So what now is the general view of Windows Vista after a month or so in the real world?

After scouring various sites and outlets, the comments in the Wall Street Journal by Walter S. Mossberg struck me as closest to reality :

“Vista is much prettier than previous versions of Windows. Its icons look better, windows have translucent borders, and items in the taskbar and in folders can display little previews of what they contain. Security is supposedly vastly better …”

However, it’s not as radical as once promised :

“After months of testing Vista on multiple computers, new and old, I believe it is the best version of Windows that Microsoft has produced. However, while navigation has been improved, Vista isn’t a breakthrough in ease of use. Overall, it works pretty much the same way as Windows XP. Windows hasn’t been given nearly as radical an overhaul as Microsoft just applied to its other big product, Office.”

We know of course that much of the new engine was removed in the panic-fuelled rewrite of the code in 2004, especially in the file handling department. Also :

“There are some big downsides to this new version of Windows. To get the full benefits of Vista, especially the new look and user interface, which is called Aero, you will need a hefty new computer, or a hefty one that you purchased fairly recently.”

So, a bit disappointing and still slightly out of reach for most folk in the market for a new computer.

We hear that the first System Pack upgrade is just around the corner. Same old, same old from Microsoft it seems.