Too harsh a judgment? Perhaps. To some Vista , but a loud and vocal group of never let us forget the much maligned OS' shortcomings. Still, there's no denying that Vista has had more than its , and that Microsoft was wise to replace it less than .
Here are five things we won't miss about Vista:
1. Too much nagging: Vista's (UAC), designed as a security feature to prevent security breaches, did its job a little too well. Its pop-up warnings, preceded by screen blackouts, appeared when users attempted even mundane tasks, such as setting the system clock. Newbies were scared; experts were annoyed. There were , of course, but most users didn't bother. Windows 7 will be considerably .
2. Slow, slow, slow: Vista had some cool graphics and utilities, including the slick and handy Sidebar applets, but all that excess code was a , particularly if you were foolish enough to run Vista on a PC that met . Microsoft says Windows 7 is faster, but the verdict is still out. One developer claims . The PC World Test Center reports that , but not by much.
3. You never liked my hardware: Users often grumbled about , and industry analysts questioned the thoroughness of Microsoft's driver-testing process. Will Windows 7 be any better? Some early testers have managed to get Win 7 running on , but not without the occasional driver glitch. Hopefully, Win 7's trimmer code means on older PCs.
4. Blasé backup: Vista's was too feeble. It wouldn't let you backup specific files and folders, and it bypassed files it thought were part of the OS. Window's 7 improved Backup Center correct these deficiencies, and also lets you backup to a network volume (but only in the Professional and Ultimate versions).
5. Too many garbage apps: Say, Vista users, when's the last time you fired up Windows Movie Maker or Windows Mail? As every Windows user knows, apps bundled with the OS generally aren't very good. As part of its slimmer, trimmer approach to Windows 7, , as well as the equally forgettable Windows Photo Gallery. Still want them? Go to . They're free to download.
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Contact Jeff Bertolucci via Twitter ) or at .