Vista For You, XP For Me

To be honest, I have not followed the news on Windows Vista with the same anticipation that I did with Windows XP. Now in some way, I suppose that is because I have not really heard anything yet that is giving me reason to ‘get excited’ about the next release of Windows. At first pass, I would want to blame this on the company or perhaps even the OS itself. But when I stop to think about it, what more do I really want from an OS considering what software and Web apps already provide me?

The realization above brings me to a disturbing thought: Why upgrade when Vista is released? For me personally, I suppose it might offer the promise of better security. Then again, I am not really that paranoid about it in the first place! Yes, each OS has its flaws. Yet, I am not experiencing the ongoing boogyman that is always being described to me by the headlines of the day. And if I feel this way, how do you think ‘Ma and Pa’ computer user likely feel? Exactly. They couldn’t care less, even if some of us think they should.

So it is with that thought, I believe Microsoft ought to come up with Windows ‘Leave Me Alone Because My Old OS Is Just Dandy’ Edition. Now, this edition should have some obvious improvements of course. Improvements such as being able to have the security of a limited user, yet not being forced to switch to an admin account for each new software install. Think ‘Run As’ command on steroids. Also, just bundle a good antivirus with the OS. Heck, you can even charge a subscription fee if needed. Simple, fully automatic, and not something that requires much interaction on the user’s part.

Now to be brutally fair, I have almost no idea what MS has in store with Vista. Since things have changed off and on a number of times now, I lost interest pretty fast and have since moved on to stuff that proved to be more entertaining. If it, at the very least, implements something, that means that my customers have a reason to switch, such as the two features mentioned above. Well then, it would be at that point that I’d say an OS upgrade would make sense for everyone.

Folks, as cool as the new Vista features will undoubtedly be, I have not been bombarded with the targeted ads needed to get me excited about making changes to my current setup. Perhaps once the OS has been out for 12-14 months I will go ahead and make the move. But until then, I am just not feeling the Vista magic.