Kitsimons

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Let's cut to the chase; it is pointless to wade into a debate extolling the virtues of Mac OS X over Windows Vista (or vice-versa). At the end of the day, the two Operating Systems match up pretty squarely with regards to features and functionality. Quite simply, in my line of work (web design), there's nothing you can get done in one OS that you couldn't get done in the other.

I hate Windows Vista not because of its features, nor because it is a Microsoft product, nor because I am an irrational Macintosh fan-boy. The reason I hate Windows Vista is because it makes my life more difficult than it needs to be.

At every turn I am confronted by minor glitches, awkward processes, nagging dialog boxes and other unnecessary annoyances. In isolation these minor foibles are harmless, however, experienced as a whole they are quite insanely frustrating.

For the Prosecution

I present for you now a collection of the more common issues I encounter using Windows Vista on a daily basis.

A brief disclaimer before we start; I'm running Windows Vista Business Edition on an Intel Core 2 system clocking at 2.13GHz with 2GB memory, which earns a Windows Experience score of 5.0 out of 5.9. While there may be 3rd-party software that could help alleviate some of my gripes, I'm stuck with Vista out-of-the-box due to corporate IT policy.

Vista's Long-Winded Processes

Many tasks can only be accomplished by wading through a sea of menus and dialog boxes. The one which I most commonly encounter is the removal of a USB flash-drive.

On Mac OS X, this task is accomplished by dragging the mounted drive's icon to the trash, or by selecting the drive and hitting Command + E.

On Windows Vista, the process of removing a flash-drive requires no less than 8 separate mouse clicks;

• Right-click the drive's icon on the system tray
• Select the Safely remove hardware option
• Select the drive in the dialog that appears
• Click Stop (why you Stop a drive when you want to remove it is a mystery to me)
• Select the drive in the new dialog that appears
• Click OK
• Click OK in the prompt that appears informing you it is now safe to remove the drive
• Click Close to close the Safely Remove Hardware dialog

Of particular annoyance in this drawn out affair is the prompt that steals focus from the desktop informing me it is safe to remove the device; such a dialog should only be presented if there is a problem or an important action to be taken.

Windows Vista, just like its forebears, insists on telling me that Everything is just fine - click OK to continue.

Windows That Don't Remember View Settings

This malady afflicts one particular folder I have a shortcut to on my desktop. No matter how many times I set it to the Details view, it only remembers my selection for a matter of hours before reverting to the Large Thumbnails view.

This is particularly infuriating as it is a case of Vista not behaving as it should, rather than my merely disliking Vista's natural behaviour.

Random Error Requiring a System Restart #1

Not enough memory to quit? Surely the system should ring-fence any memory required for such processes?

When these errors crop up, merely logging out and in again will not suffice - oh no, a full system restart is apparently required to free up memory.

Which leads us on to...

Poor Memory Management

I loathed this aspect of Windows XP and Windows Vista seems to fare little better. Over the course of a working day, performance gradually slows to a snails pace.

Closing applications does not release all the memory that was in use, meaning at least one system restart is required per day simply to restore my dual-core 2GB beef-cake to its former glory.

Windows Defender

Just f**k off will you.

Random Error Requiring a System Restart #2

This often happens a few hours into a session; double clicking to open a file in Windows Explorer results in the message;

Windows cannot find ---filename--- Make sure you typed the name correctly and then try again.

But... the file is right there... I just clicked it...

The Bitter End

Well, if you managed to read this far I applaud you - that was a bit of a rant, but it always helps to let off steam.

I want to enjoy my work - as part of that I need a tool that doesn't get in the way any more than it has to, and doesn't make my life more difficult than it needs to be. Windows Vista does get in the way and does make my life more difficult; as such I hate using it.

I'm still waiting to hear if my request for a Mac will come to pass...