Vista In View

Well, the next in the line of Windows operating systems, Vista, is set to release to the general populace next Tuesday, January 30th. I’ve heard that Windows Vista is the most anticipated and talked about OS ever and according to Microsoft it will revolutionize the way we use our computers. Despite all the buzz, I wonder how many people will actually run out and buy it immediately, especially given the fact that many of it’s touted features are available as free downloads to incorporate the functionality into Windows XP. Those programs unclude: Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, and a desktop search utility. Many of Vista’s improvements are behind the scenes but in terms of user experience Vista does have a sleek new desktop interface and Start menu and some cool performance enhancers. One is called Superfetch which actually keeps track of often used programs and preloads them. Another cool feature is ReadyBoost which lets you plug in a flash drive to supplement system memory. While Vista has some cool features, it is still a bit buggy and I’ll probably not adopt it at least until the first service pack comes out. Since I was involved in the Beta testing, I received an invitation to a pre-release celebration on January 29th. Apparently this will be a major event at the Best Buy in Bellevue with DJs, special offers and NFL player appearances. Perhaps I’ll stop by to get my picture taken with Shaun Alexander! Wonder if he’ll buy Vista while he’s there!!