Windows Vista is Launching as Is

Alexander from InformationWeek says that the biggest surprise for Windows Vista launching on November 30 is that there are no surprises. He contends that there have been noticeable changes in speed but overall the earlier versions of Vista up to the latest one have been almost the same which gives him assurances that Microsoft is already working on things that would make Vista stable rather than the look and feel.

That makes sense because in normal software development lifecycles, usability is the least touched down the road. Usability requirements are almost Iron Clad and the background stuffs are the ones that get the most time and attention. This validates that Windows Vista has reached the released stage. In an excerpt of Alexander’s post:

Performance and Utility:

Vista appears faster and smoother than the RC2 version I examined in October and definitely performs better than July’s Beta 2.

On the downside, saving large files remains slow. In terms of security, the User Account Controls continue to be idiotically intrusive. Microsoft still seems to be reading from the Transportation Security Administration’s playbook. Do I really need to go through an extra “permission” dialog box to view my monitor’s device properties?

The only other big gripe I have is that for an operating system chock-full of accessories, Microsoft has done a strangely passive job of highlighting all the embedded features. Even the Media Center and Photo Gallery are pinned to the Start menu rather than pushed onto the default desktop. I recommend at initial startup a dialog box that invites users to get all these key features configured before passing “go.”

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