The Manifold Failings of Microsoft Vista

In early 2008, Microsoft launched Vista, the much anticipated successor to XP, to a mixed and ultimately financially disappointing reaction. The system was hyped particularly on its updated graphical interface and improved security features, but (while the graphics are quite pretty,) attention soon turned to the many problems that plagued newly-upgraded users. This article, from the UK Guardian, captures some of the initial security and environmental concerns brought up around launch time.

As more users adopted the new operating system, so came more reports of various bugs, security flaws, and other problems. To be fair, with the adoption of any new software there are likely to be some kinks to work out, but the swiftness with which Vista’s first service pack had to be released would indicate a lack of quality control on Microsoft’s part. With users running into problems with simple tasks such as deleting, copying and pasting, as reported here in the Register, an online IT magazine. To give some other examples, users had trouble uninstalling programs (as evidenced by the user in this thread on the Microsoft support forums), and users with Vista-equipped laptops found that their battery life was poor at best, as reported by ZDnet here. Reports generally professed a marked preference for Windows XP, to the point where a petition was organized imploring Microsoft to continue selling copies of XP well past their intended stop date. Companies such as Dell recognized this, and resumed offering XP on their prepackaged PCs and laptops.

Understandably, a launch wrought with all of these issues did not build consumer confidence, and Vista subsequently had a difficult time convincing users to adopt Vista as their new operating system. Microsoft quickly put out the first service pack for the software, which unfortunately was similarly wrought with issues, and locked many users out of their own computers. The Seattle PI’s Microsoft blog posted examples of Microsoft employees expressing their own dismay with the product’s lack of drivers and support. The software was even listed as number 10 in CNET’s Top Ten Terrible Tech Products of 2007.

A recent ad campaign has Jerry Seinfeld acting in a series of mostly irrelevant non-sequitor commercials for Vista, in an apparent attempt to distance themselves from the poor publicity they have received to this point. At this point in time, the company is known to be working on the next iteration of Windows, at the moment just dubbed Windows 7. Hopefully, like Windows ME in the late 90s, its successor will be a better, more stable, and more well received product.

David A. Karp has actually published a book on this topic, entitled Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks. This book not only details a number of specific complaints about the operating system, but also offers potential workarounds and solutions, and has generally favorable reviews. It is available here on Amazon.com.

I have not had much personal experience with Vista, outside of having used a friend’s Vista PC to look something up quickly over his house. As we will be switching to Vista in the near future when we receive new work PCs, I took the opportunity last fall to attend a one-session class on it, so that I would have at least some familiarity with it when the time comes. This session cemented my resolve not to pick up this operating system any time soon: after questioning the presenter on several topics, I was able to determine that my household’s current networking set up, as well as my desktop PC (one of its hard drives does not have a compatible RPM), would not be operable under Vista.