Okay, so I have been using Windows Vista for just over 2 weeks now, and i am pretty satisfied. I have run into some issues with program compatibility that have irked me a bit…

Macromedia Fireworks 8, for example, is not compatible with the visual styles of Windows Vista. When I open Fireworks, windows reverts back to the standard, boring, not-pretty look to accomodate for Fireworks. This is a great idea, however on a few occasions, Windows has had some difficulty returning to it’s normal state when I close Fireworks. I have had to manually end and restart Explorer.exe a few times because of this.

Also, I am happy with the speed at which Windows Vista can boot when hibernated, however it takes a god-awful amount of time to go into hibernate, and unlike Windows XP, there is no bar telling you how far along it is. You get a blank screen. This is a bit unnerving to say the least.

There are also a lot of little things that they have changed that have gotten my attention. Stuff that I’ve been waiting for for a very long time. For example, instant and automatic setup of dual monitors. If the computer is on, and you want a second monitor, you plug it in. Windows automagically detects your monitor and it’s resolution (provided it is a standard resolution), and sets it up. It asks you which side of your primary screen you would like your secondary screen to be, and then it’s done. From that point on, it never asks again for that monitor. Pretty impressive.

Windows Media Center, although not a feature i really cared about when I decided to get Windows Vista, is also much improved from XP Media Center Edition. Although the interface is different and takes some getting used to, it is much more streamlined and smoother than the previous MCE. It is definitely aimed at ease-of-use and a true Media Center environment.

Another thing that I am pretty happy with is the visual styles. Now all you Mac users want to say Microsoft stole the idea from Apple, but I have used both, and they are nothing alike. If you want the truth, all of this transparency and pretty transitions business was actually available first to Linux users, not Mac users. Anyway, what impresses me most about the visual effects is that no matter how mush stuff I’ve got going on (and trust me, I usually have a lot of stuff open. Like, all of Macromedia Studio 8, most of Adobe CS2, most of Microsoft Office 2007, Firefox2, IE7, Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 for IE6 testing, iTunes 7, a background virus scanner, two messengers, the Windows Sidebar, Filezilla, and anywhere from 5-20 local and network folders), it all seems to work seemlessly. Not once have I had to wait for a visual effect to happen or dealt with choppy or jumpy transitions. Now, this is partially due to the fact that Windows Vista depends on the graphics processor for this instead of the CPU (which previous versions of Windows depended on).

All in all, Windows Vista is a good thing. It has broken free of my prediction that it would be a repeat of Windows Me (Millennium Edition).

I retract my previous statement about Windows Vista sucking. The only problems I have had have been software compatibility, which will fix themselves with time.

If I have to make a suggestion though, go with Vista Ultimate. Home does not give you administrative features and Business does not give you Windows Media Center. Ultimate costs a little more but it will be well worth the extra few bucks.

I do, however, have a few more statements regarding Apple and iTunes. Last week they released iTunes 7.1.1.5. It claims to work “with most 32-bit versions of Windows Vista.” I downloaded and installed it, and it seemed to work fine, although about every third time I start it, it comes up and says it needs to repair itself, then after about 45 seconds I am back on track. Unfortunately, twice now has it ceased working completely, to the point that I have had to uninstall it, restart the computer and reinstall it. That’s not cool.

I am running Vista Home Premium (probably the most common version of Windows Vista) on a Dual-Core HP dv9000. This seems to be a pretty standard set up when compared to the current market.

Steve… are you listening?