I am probably the only developer that has this opinion but I think Vista is counter productive.

1. The horrible security prompts when doing anything. I would rather have malware than to have all the prompts.

2. The file dialogs which are more friendly for non-developers but the defaults are counter productive for developers. Thank God for Directory Opus.

3. The new start menu where you have to type again like in the old dos days.

4. Vista crashes all the time with my laptop when there is a windows update.

5. Vista doesn't play very nice with Windows XP workgroups and file sharing.

Don't get me started about Office 2007.

I'm no fan of Vista, but I can live with it. If that is the kind of reaction MS wants from their clients, then they should be satisfied.
My real bile and venom is reserved for MS Office 2007. I've had to deal with it for several months now, so please nobody give me that "get used to it and you'll like it" argument.
It's horrible.
I've been developing with MS Access for more than 10 years, but I won't do so any more. Access 2007 is unusable.
I've been using MS Word for 10 years, but I recently switched over to Open Office because it is SO much easier and does everything need it to do. Even complex document formatting with style inheritance is easier with Open Office than with MS Word.

Greg, I'm sorry you feel this way. I need to specifically address your points though.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I am not trying to change yours, if that is truly how you feel. But I want to answer your concerns for the others that will read this.

1) Yes, there are security prompts when you install software in Vista. But that is FAR LESS intrusive than the malware/spyware/virus that you could inherit. To suggest that you'd prefer a compromised, slow machine to a built-in security check just seems silly.

2) Operating systems are not created with developers specifically in mind. That's why there are options for just about everything. Being disappointed about the "defaults" for file dialogs isn't really a fair criticism, is it?

3) I'm not sure what you mean by "I have to type" in the Start Menu. You can "choose to type" in the Start Menu, and find your programs and files very quickly, or you can use the XP pop-out menu style navigation, where you look through a sea of icons. It's up to you what you prefer. A good operating system gives it's users choice in everything from appearance to behavior. Vista fits that bill exactly.

As for points 4 & 5, I don't have specific feedback. Sometimes computers crash. And Vista isn't XP. They're not 100% compatible. There are ways to work around those compatibilities, but it's more likely that the way you want to work with XP is just not the way Vista wants to work with XP. That doesn't mean they don't work together. I would be glad to sit down with you and work through this if you'd like.

As for Office 2007...ask your peers. Those people who have used Office 2007 for a little while greatly appreciate the changes that were made. The key word there is change. Just because it "used to be that way" doesn't mean that it "should have been" that way. I personally think that the Ribbon in Office 2007 is a wonderful thing. It provides me with so much visibility into what I can do...many features of which I didn't know existed. But you have to be open to changing the way you do things to see that. Try it. I think if you approach it with an open mind, you'll be surprised.

Bruce,

I'm just curious...what makes OpenOffice easier? That's a tough term for me to understand.

And what makes Office 2007 so difficult?

Now that I'm finally on a machine where this little demo will load...effin' hilarious!

I'm not a Vista hater, in fact I kind of like it. The "type in" option on the start menu is much nicer than the hunt and dig method on XP. Or, installing a third party app to do the same. Granted, I still install those apps because I've come to love them, but out of the box Vista's search feature is one of it's highlights.

I did listen to a sys-admin go on and on about hating Vista the other day. As a developer, it's pretty much a standard rule that ALL users will resist change. In this case, we're the users...these comments illustrate that the rule even rings true with developers. :)

Why didn't they use Silverlight for this little advert? =P

Jeff, I watched the Mojave trailer in the link you posted. What struck me, as I listened to all the interviewees gasp and awe and the operating system they were seeing, is that none of them were actually USING it. Not one second of that clip shows any of these people with their hands on a keyboard or a mouse. They are simply being impressed but what is being demoed for them, but it is non-intuitive nature of Vista (and MS Office), and the difficulty finding out how to do what you want to do that is the basic problem.

What do I like about Open Office? It has a predictable and learnable menu system, above all. Unlike the MS Office, the command I need are always in the same place, every time, and most can be accessed in more than one way. With Vista, the Ribbon contents changes as I work, and that means the navigation path I need to traverse to get to the features that I want changes as I work. Incredibly frustrating when what I want is to concentrate on my document rather than rummaging around in the interface. And then, some features can't be found in the Ribbon. Some are found by right-clicking. Some are in that wierd little button in the corner. I've even found some features by right-clicking the title-bar.

Then, there is the unpredictable behavior. About a month ago I needed to prepare a complex document that involved multiple-styles, a custom paper size, graphics, and a variety of column styles. I struggled with this for several HOURS (at least 4) trying to set up the document formatting the way I needed it. But every time I started typing or making a change, the formatting would get screwed up again.

Out of frustration, I tried setting up the same document in Open Office. I am not kidding or exagerating when I tell you that I had the document ready in just 15 minutes. Changing the styles later on was easy, and it behaved exactly the way I expected it to. When I was done, I set up a dynamic contents page in just a few minutes.

Have you tried Open Office? You can't look at those apps without realizing they are a SERIOUS competitor for Microsoft.

Microsoft can continue throwing glitz and gloss into their products to impress noob users while ignoring the needs of the power users at its own peril. Their refusal to allow existing users the option of a standard menu interface was nothing short of a slap in the face to all the people who have used their products for the last 10 years. I really found that decision offensive.
--blindman

Looks like the "mojave" site is too cool to use silverlight.

Nice little experiment… it’s actually quite amazing how Microsoft has plunged into such an apologetic position with vista, for no good reason really. I’m guessing that Microsoft’s business rivals must have put a lot of PR money into shifting the public’s opinion against it. Otherwise I simply can not understand the resentment.

Follower. Baaahhh. ;-)

It goes to show, you shouldn't trust what you read and see on the internet.... So in theory you shouldn't believe this site either.

Being a person that has a beef with a number of things coming out with Microsoft, criticism is something I'm not shy about.

That being said, I think whining about the new version of office is rather lame. I can't find any reasons to dislike it--unless a person is just anti-change (in which case no upgrade would do). In fact, I like it significantly better than the older version. Many of the new features I'm finding extremely useful--specifically the new stuff to help with formatting (the default themes rock!)..

Greg, to be fair, the UAC prompts are SUPPOSED to be annoying you so that you'll nag whoever wrote the software you're using to stop assuming you have God rights on your box. Every time you get an elevation prompt it's because someone either

1) couldn't think of a better way to solve a problem.
2) was too lazy to do something the right way.

or very rarely

3) Really really has to do something admin-level.

This last one is definitely the minority case, though.

Jeff,

Everyone that knows me, knows that I am silly. What I would like to see for Vista SPx is:

1. A desktop option to turn on and off UAC. After all; we are developing. Most of the time I don't want UAC at all. When I am testing my software, I sure do want it; since I don't want to accidentally nag the end user. Yes I am silly, I would really want malware instead of UAC.

2. The start menu bar to look like Windows XP when in classic mode, not like Windows 2000.

3. An option to revert the file dialogs to Windows XP style. Right now, the file dialogs are so bad I am thinking about wiping out Vista on my laptop and installing XP. I could then run Vista in a Virtual Machine so I can test my software on Vista.

4. In Access 2007, the ability to digitally sign databases without having to first publish them.

5. In Access 2007, correct the add in menu. Right now it just looks silly with the ribbon.

6. Work with Dell to correct the windows update crashing problem.

Just to share my experience with Word 2007.... I have used it to write a senior design paper (120 pages) with very complex features/styling with great success. 2007 saved me countless hours. I'm sorry you can't adapt

Anybody else find it histerical that the http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/ page was developed in Flash and not Silverlight? Vista will go the way of ME...for those who ever remember ME..lol.

E

Well, only this morning I reformatted my work Vista laptop and is as I type this, I'm re-installing windows XP so that I can work how I want to, with the applications that I need to (good job I have an understanding IT dept to allow it!).

I think that's all I need to say on this one. Actions speak louder than words, and my actions are to revert back.

Andy

"Just to share my experience with Word 2007.... I have used it to write a senior design paper (120 pages) with very complex features/styling with great success. 2007 saved me countless hours. I'm sorry you can't adapt"
Saved you countless hours compared to what? Compared to pencil and paper? That is a meaningless statement unless you tell us what other applications you tried to use.
I'm sorry you didn't write your paper in Open Office. Based on my experience it would have saved your countless MORE hours.

I find the filename of the HTML page to be humorous...

After watching the "why is it faster" skeptic my XP work laptop threw a BSOD for the first time in 18 months.... the "Vista Virus" is spreading! ;)

I hate vista because this is the first operating system where I felt and continuously feel my computer does not belong to me, it does not feel private nor secure.

Numerous folders created by me, inaccessible except by occasional work-around. All the updates, those accepted by me and those shoved on my system my microsoft without saying anything to me, which alter settings, etc.

I've been around since trash-80 and managed just fine, even enjoyed reading manuals front to back and customizing. But hear me, I HATE VISTA it is like Hal in the machine. Microsoft you went too far and have alienated me to the point of considering joining my husband and all the other Mac users on the other side. I absolutely this this os is a pos!!!