First Impressions on Windows Vista

Windows has produced yet another version of Windows. Vista is the newest version and was released in early 2007. Many people are trying it out, but as a first time user, what did I think?

I think it is a flashy little program. I'm just a basic computer user, but use my computer often. Many of the programs are displayed in a slightly different way. You can however, set it to disply as you wish, and even revert to the classic Windows display. It has a few fun options. You can display what they call "gadgets" Some options are weather, clock, slide show and notes. The gadgets you choose to display line up along the right side of your screen. The weather shows the temperature of your chosen city as well as the conditions. Sun, rain, and clouds display inside the gadget to mimic the conditions outside. If you don't have access to a window in your office or computer room, this is a very handy feature.

The clock is a standard dial clock. There are few different options of clock style ranging from neon sign to a flower. This gadget is a little repetitive since there is the digital time display along the tool bar across the bottom of the screen. The slide show gadget is pretty cool. You can select a file of pictures for it to rotate through. The slide show is fairly small, but you can see the pictures pretty well. It just keeps rotating through the chosen file. The sticky notes are my favorite gadget. Throughout the day if you have thoughts or remember something you need to do, you can just type it up on the sticky. You can have endless notes that you can flip through by just clicking on the arrows. A very fun feature indeed!

Windows Vista does appear to be just as user friendly as the previous Windows XP version as well as the older versions. Overall I think the biggest change is appearance throughout your first impressions. The icons have all been upgraded and have a very neat graphic design to them. The display of the files is a little different; they appear to be real manila folders with the contents spilling out. The icons are slightly larger, and easier to read. The program runs very quickly. Internet Explorer is a little different. The new look may take a little getting used to, but surfing and researching the web is just as simple as before. The Microsoft Office packages works well with Vista and is just as simple as before!

Overall, I think Vista is pretty cool, but will definitely take some time to get used to. I guess it is the same way with any new software you install on your computer. Give it some time and if all fails, you can always revert back to your old software!