Windows Vista

I bought a new laptop over the weekend (woohoo) . Its nothing too exciting, just a more modern version of my "work" (eg. grown up) laptop. It has all the usual improvements: faster processor, more RAM (after I added it in), and a bright new widescreen display (thank god for widescreen).

It also has Windows Vista. If you've been listening to the tech babble over the last year or so, you've probably been left with the idea that Vista is going to ruin your life: destroying your credit rating, ending long-term personal relationships, and bringing the wrath of the federal government down upon you.

Well, my experience was a little different. I will preface this by saying that I've only had my laptop for 48 hours, so I may discover new delightful "insights" about Vista as I go. Having said that I have to say I kind of like the fact that Vista gives the user new ways to organize content. The various menus and submenus of the "Start" button no longer sprawl across the page. It has built in support for widgets meaning I don't necessarily jave to have Google Desktop installed. The folder system presents a lo of information on the page without overwhelming me (someone used to digesting a lot of information at once, granted).

Everything looks slick and is fun to use. The old windows sound effects are gone in favor of ones that are less jarring and irritating. The "my pictures" folder does a good job of letting the user get an idea of what's in the folder.

Vista does require some more computing muscle than XP, which is irksome, but not too much. The base version of Vista really doesn't ask much of a system. The appearant speed of my new computer isn't that much faster as a result of the higher requirements for Vista, but it does run better, crashing altogether with far less frequency.

Well, thats all for now. As I learn things of note I'll share.