Windows Vista: Enjoy the View - The New Look and Feel

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Windows Vista screenshots more or less bring up all the same general screens:

1. Virtual folders
2. Pictures and video (with a very pretty looking fish)
3. Desktop search
4. The start menu

So, what are my impressions? Not to be overly critical here, but I was honestly expecting something a little more… revolutionary. Last year, I saw a conceptual preview of a new Java-powered desktop and there was also SphereXP, and both were extremely impressive. Vista however, looks like little more like Windows XP with a semi-transparent (Why don’t they say translucent? Is semi-transparent better for marketing?) Window-blinds skin attached to it.

It also appears that some of the icons are, well, shinier. At this point I’m not sure if the added-value of seeing my background image through a translucent taskbar is truly valuable enough to merit the cost of upgrading my system, especially when third party programs already do that to XP.

I’ve read many opinions so far of people who feel that the GUI looks strikingly similar to Mac OS X. Well, I’m neither going to defend Microsoft nor agree with any opinions. However, all I will say is that Microsoft has been accused of many things, and originality is not one of them. Hopefully any new additions to the UI that they’ve either invented or been "inspired" to implement are the results of much usability testing.

To me, many of the new icons bear a slight resemblance to many nearly-mainstream Linux distributions. In no way do I think this is a bad thing, I’ve always preferred the look of Suse, or even Linspire for that matter, to Windows.

Virtual Folders looks to be a potentially promising option. This feature basically allows users to view documents that share specific criteria, such as "edited in the last week" or "containing the word 'budget.’” While at a fundamental level, this is more or less the extension of some canned search terms with Windows search, it is good in the sense that most people didn’t realize they could already achieve these sorts of views into their file system.

Next: Alright, What About the Name?? >>
 

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· I don't endorse the Microsoft concept of "you WILL be assimilated" and forced...    · Poor review? This didn't seem that much like a product review. This article sounds...    · Wow, thank you! Apparently some people still read articles before forming opinions...    · From what I can understand, this contribution was published in the Dev Shed Weekly...    · I too first viewed the tickler for this "review" in the newsletter. In your...    · to redeem myself even a little here, I had submitted the article the very day the...    · They may not force you but they do strongly encourage you. As long as you don't need...   >>> Post your comment now!