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.
Tweet
…who ever said I was a journalist?
Oh I see, “Ethical journalism” consist of pretending something is really great when it’s not! Moron!
If Vista sucks (and in my personal experience with the OS, that’s putting it very mildly) … and “everyone else” says so … why is he accused of “jumping on the bandwagon” if he has a similarly bad user experience? If Chris raved about Vista instead, would he be accused of being a contrarian?
Vista may shape up to be OK in the years to come, but let’s face it, Microsoft’s initial releases would barely qualify as beta software in anyone else’s book.
this article was posted on chris’s site for you. you’re welcome.
http://geeks.pirillo.com/forum/topic/show?id=2300301:Topic:748378
look one suggestion to you Chris pirillo if you always ranting and raving about people getting macs did it ever occur to you that some people don’t want to switch and they can’t afford to. number two. if you always shouting down those with windows who have computer problems to get mac get a mac get a mac.. if you hate windows and Microsoft so bad stop using it and than rename your show or web cast to a mac help show …number 3. you sound a little hypocritical like you ranted against the i phone and wolla you get one … chris i have nothing against you seem like a nice guy but its the stuff you do and the stuff you write and say that is not right
Chris Pirillo is just a drippy Apple shill. I wonder how much Steve Jobs pays him a month. NEWSFLASH FOR MACTARDS: Your underpowered and over priced Macs wouldn’t exist right now if it weren’t for Microsoft bailing them out.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 both suck for reasons that are by-and-large obvious to any tech enthusiast:
* More unnecessary system services to have a fully working GUI
(I don’t need NLA on my desktop, but if I don’t enable it then Network and Sharing Center – a new Vista feature, fails)
* Intrusive and annoying licensing services
(Product activation turned me away from XP, Vista hasn’t gotten rid of it, therefore Vista sucks)
* Increased system requirements
(Why is it that newer has to equal less efficient over at redmond?)
* Feature removals
(What happened to “restricted rights” mode on XP, where Run As could be used to run apps with additional restrictions?)
* More open network ports by default
(I want a system to be more secure against remote attacks OOTB, not less secure)
* Forcing IPv6 on users
(I want to have the choice over whether or not my TCP/IP stack loads with IPv6 or not – why should I waste RAM and have an increased surface area for intrusion?)
Good thing that most users don’t share your thinking. Rip everything out and leave stuff alone, that’s how we make progress alright *sighs*