After my rant on the reports of the 32-bit version of Vista not supporting HD media. I thought it might be a good time for me to state some of the other areas where I feel Vista has failed to impress. I really do think there is not a strong enough set of reasons for one to move from Windows XP to Windows Vista.
1. Features which never made the cut
Windows Vista was going to include a completely rewritten file system, based on SQL Server, this file system is know as WinFS. First, the file system was downgraded so that it would simply run on top of the NTFS file system that Windows XP uses. Later WinFS was dropped from Vista, only to be reported to be back in, before being dropped for good. WinFS is supposed to appear after the release of Vista possibly as a Windows Update, or part of a Service Pack. Sadly it will also be available for Windows XP, so there is no need to move to Vista for this.
Secondly, the Virtual Folders feature was supposed to be a significant move away from the drive letter-based file systems we use on Windows XP, and earlier versions of Windows. This looked to be another great feature of Vista, but, again, they were subject to a name change to Stored Searches to remove the confusion with the name and the built-in virtual folders were scrapped and rebuilt with a more downplayed version. Whether they actually will exist in the final version is unsure. Supposedly this feature was too difficult for the average user to understand and use effectively, why Microsoft did not decide to simply make it a Pro, or Ultimate feature, we will never know.
Oh and lets not forget the absence of the Texas Hold-em game, Virtual PC Express, Media Center support for the Xbox 360 Media Center Extender, automatic hard disk defragmentation, themed slide-shows, Windows Movie Maker HD, et al.
2. Performance
The whole new UI, called Aero Glass, which offers rotating folders and transparent menus is a massive power hog. I know when I move to Vista, as we all will have to one day, that this feature will be turned off straight from the start. It's hardly surprising when you see Vista's recommended hardware requirements that the operating system is a power hog:
Processor: 1 GHz
Ram: 1 GB
GPU: DirectX 9 capable GPU with Hardware Pixel Shader v2.0 and WDDM Driver support and 128 MB RAM needed for up to 1280x1024 resolution. (258 MB for higher)
Numerous systems out today don't have a graphics card capable to showing above 1280x1024 resolution; Dell might as well put their 19 inch monitors, and bigger, back into the storage room.
3. No push towards 64-bit Computing
Lets face it, the only way 64-bit computing is going to become mainstream is if the next version of Windows either: forces 64-bit upon us, or offers a greater feature set if we use the 64-bit version. Sadly, Vista offers neither. I had hope with the news that HD media was only going to work under the 64-bit version, but sadly that rumour was squashed. So now Vista offers nothing for those who opt to use the 64-bit version, which means driver support will remain as poor as it is for those who use Windows XP 64-bit; well, perhaps, it might improve somewhat.
4. No killer features
Vista really does not offer a feature that makes users want to use it; apart from DirectX 10, which is only a concern to gamers. The upgrades in security do not really help users if they know what they are doing. A seasoned user of Windows XP will install a good firewall, anti-virus (heck, many are free these days), anti-malware program, password the administrator account, Firefox, and maybe even Spyware Blaster for the ultimate in browser safety. Unless, the user does something really stupid, their computer will be perfectly safe.
5. Universal Account Proctection
Vista has a new security feature called Universal Account Protection, which is supposed to be a great security improvement. I say, it is a great annoyance. It must be the most irritating feature of a copy of Windows ever -- yes, that includes ME's instability (if you want to call it a feature.) Universal Account Protection brings up so many warning dialogs, you will encounter one for every damn task you do on Vista. Install a program? Warning dialog! Run a program? Warning dialog! Delete something? Warning dialog! Get the picture? It is so annoying that most people running beta versions simply turn it off, what a great improvement to security it is then! If nothing is done it will be just as bad as the "messenger" pop-ups when XP first came out.
