One day after the release of Microsoft’s 6 billion dollar operating system and there already reports from UK’s PC Advisor of the Windows Vista DRM being cracked by a canadian kernel developer.
On the eve of the Windows Vista launch numerous retailers opened their doors at midnight to sell it. Very few consumers decided to show up for the event. The excitement and hoopla surrounding the launch seems to have disappeared.
The Dallas Morning News and numerous other sources are reporting the luke warm response to the official Vista launch.
Upgrading to Windows Vista
Unless you’re running Windows 2000 or Windows XP you won’t be able to install upgrade versions of Windows Vista Home Basic, Premium and Starter Edition will not install on any PC unless Windows XP or Windows 2000 is already on the machine. Microsoft knowledge base article #930985 (kb930985) details upgrade installation key issues.
Vista’s EULA: Possible deletion of programs without user consent
Check the fine print on the EULA (end user license agreement) when you go to install or use Windows Vista. An article in the Toronto Star covers a few of the highlights from the EULA such as extensive provisions that grant Microsoft the right to regularly check the legitimacy, possibly deleting certain programs without a user’s knowledge, the right to revalidate the software or require the user to reactivate if they make changes to computer components.
A copy of the Microsoft Software License terms (in .PDF format) for Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate can be found on the Microsoft site.
Vista update patches already released
The day before the official consumer release of Windows Vista, 6 updates were released to patch the new operating system. This isn’t new and not particularly bothersome, let alone unexpected. Information about the updates can be found at ActiveWin.com. Any time you introduce a completely rewritten operating system it’s inevitable that you’re going to have some sort of bugs or problems to be worked out.
Vista compatibility issues
Other articles are appearing from several sources about the way Windows Vista is handling online games. YubaNet.com has an article about Microsoft Vista failing 70 million online gamers and developers. It seems Vista isn’t compatible with AOL, MSN, Yahoo and Real Arcade games among others. The update mentioned above is supposed to correct the problem.
Some good news is that some of the major security companies have now released versions of their software that is compatible with Vista.
Tech Republic has a good article detailing 10 reasons you should upgrade to Windows Vista and 10 reasons you shouldn’t.
If for some reason anyone is thinking about upgrading now, make sure you run the Windows Vista upgrade advisor first. There have been several reports of hardware issues with numerous computers due to the under-reported hefty requirements of the new operating system.
It appears that it will take some time for one of the most expensive operating systems in history becomes accepted among the masses.
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