Usually, work for me consists of helping people with their computer problems, diagnosing hardware and software difficulties, and making things better in general. Perhaps I can give a tidbit of wisdom in dealing with a certain problem, or some new way of accomplishing a task that makes the overall job much easier.

I derive lots of satisfaction from these daily encounters.

After a couple of weeks of dealing with machines that look like they were purposely messed up, underpowered, and using Vista to boot, I feel as though I’m ready for Ward B.

For an operating system that is supposed to make things easier for the average person, it certainly raises the level of annoyance to a din so loud that all else is rendered useless.

The Mickey Mouse cartoon colors, the huge icons (apparently designed for either children or the very aged), the sheer idiocy of UAC, and the molasses-like speed with which even once speedy machines move, all combine to make for a situation that endangers the hair on one’s head and begs for forced tranquilization.

Add to that the wonders of a botched Norton 360 install, and you have all the makings of a bubbling cauldron that would have made the witches of Macbeth proud.

Double, double, toil and trouble……

It once again becomes necessary to ask, ‘Who was on the panel that ok’ ed the design of the interface for Vista?’ To me, the more I look at the garish icons that take up so much screen real estate as to make oversize monitors a necessity, the more I know I will never use Vista until absolutely forced.

The many things about Vista that run contrary to the way things should be…that things should get easier, that computers should get faster, and that as the average user becomes more savvy, the interface should do more with less; all of these push all of my ‘buttons’ the wrong way. I can’t help but say that anyone who LIKES using Vista must be a little bent.

Just yesterday I read, in the blog of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, that Dreamscene causes his quad-core machine to idle at 30% CPU usage (yes, all 4 cores). If this isn’t complete stupidity I don’t know what is.

Tell me I’m wrong. I dare you.

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Tags: vista, microsoft, norton 360, dreamscene, interface design