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CNET included Vista in the Top Ten Terrible Tech Products, but mentioned close to no reasons why this product really sucks. I have to live with it since one week and it is enough to make me redefine the very notion of hell.

Vista is not only synonyme with hell! Vista is a product that is not only a downgrade to everything Windows (yes, Windows did have some good parts and achieved a lot during the years), but it is even incompatible with many Microsoft hardware, makes usability a pain and it often crushes without any aparent reason. It’s marriage with Symantec’s Norton doesn’t make it any safer, it’s eye candy design is needless and confusing.Vista is a product that eats up time and energy and brings really nothing of value in the life of the ordinary users.

Of course, there are already loud voices against this Microsoft product. „Downgrade from Windows XP“ reads on so many web pages.

Buying a new PC that has Vista installed was the worst move I’ve done in years. I own an Acer. I was always happy with Acer’s performance – I have been working on Acer PCs for a while, but I always relied on Dell for notebooks. I am really amazed that the president of my favorite PC brand, Gianfranco Lanci, who said: “PC makers are really not counting on Vista to drive high demands for the industry.” still keeps Vista on the PCs his company sells. If the PC makers know that Vista sucks, why are they still installing it on their machines?

Honestly, I was wonderig why Dell sells PCs and notebooks that have Ubuntu installed. Now I know. And I have to join the chorus of the anti-fans.

5 Reasons Why Vista Sucks – A Personal Perspective

1. My old printer would not work properly with Vista – an HP inkjet 1400 series. The status message shows me documents „being printed“ but the printer remains inert sometimes. After I restart the PC and hit the print button again it works. Now what would you call that? Improper installation of the software? Yes, you will come with this answer. Well, I thought the same. Uninstalled HP and reinstalled it paying close attention to all possible issues. Nothing changed. The solution? Get a new printer, Vista compatible.
2. My old web camera would not work. A logitech quickcam. I have no idea whether other users experienced the same issues, but I can tell you this is a pain. My family and friends can no longer see me, bye bye video captures and so on. After a short research the other day I found out that I am not the only one. Apparently there are some tricks to make the camera work, but I was unable to master them. Hey, I am a writer, not a techie. Solution? Get a new web cam, Vista compatible.
3. No one I know can open .doc files created in Vista. .doc files for God’s sake! Why would any company create something that is not compatible with any other existing system? I can only think of one reason: to force all Window users actually buy Vista or Word 2007. But I cannot play this game and my duty is to deliver to my clients documents they can open. Solution? Buy Word 2003. It will work on Vista.
4. Speaking of Word 2007 – it’s a nightmare to work with it. The whole interface is changed. I mainly have to guess how to „save as“ and where to find simple things like the spell check. There is only a „fast print“ button I can see (well, I am still trying to find my way and I would really appreciate any advice – even a tutorial for that matter) – so I need to forget about custom print options. Besides, in 3 months Word 2007 – preinstalled as a free trial – will expire. Solution? Buy Word 2007, Vista compatible.
5. Everything I ever knew about Windows has changed, not only Word. The start menu – pretty to look at – is really confusing. I basically need to guess on what to click next. Removing software is not easy either. It took me a few minutes to figure out that to see the „change, uninstall“ commands I have to click the right mouse button. Vista is eating up a lot of my valuable time with this learning process. Solution? Go back to XP or learn!

Not All Negative

It must be the holiday season, but I decided to make this entry less negative by adding 5 things I actually like about Vista.

1. Vista stimulates your mind. If you are really bored, with nothing else better to do in your time, get a new PC with Vista installed and try to figure out how it works.
2. Vista is pretty to look at. Kudos to the designers. The Aero design is so cool and even the effects are fantastic. Plus that I can change the colors of the windows easily. Talking about Vista makeup!
3. I don’t really like PC games, but when I look at the revamped classics in Vista I feel a „calling“ to play. And I love minesweeper.
4. Although I cannot hear a thing (yes, the speakers are plugged into the correct plug and no, I am not deaf) I think that having audio control for each application is a nice move.
5. I simply love the right sidebar with its pretty clock, the calender and the random images. I don’t understand why I needed to have that on my desktop, but now that it is there it really doesn’t bother me. I only wonder: did Vista really needed mascara to look more appealing?