Vista Reviews from PC Magazine and PC World

We have attached excerpts from 2 of the better articles available about Microsoft’s new operating system.

PC Magazine

November 30, 2006 - “The first things you notice about Windows Vista are the glitzy bells and whistles, but these aren't the essentials that will woo businesses. Organizations, especially large ones, have always been Microsoft's most important customers, and Vista is full of offerings aimed at them…

What's certain about working with Vista is that it's very different from previous versions of Windows; it has perhaps the biggest interface changes since Windows 95. It will require significant retraining of users and of IT personnel.

Yes, you can build a secure network and secure desktops with Windows XP if you work at it and administer it properly. But with Vista, making your systems more secure is a lot easier, even as you run into new issues in the process…

The most interesting new tool in Vista is Windows Meeting Space, which seems at first glance like a version of Groove, the virtual office program Microsoft bought when it hired its author, Ray Ozzie. WMS is a pale shadow of Groove and will pose no market threat to it (Groove 2007 is currently in beta). Still, WMS will be worth evaluating for many organizations…

With WMS, you can set up a meeting and invite others (up to ten participants) either through e-mail, by sharing an invitation file, or by browsing and joining meetings on the local network. We found setup very easy. In a meeting, you can chat, share documents, and share desktop applications. Indeed, application sharing is the only apparent advantage WMS has over an instant messaging program. Vista Home Basic users cannot start a new meeting…

Vista also comes with an integrated desktop search feature. There were questions raised several times during Vista's development about what level of system search the operating system should provide, and it does provide less than what was originally planned. Nevertheless, desktop search is implemented well…

Vista will likely save your butt one day with its Previous Versions feature, borrowed from Windows Server 2003. Vista automatically creates "shadow copies" of file changes, reserving (by default) 15 percent of disk space for this purpose. If you mess up a file and need access to an earlier version, you can right-click on the file or folder and select Restore Previous Versions…

We agree with what seems to be the consensus among observers: Vista has many compelling advantages over previous versions of Windows, especially in the area of security. Security has been a focus for Microsoft over the last several years, as well one of the most headline-grabbing of all computing problems, and the new features in this area may cause many businesses to upgrade just to get them.

Windows Vista is a better business operating system, all things considered. For many organizations, this release will prove to have been worth the long wait. But businesses need to evaluate thoroughly, plan rigorously, and move carefully as they transition from older versions to Vista. In many cases, this isn't going to happen overnight, and, as always, up-front planning will make a very big difference. Expect a long adoption cycle, especially since much business software will take some time to work properly in Vista. But businesses should welcome this new OS and never look back.

PC World

November 22, 2006 – “Windows Vista is a clear winner. It's beautiful, sports much-improved security, offers superb networking capabilities...and maybe most of all, it's just plain fun to use. That's not to say it's perfect--far from it. Some may view the new interface as little more than fluff or be turned off by the intrusive User Account Control feature….

The Look
The moment Windows Vista starts, some of its biggest changes are in plain view: It is distinctive and eye-catching. Colors are subtler and the overall look less cartoonish than Windows XP's.

Dare I say it's Mac-like? In fact, it is. Microsoft has always stolen from the best. Key to a lot of what's new in Vista is the much-anticipated Aero interface--but to use it, you'll need adequate hardware and one of the pricier versions of the OS.
Within Aero, screen windows maximize and minimize with a kind of visual "swoosh." The - command for switching between open windows now invokes Windows Flip, which displays thumbnails of open windows. Flip 3D (-) ups the ante, stacking windows so that you can flip through them like playing cards.

Some may say this is mere eye candy that won't affect your real productivity. Maybe so. But it makes life at the keyboard fun again. And for my money, that's right up there with productivity.
Two other notable new interface elements are the Sidebar and Live Thumbnails. Hover your mouse over a minimized window on the taskbar, and a thumbnail pops up with its contents, plus the program and document name or Web site.

I'm particularly fond of the Sidebar gadgets, interactive applets that display information--RSS feeds, stock tickers, clocks, weather, and so on. Vista ships with about a dozen of them; there are more online. While similar to Google Desktop Gadgets or Yahoo Widgets, they're actually more like the Mac's Gadgets in that they're built directly into the operating system and so may use its underlying architecture. For example, one gadget displays RSS news feeds you've subscribed to using Internet Explorer 7's RSS Reader…

New, Annoying Virtual Nanny
User Account Control (UAC) has riled more Windows Vista testers than all other features combined. UAC prompts you to type in a password or click OK before taking certain actions--for example, turning the Windows Firewall on or off, adding or removing user accounts, or even running some applications. You sometimes get a warning: A small shield appears next to links or options that will summon the UAC prompt if clicked.

What's the point of this annoying virtual nanny? First, it protects against malware running unchecked. If your PC gets infected and the malware attempts to perform a dangerous action such as turning off your antivirus program or the firewall, UAC will stop it cold. Second, UAC can protect you against yourself, keeping you from making changes that could harm your computer.

That's all well and good, but Microsoft has gone overboard with this protection. Why should you get a UAC prompt when you try to change Windows' font size, or your PC's name? Because of UAC, using Vista can at times become a herky-jerky kind of experience, with so many annoying pop-ups coming at you that you want to scream "Stop!"

In fact, you can stop the prompts by turning off UAC entirely. Go to Control Panel, User Accounts and Family Safety, User Accounts, click the Turn User Account Control on or off link, and you'll send that nanny into the virtual ether.

Of course, if you do turn off UAC, then you have no one but yourself to blame if a piece of malware does get in and take over your system.

Networking
Up to now, Microsoft had never done a stellar job of integrating networking capabilities into Windows. Just try synchronizing Offline Folders in Windows XP, for example--I dare you.

Windows Vista, however, presents your network as a natural extension of your PC. The OS helps you configure a network, share files, manage multiple networks, and more--all with a minimum of fuss. Vista supports all the usual network technologies, including ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

The new Network and Sharing Center puts network tools and information right at hand. Click View Full Map, for example, and you'll see a diagram showing all PCs and devices on your network, including printers, switches, and gateways. Click or hover over a device icon to get more details, such as IP and MAC addresses.

Vista handles wireless network connections deftly: Simply click the network icon in the system tray, click Connect or disconnect, and you'll see a list of nearby wireless networks. Hover your cursor over any one to see details such as Wi-Fi type (802.11b or g, say) and security protocol, if any.

Vista saves settings for networks you use frequently so you can automatically connect to them when you're in range. You can even specify which take precedence if more than one is available.

Not all networking features are hunky-dory. Windows Meeting Space is supposed to let you hold virtual meetings over an ad-hoc network--but has a well-nigh worthless chat module, no voice capabilities, and no whiteboard tools. Doesn't sound like any virtual meeting I want to attend.

The Sync Center, designed to help you sync files and folders between networked PCs and devices, is a bit of a mess as well. If you want to do anything other than perform basic syncs, you may throw up your hands and walk away.

180 View – We have read that the research group Gartner claims some 58 percent of new PC shipments in 2007 will include Windows Vista, and also estimate that Vista will be running on less than 10 percent of PCs in the installed base by the end of 2007. That figure is expected to rise to 29 percent in 2008, 50 percent in 2009 and 67 percent by the end of 2010. The reason for the delayed acceptance is mostly because of the hardware requirements. Check out http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx to see the hardware requirements and to see an analysis of the differences between the 4 Vista editions (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate).