unthinkable: vista == me 2

It is too early for anyone to compare Windows Vista with Windows Me ("the home operating system that makes your computer more fun and easier to use").

So let's examine some of the claims made by the vaguely hyperbolic article in The Inquirer around this topic:

Claim 1: Dell is selling PCs with Windows XP installed.

Obsevation1 :I don't think they ever stopped. Just because you can buy a Dell Precision 690 with either Vista or XP preloaded doesn't mean Vista has failed. It just means it takes a while for enterprises to migrate. And while they're thinking about migrating, they still need to provision new PCs with the operating system they're currently using.

Claim 2: Microsoft is selling a $3 bundled license of XP for the Chinese market.

Observation 2: Getting the Chinese to pay anything for software is a major step forward. This sort of pricepoint helps the Chinese to "get legal" at a price awfully close to free. It probably won't help, but it sure can't hurt.

We're a long way away from being able to determine whether Vista is a success or failure. All I can say is that it's no Wii.