Steve's Rant:
In Search of Stability

- By Steve Weigle 12-18-2007

I've been running Windows Vista for about five months now, and every since I first loaded it people have been asking me how I liked it.

Frankly, that is exactly why I run Vista. I feel it is my duty to experience the software before I sell it to someone else. Additionally, I need to know the system better then the average user so I can support it to my customers that choose Vista. Apparently Microsoft feels the same way, so they provide me with a copy I can use to learn my way around. And this week they provided me with an advance copy of the first service pack, due out in the first quarter of 2008. SP1 is supposed to provide improvements in compatibility and reliability.

So you ask, "How do you answer those people that ask about Vista?"

Mostly I tell people it's OK, it has some issues running my Windows XP applications but all in all it has some cool features and it does what you need it to do. That is what I told them until today.

Today, I've had enough.

I just want to sit down, do my email, and update my website. In the meantime I need to download and run some software utilities, and remote into a few of my customer's systems to help them with their issues. I also need to remote into my system sometimes to find a file or an email with some bit of information I need at a job site. From time to time I need to log into my proprietary software and look up pricing or specs, and I might have to fire up Quickbooks Pro every third day or so.

I need to manage networks running Windows 2000, Server 2003 (including R2), SBS 2000/2003, XP, and Vista, all the time sitting at my desk, talking on the phone while I design security systems in Viso 2002. I need to edit images in Fireworks, Photoshop, Premier, Flash, and occasionally I need to recompress them in Lview Pro 32.

I'm just not in the mood to figure out why my icons have all turned into generic blotches. I don't want to find out the meaning of error code 0x800706b5 or for that matter error code 80242016. I find myself getting irritable when Vista says "for more information click here" which takes you to a webpage that says "The content that you requested cannot be found or you do not have permission to view it." I'm tired of this thing locking up tight as a drum with the dual processors clocked at 100% of capacity. I get annoyed when the network card disappears, or the screen goes black in the middle of what I'm doing.

Maybe I just need to give the system more time to learn what I want it to do.

So today, I decided to teach this computer to fly. It is easy really. First yank all the wires out of the back and front, then pick the box up and carry it to the elevated platform in our warehouse. Raise it over your head and heave it as far and as hard as you can. (It helps to scream at the top of your lungs during this process.)

I came back to my office after I was done and ordered a new motherboard and hard drive. I'll rebuild the system and reload Windows later this week. Probably Windows 98, just guessing.