Just for the Record

There's been a lot of nose thumbing at Windows Vista these past few days. Since it shipped in late January, I've heard folks on blogs, gaming sites, and in person (yeah, I still get out now and then) talk smack about the new operating system. Some of this no doubt has to do with people's knee-jerk disdain for Windows—although I've never quite understood that tendency, since Bill Gates does great things as a billionaire and Windows is as "fair" a company as Apple.

I've kept quiet as I've listened to people call Vista "buggy," "worthless," and "unsafe." I've kept quiet mostly because I wasn't using Vista—even though the reviews I read weren't echoing the concerns these people had. Sure, Vista isn't perfect. It will take at least a year for the first service pack to be developed—ironing out whatever wrinkles remain. There are bound to be bugs (but "buggy" is something different). And yes, the new operating system demands lots of RAM (at least 1 GB, although 2 is better).

Now that I've received my new desktop system and am elbow deep in Vista, I can speak up about my experiences first hand. And I'm happy to report that not only have I had a totally smooth transition to Windows Vista—with not a single peripheral, software, or hardware conflict—but the new operating system is functioning beautifully. Vista is smooth, sophisticated, and is a vast improvement over XP.

At this point I should share that my new desktop is a muscular Dell XPS system which includes a clean install of Vista—that is, it was not an upgrade from XP. I should also point out that my system contains a gargantuan amount of RAM (at 4 GB), a powerful nVidia graphics card, and a competent Intel Core 2 Duo processor. My system certainly allows Vista to perform at its best, but it cannot correct for bugs, bad design, or poor driver integration.

Which is why, just for the record, I want to report that Vista is a lovely operating system—though it requires a real investment in system resources (you should not try to run Vista with less than a full Gigabyte of RAM, or with anything inferior to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor)—that will quickly become the new standard. It is safe (so far it seems hyper sensitively so), it is completely backwards compatible (I've even installed a 16-bit program originally designed for Windows 95 without even a hiccup), and the new search functions, directory organization, windows management system, and Aero design all work together beautifully. Not to mention the soon to be enjoyed benefits of DirectX 10 and the added ability of the video card to utilize system RAM instead of being limited to its native memory (my copy of Civ IV: Warlords runs like a dream!)

So while I wait for the Vista bashing fad to blow over (much as I waited for the XP bashing fad to die down), I'll be quietly enjoying my version of this well engineered operating system.

Just for the record, I thought you might like to know.