I would just like to commend Microsoft in the way Windows Updates are done. It is simplistic and very easy to use, and Vista automatically updates itself overnight if an Internet connection is present. Most of the time you will not even realise that this is even happening until you check your windows update history and see a gigantic list of downloaded updates. Most critical updates are automatically ‘pushed’ onto your OS, while things like hardware driver updates instead are not installed automatically. Given that Vista has been out for a solid two months now with hardly any serious security issues being highlighted on the Internet, I am very confident that Microsoft can have updates ready within 24hrs if the need is urgent.
So far, using Windows Vista has been an experience I had been already expecting. I knew what I was getting into installing this OS so early and moving away from Windows XP, but lately it is a move that I am starting to question. Two months down the road I am getting tired of eagerly awaiting fully functional drivers/software for my TV card, which seem to be taking an age. Even when they do arrive, they will be beta versions and prone to falling over. Of course users went through the same motions when Windows 2000 and XP first shipped too, but it still stands that some driver vendors have had a great deal of time to tinker with Vista long before it shipped and have shown little to the users as a result.
I am pleased by the performance I have seen on my new PC. Granted it’s quite a powerful machine, but then again this is a new OS and its demands from hardware were no different to the ‘high demands’ that XP once imposed on Windows 98 and Windows 2000 users. Vista was built to utilise multi-core systems effectively and it shows because Vista is incredibly smooth on my home PC and on my 1GB work machine too, which are both dual core machines. How Vista performs on single core PC’s though, I have no idea. In a years time multicore PC’s will be very common anyway.
The whole Vista experience however is ruined by the distinct lack of good drivers and software for various hardware devices. The driver vendors aren’t entirely at fault here as Microsoft have re-written the way drivers are handled, and the way they access the OS, so it will take time for Vista to really settle in and begin to have an effect on the market.
As I mentioned earlier, I have recently found myself tempted to return to XP. Having three crashes in a row upon playing Command & Conquer 3 for the first 10 minutes didn’t inspire confidence but Vista feels a lot more complete and finished compared to XP, not to mention the speed difference between the two. Going back to XP would be like returning to Windows 2000 for me. Even though I sometimes wish I were on XP, I know that I could benefit more by sticking to Vista. After all, Service Pack 1 is on the way.