Vista looks nice

I've been thinking about buying Windows Vista. I feel like a guy at an AA meeting there, "Hi, my names Dom and I use Windows." I'm torn between the burgeoning geek who feels that the use of Microsoft products is some kind of betrayal of a nerd fraternity and the gamer who knows that there's no such thing as a Mac/Linux gamer.

So, anyway, Vista looks nice. There's not too much more to say about it really. It's pretty hard to get excited about 'improvements' in Microsoft 'security' so there's not much left to wow over. I would like to start using a 64bit OS as I have 4 gig of RAM in my system and know I'm not using all of it but since that couldn't motivate me to installing XP-64 (despite being given a legit copy) it's not about to be a decision maker here.


Vista looks nice though. It feels like that shouldn't mean anything but it's pretty important. Windows was an ugly beast to begin with and it wasn't until I installed Win 95 (all 13 floppies of it) that I could be persuaded to leave DOS behind. Win 95 looked nice, it felt like you were using a smart computer, it gave you an impression that computers were indeed heading towards the truly useful beasts we were promised by TV. XP was also kinda sold on it's looks but frankly the appeal passed me by and I've always run XP in classic mode.

But Vista really does look nice. Yeah, that's probably all I want it for. I'm being seduced by slick black bars and glassy panels. By '3D' stacking of windows and application previews on alt-tabbing. It looks nice to use. It looks like a modern and slightly futuristic computer should look like. It looks like it will compliment my slick black box of powerful parts and my two slick TFT monitors. It looks like it'll make me feel more powerful, more in control, more...


Looks just like a Mac though, doesn't it? I dunno, I know macs have always been prettier but that's never tempted me to want to buy one. Macs are for people who value form over function, for artists who have only ever used Macs through design school cos Macs used to be better for graphics ten years ago. Macs are for people who have more money than desire to play with wires and PCBs. Do I care if Vista Aero looks like Mac Aqua. Not at all, just at long as I don't have to spray my system white and pay twice as much for it I don't mind at all.

It is expensive though. You can get a basic version but since it lacks most of the eye candy (glass effects). You'd be better customising XP to have black bars and a swooshie desktop background. So if you want a real Vista, the one that's being marketed at you, you have to pay more, much more. Cost verses candy.

I'm gonna be thinking this one through for a while now, maybe there'll be a stable version out by the time I make up my mind.

Wikipedia article