"The Computer"

As you might guess from the headline, I quite liked it. I would go as far to say that Vista is better designed than OS X. A bold statement? Perhaps. You may debate this, but how one approaches a discussion like this largely depends on the semantics and definitions of words such as 'better'- and indeed, it's hard to state one design is 'better' without some context. But bear with me, we'll get to that.

The ongoing struggle between OS X and XP has never been about raw functionality - surely there's no debate that you can do more with a PC? There's several orders of magnitude more software available for Windows platforms, and the same goes for third party hardware - Microsoft's dominant market position means Windows is the most economically sound platform to develop for.

What we can clarify, then, is that the lack of increase of raw functionality in Vista is a non-issue, assuming that quality and productivity gains can be made. And it's the extra polish and niceties in Windows Vista that do improve on quality, rather than quantity, of the functionality and usability of the OS.

Microsoft has spared no expense in the production of its new OS. Everything is designed. Deliberated over by a no-doubt expansive panel of testers and developers. From the startup sounds engineered by Brian Eno to the gorgeous default wallpapers selected and commissioned very carefully, they've gone for top-brand production all the way. Whilst you could argue that some of the stuff was over-designed (Who really needs Brian Eno to create a startup sound, anyway?), the scope and amount of effort that went into Vista really is incredible.