Be Very Afraid: Windows is Coming!

According to a CNN report, Microsoft says Vista is Done.

Is this really something to crow about?

According to what I hear and read so far about Vista, it still retains the "registry" which means that the inevitable cycle of formatting and re-installing everything on the computer will continue since the registry is, in my opinion, one of the weakest link in *any* Windows release since Windows 9x. As users install and uninstall application, the registry becomes bloated and the end-result is an unstable computing environment.

In terms of compatibility, Vista will still have to work with thousands of existing software. That means that some of the security woes of the previous versions will most likely be retained. It is a well-known fact that from Windows 9x to Windows XP, it is virtually impossible to install and, sometimes, run programs without having full administrative permission on the system. If that is the case, then the current problems with spyware, adware and other malware will continue on.

Lastly, there are still some debate on how Microsoft will implement their "Windows Genuine Advantage" scheme on Vista. According to the grapevine, Vista will stop running applications (both native and 3rd party) once it determines that the running copy is "pirated". Vista will. allegedly, just allow a user to use the browser for one hour before shutting itself down if it indeed determines that it is not a "genuine" copy. Another issue is that Vista will apparently only allow itself to be transferred *once*. If a user needs to upgrade his machine more than two times, we'll have to buy a new copy for the 3rd upgrade. Details are still sketchy about this but what's been being discussed in Windows-centric forums are indeed disturbing.

In the article I cited, Microsoft says Vista is "done" but the question is, are the users ready for this operating system?