Despite what the obituaries might say, Vista is faring well - and it still soundly beats XP.
Microsoft has kindly extended its XP "downgrade" program for OEMs by another six months. Rather than appreciating the extension, some people have chosen to mock Microsoft and call for the curtain to close on Windows Vista once and for all.
Even my esteemed colleague Randall C. Kennedy wrote in his column entitled "Die, Vista, die!" (tell us how you really feel, Randall) that for him, "Vista's demise was a foregone conclusion".
Personally, I get so much hate mail whenever I write something positive about Vista that I shy away from the subject. Well, in the words of Michael Corleone from The Godfather: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
Allow me to share with you some numbers that come from a Vista Tracking Poll conducted by CDW through Walker Information. They used an online survey, and participants included 772 IT decision makers who identified themselves as being familiar with Windows Vista. Here were some of their key findings:
- 48 percent of respondents indicate that their organization is evaluating, testing, or implementing Vista. That doesn't sound dead to me.
- 30 percent of respondents have organizations that are currently implementing or have already implemented Vista.
- 50 percent of the respondents said Vista is performing "above expectation" on key features.
Given that most of what we read is how worthless Vista is, one must wonder: What could they possibly about this wretched OS that is doomed to retirement at such an early age?
Most of the respondents pointed to security enhancements as the No. 1 feature that attracts them to Vista. Performance improvements, search enhancements, improved networking, and patch management - these were all high in people's list of features they liked about Vista.
It still boggles my mind that people berate Vista, even after SP1. Kennedy called it a "pretender to the desktop throne." I'll agree that it may not be all that it was initially hyped up to be, and hopefully Windows 7 can meet the expectations we've been watching and waiting for nearly a decade to see.
But how can some of its finest features simply be ignored by critics?
Among them, there are enhancements to Group Policy settings (more than 800 new settings in Vista) that allow for a greater level of administrative control over such items as power use.
These days, we are all about going green, and here Vista is an OS that can help us thanks to the added ability to adjust the amount of power your system uses.
Other enhancements allow for greater security control within the enterprise, preventing users from plugging in USB devices and other removable media, User Account Control, and more.
Vista also introduces BitLocker protection, which is great for encrypting your entire system. Hundreds of thousands of laptops with confidential company data on them are lost or stolen each year. Without encryption of the drive, it is just a matter of time before a thief can access the contents. With BitLocker, that worry is removed.
As a business person - perhaps one who has had their laptop stolen - would you mock that level of protection? Most likely not. Can you get it with XP? No. So, even if you didn't receive a feature you wanted in Vista like WinFS (which nobody really understood anyway; it just sounded cool) but did receive peace of mind in the event your laptop was stolen, wouldn't you say that it's worth having?
I can go on and on with features that are a tremendous improvement over XP, features Microsoft developers can be proud of because they enhance our user experience, as well as make us more secure and more productive.
So is this really just about XP versus Vista, both of which are Microsoft OSes? Vista is clearly the superior OS to anyone who takes the time to really use it with an open mind.
Just look at the aforementioned survey results where users point out the advantages over XP. It seems to me that this ongoing criticism of Vista by IT journalists has more to do with a desire to rage against the Microsoft machine than it does to speak about features we can use in the enterprise.
I say that Vista is alive and kicking. Enough blabber about the past. It's time for - dare I say it? - change.
And I don't simply mean a change to XP or the wait for a change to Windows 7 (which will no doubt underperform when compared to users' expectations, as seems to be the trend these days).
If you truly want an Apple Mac, go get one. Stop complaining about Vista and change. Or take your PC and install Linux. Or downgrade to XP. But stop the Vista bashing.
You 20 people who yell like you are 20 million are really starting to get on the nerves of the 200 million Vista-loving PC users out here who would spend more time debating with you, but we are too busy enjoying our Vista OS and don't have time.
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Comments
swarfendor437 said: Lots of interesting comments but addressing the article in combination with the comments posted These days we are all about going green and here Vista is an OS that can help us thanks to the added ability to adjust the amount of power your system uses - yet somewhere in the comments section a someone states I appreciate vista looks nicer but I installed vista ultimate and turned everything up to max and the OS alone with a couple of gadgets running was consuming almost a GIG of RAM How ridiculous The two dont marry Real freedom comes from non-proprietary software ie Linux When I get my head round Virtual Box I will be running virtual windows within Linux - not the other way round
Dragon said: Microsht targetted my daughter saying she had an illegal copy of XP She doesnt It came preloaded on an HP machine so she doesnt have a Microsht number to quote Her PC started to black out so she phoned and told their tech guy she would sue if they continued to interfere He suggested she get a leagl copy of XP She pointed out if hers was illegal then so were all the other HP computers He told her to buy Vista As if She tried mine and hates it Now she has XP AntiSpy installed and has no problemsIncidentally I bought 2 identical PCs at the same time both with Vista Home Basic I set them up the same but they have totally different Start-Up and Shut Down and the arrangement of files and folders are different too Are there 2 versions of Vista Home Basic
Paul said: Meh had Vista for a year now Not had one problem with it XP was far less stable in my experiencePeople do just love bashing Microsoft
Wrabitt said: I m going to get a Mac-2 decades of M is too muchMy net went off after Ms update AGAIN tonight
Johnny Bramham said: Never heard such a kettle of cod in all my life - how much did Gatesy pay you to write this drivelOn second thoughts dont bother - it came straight from the Vista PR release from a few months back and Id hazard a guess that you havent even used itIf you had youd have realised that all the extra choices and whistles are no more than window dressing and it still has more security holes than a tramps vestIn short its no better than XP and uses far more resources to do less
lemonade said: Shame about the last line You should have wrote I use a PC and I am Peter - Some use a Mac they are a MacThat about sums up what apple is to me a status symbol to define people They make good yet extremely overpriced products that people often use to try and elevate themselves through mere purchase to a level of cool I hate capitalism
Library Reader Of Not-the-PCA said: Whilest reading Personal Computer I read with interest how MS are ready to upgrade the you may be a victim of dodgy software nag screen to re-setting your illegal pc to a blank screen every 60minsThe revealing thing is that MS are going to target XP users And still the mugs above blindly believe that Vista is the chosen oneI and the majority like to drive our XP OS with gears unlike the Vista auto dickhead system with the ominous lack of self controlsBy the way did the PCA mag manage cover this story
Anon said: You 20 people who yell like you are 20 million are really starting to get on the nerves of the 200 million Vista-loving PC users out here who would spend more time debating with you but we are too busy enjoying our Vista OS and dont have timeHence this articleAlso 20 vs 200 million lawlz Face it the world and especially the corporate world wisely took a pass on MEista Were the reason Windows 7 is being fast-tracked with less bloat as a stated design goal Aww youre welcome
Babou said: Im a Vista fan too - remarkably few problems with my upgrade My favourite feature is the quiet little message that pops up now and then saying more or less Youve just recovered from a serious system error So much more civilised than the old Blue Screen of Death I do feel though that MS could slow down on the relentless parade of upgrades work solidly on a new OS for say five years and then blow our socks off with it
Carl Wainwright said: Vista bashing is getting old nowand quite frankly its no longer justifiedok it wasnt too good at the start but then again was Windows XP many people seem to forget the correct answer to that question lolif people that already have XP wanna continue using itthen they canHowever its perfectly acceptable now and inevitable within an important industry such as the IT industry that things have got to move forward and that ultimately means that Windows vista is the operating system that will feature on all PCs until Windows 7 is released Some people are just more adaptable to change than others
the free daily rag will work said: but some of you guys obviously choose to use expensive triple sheeted perfumed bog paperAnd as for standing up for Vista - is on the same brain patterns as the women who send love letters and panties to the Rippers in jailToo used to sucking tOStop
Lin E said: What your article and survey tend to forget is that thousands of people like myself when buying a new computer had no choice Vista was preloaded Equally any large organisation was bamboozled into buying the latest technology when in fact it was a turkey and still is
Rascal said: I think its good that someone is standing up for Vista I have had it for months and i like it I do have a very powerful PC though
murphyman said: as the man said go for it or get a mac im happy for the moment with xp ill change when i can afford to but the vista bashing its getting boreing
joseph said: vista is a good OS Ive been on every single Beta and RC release and ive watched it grow Much has changed since the RC days and with the advent of SP1 a lot of things changed for the betterI agree with this article about the Vista bashing More than half of the people who bashes vista never really tried the OS and a quarter of who actually tried it hated microsoft to begin with I just cant wait until Windows 7 is released I just hope that those who shouted Die Vista Die wont be shouting Die Windows 7 Die while using Vista
Gordon said: Excuse me who are you How much did Microsoft pay you to write this then If any operating system remains as bad as Vista 15 months before it is due to be replaced you have to be joking No doubt you were the person that plugged Millenium
Peter Doyle said: I built my own PC a year ago last July and bought an OEM XP Pro from the store I bought my components from I had been using XP Pro since Dec 2001 I love XP it works just fine Im very comfortable with it My hardware likes it I can run BSD under Virtual PC with no bother I can dual boot with Suse Linux no bother at all I am a home user and could not care less about Enterprise-Pitched productivity promises I will continue with things as they are until XP will no longer support my hardware upgrades Vista is not essential in any way to me and it certainly is not cheap
Mark said: All inside PCA Towers including Deba should know that XPVista is still the only recognised game in Blogsal townNice entry Peter but you were rejected a long time ago on the grounds of feverish opportunismCool down MateusRose All in good time
Buzz Off said: Peter Bruzzese I guess buys his mobile phone after considering what OS eg symbian it is runningAnd then Peter the MS apologist reminds me of the fool who agrees with supporting the bankers that lost the nations tampons of dollars and then goes on to ask the ordinary screwed public to re-fund these gangstersMost of us in reality do see Vista as a real Bollocks Cruncher
polymath said: Not on any side of the argument just having a quibble about interpreting the statistics in the articleIT decision makers are usually deciding about what new computers the organisation should buyNowadays new Windows computer of any power VistaThereforeIf these companies prefer Vista its not what OS they buy that proves it You make some good points Mr Bruzzese - dont spoil it with a lapse of logic