Vista - the Fiasco is Complete

Almost any computer user that had an encounter with Vista has some horror stories to tell - from slow computers, to annoying user interface; from driver incompatibility to software problems. Everything goes. The conclusion was clear, even at the very beginning - Vista is a piece of shit.

Now, studies carried out by Gartner and IDC have found that because older software is often incompatible with Vista, many consumers are trying to get used computers with XP installed, rather than buying a new PC with Vista and downgrading. Yes, that's how bad it is - businesses now prefer to buy USED computers, just to avoid Vista.

Even firms like Intel announced XP would remain the dominant OS within the company for the foreseeable future.

This proves (as if we needed more proof) that Vista is a total failure, but it also emphasizes a very important notion - Don't rush into upgrading. There are many cases in which the old version of a software or OS is better and faster. Upgrading doesn't necessarily means you are getting a better product. In fact, in many cases - upgrading is completely not needed, and might even cause problems.

Staying with your current version of a certain software might not only save you some money, but also save you a whole bunch of trouble.

Yet More Proof that Vista is a Piece of Shit

The hell that a simple computer user goes through with Vista is hard to describe. A while back, a friend of mine needed my help - his laptop was sluggish and buggy, although it was a new one. The obvious culprit was Vista. After a long, hard battle, I managed to get his computer to a manageable level.

The troubles didn't end there. He wasn't the only one with Vista problems. Complaints about the new Microsoft junk-OS are all over the place - friends, colleagues, bloggers, surfers - all tell the tale of the Vista Horror Show. My friend and his laptop finally gave up. I "upgraded" him back to XP, and all is well, for now.

And lo and behold - even Microsoft employees can't handle the piece of crap that's Vista. Internal e-mails of Microsoft employees, published online by The New York Times, reveal that corporate vice president for Windows product management Mike Nash, says he "got burned" after purchasing a notebook computer advertised as "Vista Capable" that was actually incapable of running Vista.

Nash wasn't the only one - Microsoft's chief operating officer, Jon Shirley, chose not to install Vista after discovering it was not compatible with his printer and two scanners.

So, even Microsoft can't handle Vista. Why should we, then?

How can you tell for sure that Vista is a failure?

A small item I came across (Thanks to the Mixx Community!) states that Microsoft reports that the counterfeit rate of Vista is half that of XP. Microsoft is basing their statement on Windows Genuine Advantage validation failures, along with other internal data.

Microsoft, of course, attributes this success to the "robust security" of Vista. They are almost claiming that the war on piracy has been won.

I think there must be a different reason as to why Vista is not pirated as Windows XP - it's because Vista is such a terrible OS, that very few actually want to try it out - even as a pirated version. After a very annoying expericnce with Vista a while ago, I wouldn't install this horrible thing on a computer of mine, even if Bill Gates himself offers it to me for free.

There are more and more options out there to those who want a good operating system - a lot of them are free or close to it. If you insist on a Microsoft product, my advice to you is the rule of thumb I always give: Never install a new Microsoft product. Wait AT LEAST two years for most of the bugs to die. And even then - reconsider.