Vista at one year: Progress and painWindows upgrade fuels revenue and frustrations

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | 1-30-2008 | Todd Bishop

[XR7]

Microsoft released Windows Vista to the world one year ago with ads likening the new PC operating system to such awe-inspiring moments as the first American spaceflight and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Charles Walling just wants it to work with his printer.

The retired Seattle warehouseman has spent hours on the Dell tech support line, installed all the drivers and, yes, double-checked all the cords and plugs. No luck. The cause of the problem isn't clear, but Walling knows one thing: The same printer worked with Windows Vista's predecessor, Windows XP.

"You can see the frustration," Walling said this week, sitting at his desk after Windows Vista displayed an error message in response to an attempt to print.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates recently called Windows Vista the "best new product of the year." The company says more than 100 million copies of the operating system have been licensed since it became available. Outside experts say Windows Vista is a major advance in security, and some users say their experience has been smooth.

But a year after its glitzy retail launch, Windows Vista has developed a reputation as a source of frustration for others.

The effects of that reputation are apparent in the habits of PC buyers. At the computer store Quidnunc in West Seattle, for example, owner Bill Hibler estimates that 40 percent of people ordering computers through his shop still ask for Windows XP.

"I'm still stocking almost as much XP as...Vista," Hibler said. Based on his experience, the only other time people have been so reluctant to choose a new Microsoft operating system was when the company released the widely panned Windows ME.

One of Vista's challenges is the explosion of hardware, software, devices and networks that the operating system has to work with...

[BillForrest]

Whad’ya say to this? Oh yeah, I remember now:
“Get a Mac...”

[TruthWillWin]

Most older printers have no Vista drivers.

Not sure how old you mean by "older printers" but I had 3 old printers up to 5 years old that worked with Vista with updates downloaded at the printer makers website.

I think many of the problems with printers was in the first few months that Vista was released. While researching my network printer purchase (HP L7580) I read of some having problems with Vista but that was when Vista first came out. I had no problems at all in October using that network printer on Vista.

[dsc]

“Get a Mac...”

I’ll go back to pencil and paper before those America-hating hippie swine ever get a penny of mine.