VISTA, FACTS OVERMINED....

After the much anticipated release of “the safest version of Windows ever”, Windows Vista, both business and home users alike --were amazed by the striking similarities between the Windows desktop client and Apple’s Mac OS X. And what followed corroborated that this was not a mere concurrence.

1GHz 32bit(x86) or 64bit(X64) processor, minimum 1GB RAM, DirectX 9 supported WDDM driver graphics card with at least a graphics memory of 256MB --if you ever fancy playing games. And not to mention the demanding system memory speed of 1800meg per second. In short, be ready to get your system up-upgraded and ruin yourself.

WHAT VISTA OFFERS:

Aero, the much touted 3D user interface experience with translucent icons,looks cool, but it cannot be the reason to invest so large in Vista for home users. The business and tech-savvy users who are interested in how-stuffs-work cannot be impressed by such flashy appearances. Vista will reduce to Windows Vista Basic mode, without Aero, unless you get an advanced graphics card installed.

Another concerning aspect for all users is regarding security. Vista was released as the most secure Windows ever with features like Windows Defender, anti-spam and phishing filters and Parental Controls. Vista is first OS that the Redmond giant released assuming that it would be attacked. Vista boasts of not wanting any antivirus applications; with its built-in facilities like Automatic backups, Performance Self-Tuning, and built-in diagnostics that help you keep your data protected and your PC running smoothly. The claim was thwarted with the detection of bugs in Vista, immediately after its release. A serious error was discovered in Internet Explorer 7 which will be of aid to hackers. Windows admitted these security threats but still claimed the OS to be the most secure OS one can get.


Connecting to various networks is a key capability in today's OSes. Vista’s Network Center makes it effortless not only to create secure ad hoc wireless networks, multiple networks and wireless peripherals, but manage network connections in a resourceful way. Then again, all OSes in the market does all of these and Vista offers nothing to give it an edge over others. The Unix based Linux OS clearly have an upperhand over all operating systems since it was primarily developed for multiuser and multitasking capabilities and over the years it has proved its merit.

Internet Explorer has got a major version change since the release of IE 6.0 in 2001--thanks to the phenomenal incarnation of the Open Source lad Firefox, is now the integrated browser with Vista. . Vista has an Opt-in block for ActiveX and Firefox does not authenticate ActiveX at all. As far as security is concerned, Firefox uses Google’s database to inform you of sites of suspected forgery and has anti-phishing features as well. And for your kind information, IE7 is competing with the previous version, Firefox 2.0, of the Mozilla Foundation and according to its media release the latest version of the browser, Firefox 3.0, is due towards the end of this year.

The backup facilities of Windows has changed little in the past decade, when the Secondary data storage technology explored new grounds. On the event of a catastrophic virus infection or failed software installation, system restores these copies thereby protecting your valuable data. To be loud and clear, you will get a multitude of softwares that equips you with the same facilities for your XP system and these features are built-in for UNIX-based systems.

Vista claims to protect kids online through its centralized Parental Controls that permits to set browsing controls and thereby restricting access to inappropriate sites. You are aware that even XP has a Parental Control feature and that how ineffective it is in its purpose. The enhanced version in Vista too; relies on websites, forums and personal websites to implement the proprietary tags and rating systems. If you want real protection look for free/open source applications such as CensorNet that are actively developed by those with an incentive to do so, the same people who use them!

The Windows Collaboration module uses peer-to-peer technology to let Vista users work together in a shared workspace. You can form informal workgroups and jointly work on documents, present applications and share viruses too.

Whether you like it or not, Gates &Co will withdraw the XP version of Windows within two years. You can either commence the process of switching over to Vista or plunge into the world of Open Source .