Windows Vista Thoughts

by Marco Chiappetta — Thursday, June 29, 2006, 03:00 PM EDT

Kyle from [H] just sent over a link to a new editorial with his thoughts regarding Windows Vista. He uses feedback from readers and one of his editors to convey some different viewpoints, some positive and some not so positive.

I think the delays and features ripped from Vista over its extended development cycle, coupled with the fact that Windows XP SP2 is Microsoft's best OS to date, has dulled some of Vista's initial luster. But having used a couple of recent builds of the OS myself, I can honestly say I'm looking forward to its release. Unlike some people, I like the fact that the Aero interface uses the GPU to accelerate its effects, instead of leaving the most complex chip in my system idle unless I'm running a game. And all of the new features and gadgets, while evolutionary, are still welcome in my book.

It seems to me that some analysts think Vista has to be an otherworldly, revolutionary operating system for them to consider it a successful effort. I disagree. If Vista hits, and its fast, stable, and reliable. And if it enables new features and enhances my daily computing experience, I'm all for it. By all accounts, Vista is going to be more secure, it will certainly offer more features than XP, and unlike alternative operating systems, Vista will run the vast majority of software currently available. Now, if MS delivers, and the shipping version of Vista is stable and more streamlined than the Beta builds, is the average consumer going to be disappointed? Probably not.

"Whether or not this new operating system really is Vista or just Windows XP SP3, there are some not-so-visible underlying talents Vista has that you will not likely want to be without, at least as soon as 64-bit and DX10 games and applications show up. The fact of the matter is that Vista's true value cannot be shown until there are games and applications to take advantage of 64-bit computing and DX10."

Tags: Wind, Vista, Windows Vista, Windows, DOW, Win, thoughts, window, WS

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com