“I love technology… Always and forever….” Really, I do my best to keep up with the fastest hardware, newest software and latest technology news. Sadly, it’s too expensive to stay on the cutting edge, but I do try. I currently have one Mac mini, one Linux, one Vista, and an XP machine. The Mac OS is cool – no doubt about it – but it doesn’t have some of the software I use regularly. It’s been a while since I’ve tried Linux, so I recently installed Ubuntu on a low-end netbook. The Linux runs very well with only 512MB of RAM and is a decent, stable OS. My main machine is an aging Dell XPS 600 running Windows XP. I use this machine most of the time, but I also have a newer Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop, which came with Windows Vista.
Typically, I’d be an early adapter to a new OS. I’m not one of those older users who doesn’t like change and doesn’t want to learn a new way of doing things. I enjoy learning new programs and better ways to get things done. But I just can’t warm to Windows Vista. I usually learn new software just by using it, but Vista is not very intuitive. One frustrating example: Networking is supposed to be easier with Vista, but where is the home network set up wizard? So many people have asked me to help them network new computers. It’s easy to connect to the internet, but creating a home network is confusing. Try as I have, I still find Windows XP all around easier to use. I really tried to convert, but I’m about ready to reformat the drive and install Windows XP on my Inspiron.
I think Vista will go down in history alongside Windows ME as another step backward for Microsoft.
