Vista... the WOW! effect?

So, another news-flash for the ones hiding behind a rock or something; Windows Vista is out. 5 Years in the making, $3bn development cost, the biggest operating system advertising campaign since Windows 95, supposedly the safest Windows ever (I hate how they always claim this just to be ridiculed very soon) and kewl new graphics...

Riiiiight. Why am I not impressed? Is it the fact that the most cutting edge feature, the Aero graphics system, has been around in Macs and Linux for a long time? Is it because only 15% of the world's computers can run this Aero system?Is it the fact that if you don't have the "approved" hardware, Vista will downgrade the quality of Bluray and HD-DVD of the movies you legally buy? Is it because everyone has to validate their copy with Microsoft and if they change something hardware-wise they would have to validate again? Is it because Microsoft will force this very expensive upgrade ($100 for the useless version up to $400 for the best) to everyone so that it remains the huge company it is? Or is it maybe because --- except for gaming --- has probably nothing to give to the Windows XP user? Actually, there are some interesting legal and liberty issues, as raised by the BBC.

Here's Bill selling his new brainchild in one of his many efforts to make this very hyped product a "must-have".



I've recently removed Ubuntu from my laptop and only have Windows XP. I could get the update from my college for free but I won't. I will keep my Ubuntu-style Windows XP for now, until and if I buy a new PC.