Lazesharp.net

I’ve always hated the idea of of using nothing but Microsoft products on a computer, about as much as I’ve always hated the idea of owning a laptop. So, after finally having taken the plunge and bought myself a cheap little number - pre-installed with Windows Vista - I’ve decided to see what life would be like if all my software was Microsoft.

Obviously, I will be installing some non-Microsoft software - Adobe Flash Player was among the first things I installed - but my productivity software will largely be developed by Microsoft.

I started by setting up the native Vista applications - Windows Calendar, Windows Contacts and Windows Mail. I couldn’t help but notice that Windows Mail actually seems to handle my various IMAP accounts better than Evolution - a supposed rival to Outlook.

The integration between Calendar, Contacts and Mail is intriguing, I can’t pass judgement until I’ve used them for a few weeks, but if it works well it’ll certainly increase my productivity.

On the subject of integration, I know they’re legally bound not to bundle Windows Live products with Windows Vista but it does strike me as odd that the Windows Live crew hasn’t explored the possibility of integrating better with Vista.

I would love to see Windows Live Messenger automatically tie my Live account to my system account, using it’s contact details and display picture without having to select one myself.

Similarly, it’d be nice for my Messenger contacts to be added, in some form, to Windows Contacts. Even if they were fairly basic, it would give me a starting point to go through and add more details for each contact.

Windows Live Writer, I must admit, is one of the better Windows Live products. It’s one of the best desktop blog publishing tools I have ever tried. Upon opening it I was prompted for my blog address, username and password. Writer automatically set everything up using just these 3 pieces of information. That’s simplicity.

Windows Vista itself works like a charm. That’s right. No driver hell, no sluggish operations, no crashing and very little nagging from the controversial User Account Control (UAC).

Reflecting upon my move to Windows XP back in 2001 - just after its release - this experience is much smoother. While critics have lambasted the operating system for its poor compatibility, it is miles ahead of the situation Windows XP was in this long after it launched.

While it’s certainly not the best thing since sliced bread, and is not going to cure cancer (although it may play a part), I feel confident that Windows Vista and most mainstream applications will be stable enough for most companies to roll out once Service Pack 1 is released next year.

Finally, to everyone who immediately discredited Windows Vista before using it for a week or two, I pity you. Sure it took them far too long to produce it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s significantly better than Windows XP. I’m not going to explain why, Vista’s critics will just have to use it to find out.