Their has been a great deal of fuss lately over Vista’s features,against that of another certain OS.. What I find amusing is that people are even taking the time to notice features when it fails a basic test of stability.

Let me give you some background history of my short experience with Windows Vista just to lay to rest any doubt. I bought Windows Vista to put on a new computer I had just finished building, first problem I had was with the nVidia 8800 video card. (Oh I’m not alone, check out this page on Wikipedia, yes a actual Wiki page listing the compatibility problems with the OS. )

Also check out this video by Chris regarding the matter.

This right away raised a brow, I managed to get it working with a quick solution but the point is I should not of had to in the first place. This aside, I pressed on and decided to tempt fate with a Logitec QuickCam Express, expecting it to work soon as I connected it via USB..It worked like this on Windows XP, why expect anything different with Vista right?? Ohhh boy sorry it can’t be that simple.

A webcam however, does not grant this wonderful pile of steaming vomit its title thou… Oh no no, just a problem with a Plug and Play device does not make for a bad operating system, everything was rather old. (Certainly not the video card but still.. Lets pretend shall we?)

So I connect the newest piece of hardware I have which so happened to be my fax/copier from HP, normally its never connected to a PC but I wanted to see just how bad this OS would be. I connected it, again I expected a pop up notice and it to start downloading the drivers and get up and running JUST like it did when I tested it on my XP for a point of reference. Nooo, it pops up and does ask for the driver, I put in the driver disk and patiently wait for the drivers to install.

I thought maybe, just maybe it is a valid OS worth my time and money, so I load vista again. Whats this? It pops up a error on the machine that says “Trouble Communicating To The Computer.” I’m like what?? I shut it off, thinking ok well maybe it has to be reset too, and it worked for all of two minutes before popping up this new lovely gem. (No Computer Connection.) So it was at least seeing the computer, and now its not? Hmm, think I’m alone here? ( All these people can’t be wrong )

Chris also touched on this too!

Now what was my point? Why am I rehashing what everyone under the sun has said? It all goes back to determining a stable OS. Here are some key rules for you to heed when you are trying out ANY new OS.

Rules:

1. Plug and play devices work correctly (If it did not find my simple camera what other devices may it not find?)
2. Hardware is reliable, it works (In Vista reliability seems to be relative, it will work and fail at apparently random times. This is NOT a good thing.)
3. New devices certified to work, do function. ( Many certified for vista do not. This means you cant even trust things labeled as compatible.)
4. Ask a friend there opinion on the product, do your research. (Oh by the way, my friend who recommended the software has changed his mind and said and I quote. “I’m so sorry I wish you had waited at least another few weeks before buying it, I just went back to XP I could not get it to run our Xeroxing machine. ( You mean you had these problems Lets not even get into the networking.) This brings me to rule five.
5. Its ability to work with commercial equipment.

When some one says “I expect all business’s to be on the Vista platform by 2009“, I can only chuckle as I point out the fallowing business based products that do not function with Vista without trouble shooting, NOTE its yet another Wikipedia page…

So what do you think?, are you going to trust a company that can’t even put in basic support for hardware and software that was used on their LAST OS? When other manufacturers which I shall not name, support not only hardware and software from their previous OS, but even further back?

If you do, then the choice is indeed yours, but just do the research before you drool.

Wow:

1. (an exclamation of surprise, wonder, pleasure, or the like): Wow! Look at that!
–verb (used with object)
2. to gain an enthusiastic response from; thrill.
–noun
3. an extraordinary success: His act is a real wow.
4. excitement, interest, great pleasure, or the like: a car that will add some wow to your life.

Tags: windows, vista, driver, problem, video, nvidia, printer, web, cam, chris, theboredtech, thegnomelocker