Windows Vista: More Work in Progress

The question and answer might seem strange given that Microsoft released Windows Vista gold code in early November and launched the software for businesses on the 30th of that month. I called alarm about six weeks ago that Vista is really a work in progress.

In his blog post, Silver raised similar concerns as Microsoft Watch readers--application compatibility and missing hardware drivers.

"The reality is that Microsoft could not have shipped Vista in November if real people were going to be using it en masse for real things right away," Silver asserted. "With consumers not getting Windows Vista until 30 January 2007, and most businesses just 'kicking its tires' (if that) over the holidays, Microsoft and the Windows ecosystem have an 11-week extension between RTM and actual use."

The real situation, despite any Microsoft prognostications to the contrary, is that Windows Vista released in 2006 in name only. What's that adage about a tree falling in the forest and there being no one to hear?

Silver argues that Microsoft could not have pulled off this sleight of hand without Microsoft Update. "Microsoft is including more than 19,000 [drivers] 'in the box,' but expects to have another 12,000 available via Microsoft Update," he explains. "Some of the drivers available so far are still considered beta, are somewhat unstable or do not support the full feature set of the devices."

As a user, I find Windows Vista to be a fairly stable product, but it feels unfinished because some stuff simply doesn't work or work well with it. For example, over the weekend I purchased a copy of CuteFTP 8 for use with my personal blog. The software properly installed and initially took the registration number, but later failed. The registration process required administrator privileges, which meant using the "Run as Administrator" option to start the program. CuteFTP seems to function fine, but crashes on every exit.

Something else: I'm raw about RAW support. Microsoft made big noise in the summer of 2005 about how Windows Vista would have native file-level RAW support from major camera manufacturers. I've transferred Canon and Nikon RAW files to my Windows Vista PC, but they aren't viewable within Windows Photo Gallery; the RAW filters aren't available yet.

Then there are the strange nuances that are sure to pain some businesses. According to a December Microsoft Knowledge Base article, Windows Vista computers "manufactured by IBM or by Lenovo may take 10 to 20 seconds longer to start than a similar Windows Vista-based computer that is from another manufacturer." Huh? Apparently, Windows Vista's disk optimization feature is not hot-swappable drive compatible.

There is a hotfix for IBM or Lenovo computers that don't use swappable drives. But, c'mon, it's not like the swappable drive is a new invention that Windows Vista couldn't fully support. I wonder if that fix will be available from Microsoft Update.

Yes, much as I like Vista, it feels very much like a work in progress. The list of potential gotchas gets longer every time I look. Microsoft Update is one mechanism for getting stuff compatible with Windows Vista. But how long and at what cost to Microsoft and its partners? If there's a silver lining it may be the good business for the channel, because somebody is going to have advise on this stuff or fix it.

The bigger concern is one of first impressions, which do matter. Buyers shopping for Windows Vista won't be so different from people perusing big-screen TVs at the local Best Buy. Shoppers for that second or third TV are going to be pretty finicky. So will be IT organizations or consumers evaluating a Vista PC against the perfectly adequate Windows XP computer they've already got.

There's still time to fix the problem. But every day that post-holiday IT organizations kick the Vista tires or that Vista's consumer launch draws nearer, opportunity-to-fix erodes.

Silver challenges: "Coupled with the security issues that have already surfaced, Microsoft and the ecosystem need to provide complete and stable driver support by launch, or Windows Vista will have a difficult time overcoming some troublesome first impressions."

Thanks to colleague Ryan Naraine for his contribution to this post.