March 1, 2006

Windows Vista, the next generation Windows operating system, when will it be available, and should I get it?  Well, the answer to the first part of the question is probably by the first quarter of next year.  The reason, the new version of Windows is completely redone. It takes a long time to beta test to make sure the program is ready for prime time.

Personally, I'm glad it has taken a while.  Microsoft was putting out too many updates to Windows, too close together.  The new version will look a lot different, and be vastly improved, particularly in regard to security.

I was skeptical about the release of Windows XP at first. Each time the operating system is upgraded, there are a lot of problems getting everything working properly.  There is always a myriad of problems with hardware and software compatibility with a new operating system. 

The "final beta" of Vista was released to testers a few days ago, so that indicates they are on the downhill trek.  Most of the reviews have been positive, so let's all hope it goes well.

Now, as far as the question as to whether to upgrade, I still maintain my old philosophy of NO.  The reason, the new version is completely new and there will be a lot of issues with people trying to upgrade. We are going to see a lot of hardware compatibility issues, and also a lot of software problems with older programs.

As in the past, I recommend that if you feel you absolutely can't live without the new Windows, buy a new computer so everything works OK, and it is the vendors responsibility to fix any glitches, and at first, there will be some. 

Quite frankly, a lot of the behind the scenes stuff has been a part of the Windows updates to Windows XP.  The new operating system concentrates more on flashy graphics and a lot of stuff that most people won't really care that much about.  It also supports a lot of the newer hardware your computer doesn't have.

You have to remember, a lot of the hyped up stuff is things that Bill Gates thinks we should want, rather than what we really care about. See also my other discussion on upgrading here.

Let's wait and see what happens.  I'll follow up with another discussion on Vista once it is released and had a little time to get the bugs out.

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