Comments

1. Nick White

   
   Posted on: January 10, 2007 at 10:47PM  

   Hey MadDoggyca:  DreamScene can span multiple monitors.  It won't use different scenes per monitor because Windows considers the 2nd monitor an extension of the main monitor -- so, a single will appear across all monitors.
2. Nick White

   
   Posted on: January 10, 2007 at 10:55PM  

   Hey RyanLM:  The following response is from my colleague Mitch Gatchalian, Product Manager of Windows Ultimate Extras.

   Re: GroupShot:  The demo was simply to show an example of technologies and Windows experiences users of Windows Vista Ultimate can expect as part of their exclusive access to Windows Ultimate Extras.  We don't have any details on how this specific demo will incarnate itself either as an Extra or part of a bigger Extras experience.  Nor are we committing to any delivery date or to whether this demo will/will not ship as part of Windows Ultimate Extras.  It was only an example.

   Re:  DreamScene:  Glad you think it's a great idea.  There will be greater innovation around this technology in the next versions and we're excited about the possibilities.  For now it is video files, but we are aware of the vast world we can access thru this new desktop visualization experience.  Keep your eye on www.WindowsUltimate.com.
3. RyanLM

   
   Posted on: January 11, 2007 at 12:13AM  

   Thank you Nick, and Mitch

   I have been using Vista since early betas, I have been giving feedback since day one, most of it more positive than my recent posts.  Recently, I feel myself, bloggers, people on shellrevealed and so on have completely felt ignored.  We have the big RTM stamp on Vista at this point, we feel that it is done and now in stone.

   As a developer, I see and am learing so much that is in Vista, but the human part in me keeps getting stuck on "little" but almost countless UI issues and lack of polish here and there that the Vista experience falls short of any emotional connection.

   From my perspective, Microsoft has the art of API, Languages, and Platforms nailed.  I WANT to program in .NET, I love WPF, LINQ, etc – all killer no need for a long list.  But this is just one half of the computing equation today, at least in the consumer space.    I may build an app with all these great technologies, but is it going to build a connection to a user if they have to use Vista?

   To best get this point across, yes-  you know it’s coming, watch MS’s CES Keynote, and watch Apples at Macworld.  The MS Keynote was basically boring, showed some disjointed applications – the ultimate extras do not feel like “part” of windows, they looked like some odd app you would uninstall that comes standard on  a Big White Box computer.   Everything just feels disconnected, lets add this random app.  Some of them look great – but you get what I am saying.  Continuity!   The CES Keynote was long, boring, some interesting news, good stuff in the pipe, but no one cared.  No one seemed to care.  I am not going to get into the acid trip that was the last ten minutes of it.

   Cross that experience with the Macworld Keynote.  People on their feet applauding – and in this case it wasn’t just a cult following Jobs.  This is the most frustrating to me.  I have built my business on the Windows platform, it has made me money, it has helped my customers do business, it has changed how we do business, and in turn has helped my customers make money.   What are they excited about when I am on site? The iPod, their sons new MacBook, and as of yesterday the iPhone.   And why shouldn’t they be?  Only Apple seems to be making products that seem to want, want so much they will carry them everywhere.  What is even more frustrating, I have seen enough Channel 9 Videos to know there a limitless talent at MS, and countless interviews show that people at MS care SO much, and really enjoy what they do.  I do not know however why this doesn’t come through in a product like Vista.

   Often when I go on this rant, it gets ignored, or I am considered a troll.  I am not, maybe I am just pointing out the obvious, but I get the feeling MS doesn’t care.  Never before have I seen SO many kids and teens using apples, heck, not since I was a child when Apple was just given them to schools – now they are bought.  Mr. Balmer said not to long ago he wanted a device that was a PDA, Email, and a MP3 player all in one device, and that it was coming and MS was working on it.  There is no one higher up, yet it is Apple that comes out with the breakthrough product.  I have a Treo 700w, it is going in the garbage in June, I am dropping Verizon – I am getting the iPhone.  The Treo attempts to these three things, but ends up failing at all of them, It sucks as a phone, it freezes, if you actually use it as an MP3 player – don’t expect to get to a call in time, and they seem to self destruct I am on my Third since they were released on January 5th.  They start out great, then become unstable over time.  I have had 4 Window Mobile pocket pc phones – starting with the original tmobile.  I put up with the issues, hard navigation, etc because it was almost needed for business.  The iPhone changes that – its not bulky, its UI is as smooth as glass, it is MEANT and BUILT to do the three things mentioned, it looks to have a phone UI that is actually intuitive, something unheard of lately.  My question here is, what has the Windows Mobile team been doing?????  Crossbow? WM5 with an Vista like theme?

   Vista from a user perspective feels like XP with a new theme with a couple of new apps, and some things just moved around to make it feel new.  Honestly.  As a developer, I see more but most people are not developers.  Yes sure, we can list feature after feature, but most of them are under the hood, a user isn’t going to get excited about ReadyBoost.  

   A User will see the flaws.  A User will see that every built in application looks like it was developed by a different company.  Some are BlueGreen, Some are Black, Some are this hideous bright blue, some are awkwardly twice as thick.  They will notice that their theming/customization ability is less than XP was, Changing our Glass colors does  not effect these toolbars for some reason, it should.  Most color choices look ugly as the neon blue outline does not change to your selected color on the active window, yet it does on any background window.  How do you redo Outlook Express, and your only real UI change is to add a blue toolbar?  How do you redo the control panel, but quit 10% of the way in?  Things like Appearance and Background Wallaper is done very well, most other just bring up the Win2k/XP dialog.  Boot process just feels win95.  The Image Viewer/Gallery – the zooming gets all blocky, not as nice as XP.  You cant drag the window around by the glass bottom, but you can in Media player which uses the same UI.  Why  taskbar previews seem to timeout and just give you a program Icon?  Where is this great device syncing in Vista?  If windows is trying to preview a video file to make an icon and it cant because its one of those goofy formats like mpeg4, why do I get a Com surrogate error?  Why the heck doesn’t it have H.264 support????

   Am I a troll for pointing these out?  I have one question real question – does anyone at MS care?  About these issue? Or in general about the person that is actually using these products?  I hope so.
4. MadDoggyca

   
   Posted on: January 11, 2007 at 1:56AM  

   so nick it span across and make one big one??unlike wallaper well it jsut uses the same for both and dose not strech spam across???

   I hated the ide 2 the same on both and ues its UltraMon I use but dam dose it get the job done for the missing link in dual monitor suport
5. MadDoggyca

   
   Posted on: January 11, 2007 at 2:00AM  

   RyanLM

   oh ya were your MultiMoniro suyport in Linux

   oh wait there is none unless you do a lot of maunal pina in the butt configure and een that dosen;t work that well

   OSX gott it but its jsut aobut the same idea vista has fomr the wall paper to the task and soo on....so even the news os still are set back to this problem....

   so untill MS copys what Ultra Mon has done I guess will be stuck using it?
6. Chieng Sisovin

   
   Posted on: January 11, 2007 at 2:28AM  

   I am trying to use usp10.dll for Khmer Unicode Language for ready Khmer Fonts in IE7, but its result displays with squere boxes for Khmer Fonts as I copy the usp10.dll to the Folder of IE7. For IE6, Khmer Unicode was well to display the Khmer Unicode Font. Can someone in MS show me how to config the Khmer Unicode Font with IE7 which comes with Windows Vista?
7. RyanLM

   
   Posted on: January 11, 2007 at 9:31AM  

   "oh ya were your MultiMoniro suyport in Linux"

   Why even bring up linux?  Linux shouldnt be an excuse for not having something.  Linux doenst cost money, linux doesnt have 50k people going to work every day to make is better. However, Since you brought it up, XGL also makes Vista's UI feel lacking...

   http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1819299719647325587&q=XGL&hl=en

   That isnt even the most impressive I have seen.
8. astonish

   
   Posted on: January 11, 2007 at 2:29PM  

   RyanLM hit the nail on the head.

   The programmer in me is super excited. .Net 3.0, WPF using C# is awesome. DX10 and the new drive model have some strengths as well.

   However, having played with the betas and the RTM build I'm pretty underwhelmed.  There are some annoying little things that just need to get fixed, and there are improvements in many regards over XP, but its not a leap. The only thing so far that has made me say "wow this is great" is the media center + 360 functionality. With the people, resources and time MS has had I'm pretty underwelmed by the result. OS X has been pulling out great features year after year and even linux, though far from XP/OS X has made some really big advances lately. Anyway vista, like XP, will probably get better over time and CES announced some interesting stuff down the pipeline, but really some of should be here now, out of the box.

   There are some horribly embarrassing parts to Vista tho. Stupid things like certain apps jarringly throwing you out of aero to the basic UI, the inability to properly wake up from sleep on nearly every PC i have used. Worst of all is the product editions. Really any tech person worth their salt knows that all the desktop releases essentially have the same guts and these product edition boundarys are mainly artificial. I think it would be so much easier to support and for users if there was just one edition. There are currently over 10 different editions of Vista where as OS X has a single version that supports 32/64-bit and both Power4/intel in a single box.
9. MadDoggyca

   
   Posted on: January 12, 2007 at 4:18AM  

   I onyl borught linux up becuz some one I think u made the stament

   "which is a tool I SHOULD NOT NEED in a modern operating system."

   I hate to say but linux is a Modern os none the less

   all XGL is . is a 3d cube with wave windows and flashy swap windows and tabing..... ya ok thats kool but there really not Muilt monitor suport in it none the less as that video show only 1 monitor in use......
10. MadDoggyca

    
    Posted on: January 12, 2007 at 4:21AM  

    and I do suport the "OS X has a single version that supports 32/64-bit and both Power4/intel in a single box. "

    now only if windows did the 1 for all and let the user pick how out of the box software can be installed and what they want to be installed.... Sure it not consider Fast depment when upgrading or installing but it beats the.... Having to unistall manual after words and fixing all though registory erros...