Of two minds about Vista

Some time ago, after spending a dozen years battling various versions of Windows, I was finally seduced by the Macintosh and have used Apple products since.

Vista, the latest version of Windows, hits the shelves on Tuesday. And I have come full circle.

Let's go back to 2002. I had admired the Mac for years, and even purchased a G3 with the purpose of learning digital photography. But the Mac's stubborn adherence to a single-button mouse threw up an insurmountable obstacle for me.

The first version of OS X, driven by the original PC-to-Mac switch campaign, finally incorporated the second mouse button. So I made the first crossover steps, resulting in a Personal Technology feature ("Not forbidden fruit: Try a Mac; you may find a taste is all it takes," Dec. 28, 2002). I was taken with the Mac's simplicity and that all its processes seemed to follow the shortest distance between two points.

Apple sold me a cheap iBook, and I worked astride both environments for about a year. There were some issues. I would call Apple tech support for information on a specific question, and the provided answer would be obvious. This made me feel dumb, as Windows always took its time getting to the point. On the other hand, it turned out that the notion that the Mac never crashes is a myth.

When I needed a new desktop, I selected an iMac. This was three years ago, and the machine is still kicking -- an unprecedented occurrence, as none of my Windows computers has ever lasted this long.

But last month the iBook died, and repairing it would cost more than its original value. After browsing the latest selection of Mac laptops, I decided to cross back to the Windows side. This wasn't completely a whim. Ditching Windows had limited the scope of my e-mail centric Inbox column (www.seattletimes.com/inbox) as many specific products are Windows-only.

That led me to purchase a Windows Vista-capable Sony Vaio laptop (cheating, perhaps, because Sony's machines are more Maclike than the alternatives) and made arrangements to with Microsoft to test Vista ahead of its mass-market launch.

I didn't make this switch from any disappointment with the Mac. In fact, I have worn my Mac-centricity proudly, encouraging others to drink the Mac Kool-Aid while posting the bitten-apple decal on my car window. It was only that computing had become too predictable and comfortable. I wanted to mix things up a bit and try something new. Vista, I rightly assumed, would provide that well-needed boost.

On Tuesday, Vista replaces the five-year-old Windows XP. To put this in perspective, when XP came out of the chute on Oct. 25, 2001, we were still reeling from the 9/11 attacks. We had not yet heard of Paris Hilton or Barack Obama. Since then we have seen a shift in the balance of power; wondering if either Microsoft or the United States still rules the world.

Accordingly, Apple and its Macintosh made significant perceptual gains and has unleashed three incremental to significant upgrades since Microsoft last put a new piece on the field.

Even with its approximately 5 percent market share, the noisy Mac minority has become a siren song to disaffected Windows users. With Vista, Windows users are no longer scrunched against the XP ceiling. And Mac users can comfort -- or delude -- themselves with the notion they are still superior.

Vista's interface is a lot snappier, cleaner and better-organized than XP while containing more commands, submenus and controls than the Mac. Whether "more" translates into "better" will be up to the individual. Vista is more versatile and more complex.

You can find any command once you've learned the language, but the plethora of options makes it seem cluttered. Using Vista feels like operating a large jet. Controlling the Mac, on the other hand, more resembles a glider.

Vista has visibly improved Windows, starting with abbreviating two of the most common folders to "Computer" and "Documents." Having "My" precede these designations was a little annoyance that we learned to live with. Improved folder labeling aside, there are three new Vista features that will make even Mac propagandists stand up and applaud.

The first is an application switcher that arranges all open windows into a Rolodex-like series, controlled by the mouse's click wheel. With XP, users with large numbers of open applications watch them stack up on the task bar. This is both distracting and cuts into screen space.

The Vista click-wheel switch capability allows fast scrolling between applications, and will make life easier for those who use more than six windows at a time.

Vista has also improved on Mac's Dashboard idea with its Sidebar module. Both collect a variety of productive and distinctive utilities, from calendars to games and other varied functions.

The Mac brings up all of them at once with a function key, while Vista places them on either side of the screen. This both increases accessibility and makes better use of screen real estate. Those who use their PCs for high art need every inch of the large screen, but people who spend most of their time in a word processor or a browser will appreciate having the extra information at their fingertips.

I've downloaded about a dozen Mac Dashboard applets, from calendars and guitar chords to Sudoku. I never use them. Pressing the hot key and pushing all applications into the background is too much trouble for the benefits. The Vista sidebar is right there in your face, with the ability to easily toggle through multiple small functions without losing sight of the main application.

At this point the selection of Sidebar is pretty anemic, with just a few hundred utilities that do pretty much the same thing. There are custom searches for Wikipedia and Amazon.com, and a Gmail reader. Once Vista hits the street, everything will break loose.

Finally, there is Vista's Media Center. The Mac has its own built-in media control ability, but doesn't transform the computer's identity as completely as Vista does. This interface effectively puts all the digital content in one place. This is not only an improvement over the standard computer interface, but compares favorably to the torturous controls now dominate our TVs and cable services.

Vista Media Player presses VCRlike controls onto the viewing of pictures, movies and television, will appeal to a whole new subset of users. Mac users, again, won't care. But people who have ever struggled with a modern remote control are going to love this.

The Mac is still in my upstairs office, while I carved out a place for the Vaio in a built-in desk adjacent to the downstairs living room. I operate both machines simultaneously, which isn't such a hardship due to the ability to share files online. There is still the "bright shiny object" factor; my Vista machine is still new enough that I gravitate to its use when there is a choice. The Mac still feels like home, but Vista evokes a night out.

Even so, I have no intention of abandoning the Mac any time soon. I expect to use both machines for different purposes.

The Windows machine is portable. The Mac is loaded with graphical software.

The Mac sits in the sunshine, while the Windows machine is in a converted closet. Computing success is all about choices. Right now I have more than my fair share.

After all the shouting, it becomes clear that Windows and the Mac aren't all that different. You might favor one or the other because of your feelings about Microsoft, or even Bill Gates himself. It may echo a sports preference: You root for an operating system because it wins more games than it loses. And there is always that loyalty thing.

Still, Vista is good news for everybody. If you sit users of one system in front of the screen of another, they will be able to find a Web site, create a document or edit a picture. This didn't begin with Vista. Over the past decade PCs have become easier while users are getting smarter.

Vista continues the operating-system evolution and, for the most part, has improved the lot of its users -- enough so they won't defect to greener pastures. More people will continue to use the Mac, but Windows dominance is in no danger of actually losing the battle.

Windows will continue to provide users myriad choices -- everything they need to configure their PC's every minute detail.

Mac users, on the other hand, will still seek the shortest distance between two points.

Charles Bermant writes the weekly Inbox column in Personal Technology.