January 29, 2007 1:10 PM PST
Newsmaker: With Vista, seeing is believing, says Gates
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While some reviewers have given lukewarm opinions on the new operating system, the Microsoft chairman says that a three- or four-minute demo should convince most people that Vista has much to offer over Windows XP.
Gates sat down with CNET News.com on the eve of Vista's consumer launch, along with the release of Office 2007. In part one of a two-part interview, he responds to the critics, outlines his Vista sales pitch and talks about the potential of a comeback for peer-to-peer computing.
In the second part of the interview, to be published later this week, Gates talks Xbox, Windows Live and whether TV as we know it is outmoded.
Q: You've been waiting for this day for a long time. How important is the launch of these two products (Vista and Office) for Microsoft?
Gates: Windows Vista is the platform that almost the entire industry builds on, whether it is innovative hardware or software applications. Having it out in the marketplace and letting them use that as the foundation for their work, it's very exciting. We've had 5 million people help guide us in this, tell us that it is ready to go. This is our chance to thank them and let everyone else get the benefits of all the work.
Q: I took a look at all the advertising circulars over the weekend as all the PC retailers started trying to advertise Vista. It seemed like there was still a bit of a challenge for them to figure out what to sell. How big a challenge is it to try and explain what Vista is to consumers.
Gates: Well, with software the best thing is always if you can let people have about a three- or four-minute demo. Then they'll really understand why we think this is a big "wow." We talk about how it's easier--that's things like search, and the setup and the user interface. We talk about safer--that's parental control, antiphishing. We talk about better-connected, the simple Wi-Fi capability. More entertaining--that's HD Movie Maker, DirectX 10 games.
I don't think after you've seen it for three or four minutes, you'll say, "Wow, that's the same as XP." You'll see it's quite different. Given that people spend more time on Windows PCs than watching TV now, having that be the best experience possible is worth a lot.
News.com Poll
Q: If you were talking to a friend and you were trying to convince them to upgrade to Vista and they were skeptical, what would you tell them? What things about Vista are the most compelling?
Gates: It would be easiest if I could take them over to my machine and show them how Photo Gallery lets you find and organize things in a better way. I could show them the great graphics capabilities that Windows Vista has unlocked. I'd show them on parental control how I can set the time for my son's work with the PC. Or, for my daughter, how I can look at an activity report and see what kind of Web sites she's going to.
Pretty quickly they'd get a concrete view. For some people, just the fact that it turns on faster, the way we've made that a lot better. Different things will appeal to different people.
Q: Some of the changes with Vista are things that aren't necessarily visible the first time you turn it on. It's things under the hood for developers. What changes in computing do you think Vista will help bring about?
Gates: Things like peer-to-peer. We've got an infrastructure in there. Advanced use of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) so all the applications don't have to go and rebuild those things. I was really impressed seeing how HP had taken their touch screen and made photo-type scenarios really simple. You don't even think you are using software when you select and organize and do a little bit of editing. It's so natural.
See more CNET content tagged:
Bill Gates, Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows PC, chairman, TV
After using Vista beta for sometime, I can say that I am a little disappointed. The software is really only a service pack with a new interface.
I am not a Mac fan boy, but Vista really plays catch up with the Mac OS and poorly at that!
The world will still upgrade because we don't have a choice but this is proof of the lack of competition in the OS market for you.
unlearn a few more, because 3 weeks after you've switched, you'll
be sending Bill Gates hate mail for having wasted so much of your
time.
"Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every
single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be
taken over totally."
There are no (as in Zero) self-replicating exploits on Macs. Gates is
telling "The Big Lie". He's gone off the deep end. It must be tough
to swallow a 5 year, $6 Billion failure.
I though this was the big launch...I guess it's for XP Media.
days away Billy boy. Run and hide.
good it is. I have gotten such a negative image of Windows in
general that I'd pay money not to have to buy one. It's mostly the
same with everyone I know. In my mind, the only reason anyone
tolerates Windows anymore is the fact that they have a monopoly
on the market.
He only reads c/net's reviews because most of the other reviews
that are from stuanch Windows reviewers were either giving up on
Windows and leaving the dark side all together , whilst others were
citing that it was a blatant rip-off of a 2 year old OS this is
certainly not theBIG RAVE REVIEWS
THIS IS WHY GATES IS A BIT SHEEPISH IN GIVING THE REAL TRUTH
As it stands, I agree with those that have described Vista as "lipstick on a pig".
ARTICLE DATE: 01.30.07
By Lance Ulanoff
Microsoft Windows Vista is gonna be with us for a long time. It's a fine operating system, so that's good news. Still, riding shotgun with all of Vista's charms are its many little annoyances. Here are nine that stick in my craw.
1. Who Am I and Who Are You
Windows Vista tries hard to protect us from ourselves. One unintended consequence is that it will sometimes block actions that we purposefully generated?and not even recognize that we selected the option. For example, I decided to try editing a Web page with Microsoft Word (Office 2007) and got a screen that said: "A website wants to open Web content using this program on your computer." Then Vista showed the Office 2007 component and explained that the program will open outside Internet Explorer's Protect Mode. All this would be fine if I weren't the person trying to edit the page.
2. Nested Ability to Change Date and Time
In Windows XP, I can change the date and time by clicking on the time in the System Tray and making changes in the pop-up dialog box. In Vista, I get this really cool clock gadget on my desktop, but clicking its settings icon only brings up a window that lets me change the clock style and set my time zone. That's okay, but when I double-click on the digital clock readout in Vista's System Tray, well, I can't double-click. A single click brings up a calendar and another view of my graphic wall clock gadget. A link in this window offers to let me "Change Date and Time Settings." Unfortunately, clicking on that takes me to yet another window where, you guessed it, I still have to click one more link before I can change the time. And here's the real killer: When I select that option, the User Account Control springs into action, telling me "Windows needs your permission to continue." I select "Continue" and finally, I can set the time and date.
3. Floating Features
I think Microsoft did some great work with the Windows Vista interface (and Microsoft Office's). Aero is truly inspired, but I really don't like how some features float in space. The top of any maximized Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Notepad, and, essentially, any other Vista-compliant app is a borderless black bar that contains the typical Close/Minimize/Restore buttons as well as any app-specific elements. The problem is that my eyes tend to cut off anything in that black bar. This leaves me struggling to access common/basic features. This isn't a big deal, but it's certainly annoying.
4. Little Has Changed Deep Down
This is good and bad. You can always drill down in Vista's settings to find familiar controls, but I have to wonder why confusing divisions among the settings for the Windows Desktop ("Color and Appearance," "Desktop Backgrounds," and "Themes") remain. I wish Microsoft had dropped Themes. Opening any of the options in "Personalize appearance and sounds" opens windows that should be familiar to any Win XP user. So clicking on Display Settings brings up the old-fashioned Monitor control window. This being the window where I control my resolution and color depth, I wish Microsoft had added Available Video RAM and a Recommended Settings button.
5. All Programs Confusion
I'm glad Microsoft simplified the nested, fly-out program folders in the Vista Program directory, which is accessible via the Vista icon menu (I still miss "Start"). Clicking on "All Programs" brings up a list of applications and then app folders. Each of the two lists is in alphabetical order, and the folder list does actually include nested folders. Office 2007, for example, has apps under the main folder and then a subfolder for Microsoft Office Tools. This last folder is filled with apps whose names scroll past the Program list window. There's no way to scroll to the right in this window. What happens if the folders go to a fourth level??next: 6 - 9 >
6. Lack of Serial Support
I have a couple of Wacom digitizing tablets. One, a USB-based Intuos, I usually keep at home, and another, an oldie-but-goodie serial-port?based Digitizer II, I usually use in the office. I've used the Digitizer II with every Windows OS since Windows 95. Now, though the tablet is in perfect working order, Wacom isn't supplying Vista drivers. And Vista doesn't notice that the tablet's there. Are there other serial-based peripherals being put out to pasture by Vista and third-party peripheral manufacturers? Tell me about them in the forums.
7. Driver Prep
This operating system has been under development for half a decade, yet some companies still aren't ready for its release. ATI, for instance, has been providing pretty up-to-date and stable graphics drivers for all of its cards, including the Radeon X700 I have in my HP desktop. Unfortunately, it's left out one very important piece: open GL support. No, it's not something everyone would notice, but Second Life fanatics could be in for a rude awakening if ATI doesn't get its act together. I assume a Catalyst update will be ready right around launch, but still, what the heck took them so long? Again, let's start collecting a list in the forums of components and peripherals without adequate Vista driver support.
8. Questions with No Answers
Vista's Problem Report and Solutions is a great one-stop shopping center for reporting problems, keeping track of bugs, and resolving issues. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have any real answers. Of the three problems I reported?an issue with AutoPlay Media Studio 4.0 runtime, an outdated driver, and one program-incompatibility problem?none have been adequately solved. The box notes that they've all been reported, but no solutions have arrived. This smartly designed interface only makes Microsoft's inability to solve these issues more glaring than it was in Windows XP.
9. Game Switch
Vista's collection of built-in games still leaves something to be desired (I'd say the Purple Palace Cooking Puzzle game is an acquired taste). Still, I'm glad Microsoft kept old faithfuls such as Solitaire?and, wonder of wonders, it finally added chess. That game works as expected, but there is one small annoyance here: No matter which appearance settings I choose, the black pieces still blend into the black squares and pieces behind them, so I can hardly make out which pieces are sitting on which squares. In one instance, for example, I couldn't see a black bishop in front of a black king. So instead of putting the computer opponent's king in check, my queen was taken by a hidden bishop. (Perhaps this will matter only to former Chess Club members.)
JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA
Take your time buying a new computer
Enticing options cross PC-Mac divide
Getting the most out of Windows Vista
Eleven reasons to give Vista a chance
Vista complicates computer purchasing
Some PCs, gizmos with Vista on the way
I praise Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, and I also curse it.
Vista certainly is pretty. PC users long used to the dowdy Windows XP will do a double take at Vista's translucent images and groovy 3D effects. Vista also is crammed with powerful, useful new features, like lightning-fast file searching, photo organizing and movie-DVD burning.
But after waiting five years ? as in half a decade ? for this thing, I think I should get something revolutionary, a PC operating system so astonishing it makes the competition look laughably primitive. The almighty Microsoft made this, right? So Vista ? being released to consumers Tuesday ? has to be jaw-droppingly superior, right?
Well, it's not. Vista hardly rocked my world during weeks of testing. It's a fine Windows upgrade, but it's also a shameless rip-off (and not quite the equal) of another major operating system, Apple Computer's Mac OS X.
That begs the question: Why not just use OS X?
Those upgrading from XP likely will have to get a new computer anyway because Vista doesn't work properly on most older PCs. (See my recent column, "Take your time buying that new computer," for details on this.) So, instead of purchasing a Windows PC, they could ? and typically should ? get an Apple Macintosh computer running OS X.
Apple is about to release an OS X upgrade, nicknamed "Leopard," that will make Vista look archaic in some ways. But Vista does retain the upper hand in certain respects. Here's how the operating systems compare in essential categories:
Appearance. Vista looks amazing. Its windows cast subtle shadows and sport translucent borders, for instance.
But OS X has had eye candy like this for years. Oh, Microsoft throws in a few enhancements. Users can adjust the border translucency, for instance. But Vista is still only an OS X clone ? and a slightly inferior-looking one, at that.
Finding stuff. With so many documents, pictures, video clips, e-mails and the like on today's computers, search is an essential feature. Thank goodness Vista is vastly superior to its XP predecessor in this way. Click the Start button and type your search queries into the window that appears just above. Presto! Your results appear in seconds.
Hmm, does this sound familiar, OS X users? That's right, the Spotlight search engine does the same thing.
Vista helps you keep track of stuff in other ways. If you start getting confused by all the windows that are open on the desktop, click Windows-Tab. Ta-da! Windows tilt slightly and group themselves together in an easy-to-skim Flip 3-D arrangement. That's handy but hardly new. The Exposé feature in OS X does pretty much the same thing.
You also can create intelligent Search Folders that automatically fill with data based on criteria you set. Cool, just like the Smart Folders in OS X.
More secure. Windows XP is notorious for its gaping security holes, which Microsoft has scrambled to plug in Vista. Whether it has succeeded remains to be seen ? hordes of cybervillains will do their darnedest to compromise this version of the market-dominant Windows, as well.
Vista's safeguards do seem impressive, though. You can't install anything on a Vista PC without clicking through confirmation windows, for instance. Seem reasonable? Sure it does ? OS X has boasted this feature for years.
Wid(gad)gets. So-called "widgets" or "gadgets" are everywhere. The miniapplications show weather forecasts, track packages and much, much more. And everyone from the Yahoo and Google search engines and the Opera browser maker to the TypePad and WordPress blogging services offer their own variations.
So do Windows Vista and OS X. Microsoft's gadgets could be called rip-offs of Apple's widgets. But, to be fair, OS X widgets are rip-offs of Konfabulator, a pioneering widget technology now part of Yahoo and dubbed Yahoo Widgets.
A boob tube. By now, you'd surely assume that I'd recommend avoiding Windows PCs like the plague. Far from it. Budget permitting, I'd own both a Mac and a Vista PC ? the latter largely because of its "Media Center" capabilities.
These allow PCs with integrated TV tuners to work as TiVo-like digital-video recorders once connected to cable-TV feeds. I've used a Dell desktop PC with Vista for weeks to record "Heroes," "Jericho," "Smallville" and "Battlestar Galactica," and I'm thrilled at how well this works. While Media Center isn't new (XP versions have been available for years), it has been improved and polished in Vista.
Nothing on the Mac quite compares. You can't get Macs with integrated TV tuners, and TiVo-style features are available only via add-on hardware and software that are inferior to Vista's elegant, built-in Media Center features.
But beware: Microsoft's close ties with entertainment companies are painfully evident in some ways. You won't be allowed to burn certain Media Center recordings (such as PBS' "Prime Suspect") onto blank DVD discs, for instance.
Bonusware. Microsoft has bundled an assortment of useful programs with Vista, which means you won't have as urgent a need to invest in additional software.
Windows Photo Gallery has nice tagging and rating features, for instance. Windows DVD Maker (a companion to the old, scarcely improved Windows Movie Maker) is handy for burning family videos onto blank discs that are playable in any home DVD player.
But these programs are no match for what is available on any new Mac. Every Apple machine has iLife, a suite of interlocking programs for editing video, burning DVDs, organizing photos, composing music and even creating slick Web sites. These make Vista's offerings look insanely inadequate. New PCs do often include extra programs from third parties for enhanced capabilities, but a software hodgepodge doesn't have iLife's tight integration.
Vista also bundles in Windows Calendar, Mail and Contacts, which are rough equivalents of iCal, Apple Mail and Address Book on Macs.
What's next? Apple this spring will release OS X version 10.5 with advanced features that will leapfrog the just-released Vista.
While the new Windows has rudimentary data-backup capabilities, for instance, Leopard will include something called Time Machine that will transparently replicate data on a backup drive and allow for point-and-click retrieval of existing files (and even old versions of those files).
It's also important to note that Apple has offered OS X upgrades at roughly yearly intervals during the half-decade that Microsoft has labored on Vista. Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much.
Bottom line. Get a Mac with OS X unless your home-computer needs are Windows-specific, or if the fine Media Center is a must for you. You likely won't regret a Vista-PC purchase, but I'm betting you'll enjoy a Mac much more.
Julio Ojeda-Zapata covers consumer technology. Reach him at jojeda@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5467. Get more personal tech at yourtechweblog.com and twincities.com.
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(with correct links...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MDNuq94Zg_8&mode=related&search=
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Windows Vista Hinders Creative Users? Efficiency Even More than Windows XP Did
Created: February 26, 2007 - By: Erik Vlietinck
Guess what? Despite Microsoft?s efforts to provide for a more fluid and agreeable interface with Vista?s Aero, Pfeiffer Consulting found Vista to be even worse than Windows XP (SP2) --and of course Mac OS X. Their conclusion is backed with cold, hard research. Pfeiffer Consulting conducted the research based on an independently financed series of benchmarks that establish how Vista impacts User Interface Friction (UIF) and user efficiency.
Pfeiffer Consulting, a Paris/France based international research and consulting operation specialised in technology and media, just recently released a report on Windows Vista User Interface Friction (UIF). UIF is a Pfeiffer concept, which describes and quantifies the perceived differences in efficiency and user experience between operating system, applications, and digital devices. UIF defines the fluidity and productivity that can be observed when performing the same operation on different computer systems, programs or devices.
Pfeiffer Consulting looked for a specific number of issues that it knew under-performed in previous versions of Windows. With Windows Vista, Microsoft claims to have re-invented the Windows interface, making it simpler and more efficient to use. Some Mac users pointed out from the beginning that Aero looked suspiciously close to what Tiger has to offer. With Pfeiffer?s report in mind, their observations seem to miss the point. Even if Microsoft has been playing copycat all over, the results are simply lousy --there?s no other word for it.
The benchmarks run on Vista?s performance were a selection of what Pfeiffer can measure. The results of this new report are therefore nowhere near a complete assessment of the Windows Vista environment where it matters for creative professionals. The first benchmark Pfeiffer measured is Mouse Precision Mouse precision is essential for those who use the mouse to accurately position elements: CAD, graphic design, page layout, web design, etc.
Lack of Precision, Slow Menus and Desktop Operations Rule in Vista/Aero
The lack of precision is detrimental to such work, but can also affect daily tasks on a subliminal level. Pfeiffer says it may go unnoticed for many users, but can have a significant ripple effect in terms of efficiency and computer-related stress. In the area of Mouse Precision, Windows Vista scored worse than Windows XP. Where Mac OS X scored 0.08, Windows XP scored 0.40 and Vista/Aero 0.52. The lack of precision has worsened, but perhaps not by much.
However, other User Interface Friction has worsened by a substantial amount, even when compared to Windows XP. Pfeiffer?s report also covers Menu Latency --the slight lag that Windows imposes when displaying menus and submenus. Here, the report concludes Vista/Aero has worsened by no less than 20% compared to Windows XP.
Finally, Desktop Operations --such as opening folders, deleting elements, etc) also show Vista/Aero has become worse than Windows XP. The lag has increased by 16%.
Pfeiffer Consulting advises to think very carefully before migrating or upgrading to Windows Vista in the creative department. Their benchmarks show that creative professionals will actually become less productive than they would be when using Windows XP. Of course, Mac OS X remains a clear winner in this area. The reasons why that is so is explained in Pfeiffer?s full report on the matter.