Mixed reports of quality as Vista nears completion
updated 12:30 pm EDT, Mon October 23, 2006
Mixed Vista Quality Report
While Windows Vista is only weeks from completion, reports are now surfacing that Microsoft's future OS may have significant problems above and beyond typical first-release copies, according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley. Citing premier developer Sandro Villinger, Foley notes that the user interfance consistency and speed fall short of what would be expected in a shipping copy.
"My computer has a 4.2 rating and a GeForce 7800 which should be enough to run some of those [visual] effects. [However,] even one of the fastest machines out there needs almost two seconds to open Control Panel and even one to two (seconds) to go to the Security section," Villinger says.
Other high-priority testers observe that even official Microsoft programs, such as Live Meeting 2005, still don't work properly with Vista while a lack of drivers persists in this late stage. Regardless, some of these same critics argue that the OS will be ready in time for manufacturing in November, pointing out that many companies withhold drivers and software updates for a new Windows version until it ships. "XP shippped with issues that they fixed later on," says tester Brandon LeBlanc. Vista will only be available to the public at large in January 2007.
