should really put in a yard sale?
• Are you using specialty hardware? Are you an audio geek like me? Have some strange FireWire interface or possibly a unique plotter or embroidery machine that your business counts on? Don’t upgrade until your vendor says it’s ok….that’s pretty simple.
• Do you have time to upgrade? Let’s face it, some of the gripes are how the interface has changed and where some things have moved. If you don’t have time to take on the truly small learning curve, don’t. If you can’t take the time to find out where things are on Vista, stay on XP until you have time.

Chris knows these things. Chris is a pretty smart cat. Chris is also in the business of online media and slamming Vista on MSNBC.com makes for a much more interesting story than saying “Yea, it’s pretty cool.” When the reporter obviously wants to spin it otherwise. Come on Chris, give us some ethical journalism and don’t jump on the Vista sucks bandwagon with everyone else.

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