The Skyliner

Issue date: 2/7/07 Section: Opinion

Ryan Stone
Visual Arts Editor


On Jan. 31, the tech world ushered in a new era. Millions of lives will be affected by the much-overlooked event. Windows Vista was released. So what does it mean? Well, most computers will need to be upgraded and everyone will now begin the arduous process of staving off a new generation of viruses.

Many tech geeks like myself have been dismayed by the three-year delay in the operating system and have balked at the copycat features it has stolen from other operating systems. The day it was released, Bill Gates went on a media blitz displaying his new baby and along the way did some of the most unethical marketing in the history of computing in my opinion. He blatantly lied to the entire public.

I'm a Mac user and I love it, but I try to keep a level head about these things; it's only a computer. Gates told the public that Vista was the first system to have HD capable video editing, first to have parental controls, and that the Mac has security like Swiss cheese. In fact the Mac was one of, if not the first, to have HD native editing, parental controls, and I promise my Mac has never once been compromised in the area of security.

There have already been videos on YouTube.com showing botched voice recognition demonstrations and self-deleting files, plus there are thousands of users stranded without a serial number to install their new Vista operating system.

It's only eight days since it's release and there have already been multiple security updates released, plus more problems are beginning to appear day to day.

"Vista is the most secure operating system we've ever done, and if it's administered properly, absolutely, it can be used to run a hospital or any kind of mission critical thing," said Gates in an interview earlier in the week.

Without any joking, I would never trust the life of any loved ones or myself to a system so prone to viruses and the dreaded blue screen (or the newly implemented red screen) of death. So maybe there is a little more at stake than a bunch of nerds and beloved computers, maybe the operating system could mean worldwide consequences for one companies inability to do things right.

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