The reasons that I actually like Windows Vista

Windows Vista, to date no operating system has generated such hype or controversy. The vast majority of the features that were promised in the original spec sheet of Windows Vista were either massively cut-back or removed altogether. There have been many, many incompatibility issues with it and older software, not to mention older devices.

All of that said, I actually like Windows Vista. It seems as if I am the only person on the planet that does, but it’s true.

The reasons, you might ask? Media Center and the Aero interface. That’s it. Seriously.

I’ll start with the Windows Media Center. This is far and away the best feature of Windows Vista. I’ve had a TV tuner in my computer for some time, and because I run dual monitors always found it convenient to have some apps open on my secondary screen as well as a TV window. This was all well and good, but I was stuck watching live TV and all of the commercials, etc that go along with it. I’ve never been a huge TV addict, but there are programs I make a point to watch regularly. (I don’t care how nerdy it is, the new Battlestar Galactica is the best show of all time)

With Media Center I can just make my computer perform exactly like a TiVo and have it record all of my favorite programs for me. It automatically downloads the program guide from the internet (a free service, mind you, unlike many other TiVo-like software packages include) and then records the series that I’ve already selected. Because of Vista’s new way of rendering the desktop using the video card everything runs very smoothly; even if I am doing other processor-intensive tasks.

Comparable products to Media Center are SnapStream’s Beyond TV, Cyberlink’s PowerCinema, and Intervideo’s WinDVR. All of these were OK with PowerCinema being my favorite of the bunch. Windows Media Center trumps them all. It’s performance has been better, it eats up less CPU, and there’s less lag time between a live video feed and the DVR-style portion that you’re actually watching. (The live TV is actually encoded to a video file, and you’re really watching that video file at the same time it’s being created, this is why you’re able to rewind and such) WMC was good in Windows Media Center Edition, but it’s even better in Windows Vista. Sadly, in typical Microsoft style, Windows Media Center is available only in Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate.

Now for the Aero interface: It’s slick, looks nice, and with my latest nVidia 8800 GTS video drivers it runs as smooth as silk. The first revision nVidia Vista drivers produced some artifacts every so often, especially when the security prompts would pop up, but all of those issues have long since been fixed.

So, over all, I like Vista. That said, I’m not fooled for a second into thinking this is anything more than Windows XP with a facelift and cranked up hyper-sensitive security. The continual “Are you sure you want to do this, dumbass?” prompts get old in a hurry. Now I’m sure I’ll be grateful when the time comes that I actually want to prevent a program from doing something. That has yet to happen.

If you’re considering making the “upgrade” to Windows Vista  then I would highly suggest that you make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. Vista isn’t some holy-grail of an OS like MS’s PR people would have you believe. It has some solid features that I’d miss if I had to switch back to XP, but I am completely convinced that I’d live. If your computer hardware is in any way lacking, then I definitely recommend that you hold off on the OS change until you build/buy a new computer. I like Vista because it runs fine on my system. On a lesser one it would be a nightmare.

Until next time: Good night, and good luck.