Personalization

Or should I say lack there of. Microsoft seems to have taken the position that the user is the problem. While there is some truth to this, I hate to see Windows, already a fairly inflexible system, get even more so. Microsoft begins its battle against personalization in your very mind. No longer is it My Computer, My Desktop, or My Music. Now it is simply Computer, Desktop and Music. They then proceed to strip customization out of the new start menu. Internet Explorer has lost much of its configurability as well. By getting rid of choice, Microsoft seems to be dumbing down the operating system and for most users this may work out fine, but that does not mean that I or other long time users will enjoy it.


Odds & Ends

Microsoft has thrown in a new little calendar application for those people who, heaven forbid, do not use the full version of Outlook.


Little calendar application 

Speaking of Outlook, the Vista build currently ships with Outlook Express 6, the same version included in Windows XP SP2. I would be quite surprised if this didn't get at least a superficial upgrade before Vista ships next year.


Outlook

While this is biggest change in the user interface since Windows 95, it is thoroughly underwhelming. I tried to like it; the out of focus background through the transparent windows looks pretty artsy after all, but I just can't. It is clunky and gets in my way. Don't get me wrong, I do like the Glass theme (sucker for black), but many of the other changes are frustrating at best. There is still hope however, as this is far from the final design of Windows Vista.

Check back in a week (Friday Octorber 28th) for Part 2 of this preview where we will get the low down on the current performance of Vista, compatibility with key applications, and a look at some of the more technical aspects of Microsoft's latest attempt secure control over the world.


Bonus Rant

A lot of pundits (and honest, well thought-out, serious journalists like myself) have given Bill Gates & Co. a tough time over the years for their staggering lack of innovation. While their only competitor on the consumer front, Steve Jobs, has been adding new and clever features to OS X every 18 months or so, Microsoft has been content to sit on Windows XP for what seems like an eternity. Some would claim that they've lost their edge or that they need some time to copy everyone else's features, but the issue is a bit more complicated. Microsoft makes a lot of money selling, or preferably, licensing software to business of all sizes. If Microsoft came out with new versions of their operating systems at the same pace that Apple has, companies would revolt. There are still major organizations using Windows 2000, and for good reason. The amount of time and man power required to upgrade 300,000 computers is unimaginable, even if it could be heavily automated. Plus all the custom software and web applications that each company uses need to be tested and likely tweaked. While I hate to support Microsoft in general and I certainly don't make excuses for them, the truth is that longer production cycles and evolutionary design is likely to become the norm without too many tears being shed.