The Globe and Mail

• Reviewed on:

  Windows Vista PC; Intel Pentium D dual-core 3.46 GHz with 4GB Corsair's DDR2 SDRAM, ATI Radeon x1300 All-In-Wonder
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• The Good:

  Easier and faster to install, with greater flexibility; a vastly improved user interface; a built-in desktop search, calendar and sidebar; greatly improved security

• The Bad:

  The price — hey, it's supposed to be just an operating system after all; it's a memory hog; Vista Home basic will disappoint anyone looking for an improvement over XP; it could require hardware upgrades

• The Verdict:

  a handsome, stable operating system that makes you realize XP's interface was getting sadly tired
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Operating systems should be boring software, but historically they have started passionate arguments that degenerated into grunts and fisticuffs, usually between Mac and Microsoft devotees. Now we have Windows Vista, five years in the making and touted by Microsoft as its most ambitious operating system since Windows 95. It remains to be seen whether its release will start brawls in artisanal brew pubs despite the rise of another rival, Linux.

That could be because Vista is like a new, more expensive car: It looks fabulous and costs a lot more, but there's always the nagging feeling that it's not going to be much different from its predecessor Windows XP.

Vista certainly runs like an entirely different operating system, and you need to test-drive it to see how different it is. And those accustomed to Windows XP would be forgiven if they don't notice right away. The two main changes everyone will see while kicking Vista's tires are eye candy and security. The rest of the changes, to continue the simile, are under the hood, and invisible.

That's because Microsoft has thrown every programmer it could find at this project and given them a mandate to re-engineer Windows one end to the other.

The new Windows is more than just putting new tires on an old wreck. I hadn't realized how bored I had become with the XP interface until I started revving Vista's engines a couple of months ago; there are a lot of new ways of doing things in Vista, and the interface makes it a lot easier to guess what they are. And I'm impressed (if a little annoyed) with its revamped and in-your-face security systems; but then I'm no hacker and will not even try to guess what digital thugs will throw at Vista trying to make it crash.

As enthusiastic as I am, I'm also ambivalent about recommending Vista. For all of its tarnished reputation, Windows XP still a good, stable operating system as long as it's properly updated, patched and firewalled. Besides, chances are most users still haven't plumbed all its depths. And if money's tight, that's a good enough reason not to shell out for an upgrade — at least for now; eventually, as with all computers, you'll have little choice.

Vista comes in several flavours, but only two are worth considering for home users and another two for business users. Residential users will want to skip the featureless Home Basic edition, whose limitations should frustrate buyers too soon, and move directly to Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate. Business users can move toward Vista Business or, if they are Microsoft Software Assurance customers, can get it via volume licensing.

In all cases, the price can be daunting, especially since it's likely to involve new hardware. Home users are particularly vulnerable to that: Computers bought more than two years ago will probably have to be seriously upgraded, given to the kids, repurposed as file servers or simply tossed.

As one of its greatest assets, Vista's new user interface, which Microsoft calls Aero or Glass (an answer to Apple's Aqua), is driven by hardware, unlike previous versions of Windows, which ran their graphic interfaces exclusively by software. Few on-board video controllers have the memory required to give you that clean, crisp appearance that makes Vista so attractive, so you'll likely have to buy a video card to provide Aero with the processing power to drive a stable interface. It's not a very small expense, and a reason to hold off.