The digital tubes of teh INTARWEB are all in a tizzy about the release of Microsoft's latest monolithic monstrosity: Windows Vista. Some herald it (because of the Vista-exclusive DirectX 10) as the panacaea for PC Gaming that will keep the PC up to par with the latest gen of consoles, if not surpass them.
Frankly, I'm not sure the PC is in the terrible position of "needing saving," but that's an argument everybody's already made their mind up on one way or the other.
Me, I've got a bad taste in my mouth. Windows 1.0 was crap, and so was 2.0... it wasn't until Windows 3.11 for workgroups that it found its legs. Then came windows 95... which was crap until around Service Pack 2. Windows 98 was passable with drawbacks, which got largely addressed in Second Edition. Windows Me was so bad it died an ignominious death before a major patch could address its onorous issues. XP at launch was a nightmare of security holes and bluescreens, which were fixed up by the first and second service packs.
Are we seeing the pattern yet? This is why, in my personal vocabulary, the phrase "Early Adopter" is synonymous with "Gullible Nitwit."
So, given that every single MS operating system is a cataclysm at launch, I think I'll cool my heels here on my perfectly stable XP installation while the Early Adopters get their headaches and ulcers paying Microsoft to beta test the new OS.
But, at this point, I'm honestly not sure I'll ever feel good about Vista.
There is some very scary shit I've been reading about Vista's embedded DRM management. The idea that my computer (as a proxy for the vilest humans on earth, the MPAA and the RIAA) will decide what I can and cannot view on my own computer is so anathema to me that any graphic description of regurgitative bodily processes could not be hyperbole. I never upgraded past Windows Media Player 7 because that's about when they started sticking DRM controls into it. I hate DRM that much.
Well, we'll see what happens over the next couple months. I'm sure those good and righteous champions of the end user, the software pirates [1] [2] [3] will eventually find and incapacitate the more odious portions of the software.
And that's the word from bandit camp...
2 comments:
Speaking of "Doomed PC Gaming", check this out:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=22605
very cool article that gives us die-hard PC gamers a little hope. I have to admit that with each new generation of consoles I get a little nervous that developers are going to follow their nose. Consoles are relatively cheap when compared to a PC of equal gaming capability especially since console manufacturers are selling consoles at a loss. That makes it very hard for PCs to stay competitive cost-wise. Add to that the "convenience" of consoles and the laziness of most people and you have a potential PC-gaming killer. It is interesting to think about all the convergence that is happening on both sides. Both of the expensive consoles are trying to become more than just a "toy", and PCs are quickly assimilating many living-room tasks. I hope Bassat is correct that the PC will eventually end up the victor.
You didn't mention Windows 2000, which is, FWIW, the one MS OS I actually like, and liked out of the box. It's the only one I'll use, if I have to run MS.
But then, ever since the zombie infestation, I've not been known to have my full wits about me : )
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