I have been running Vista now almost exclusively since the RTM version was posted on MSDN at the end of November. So far so good–in general. But…..I feel like I’m running beta software. Not because of Vista per se–but rather because I’m actually having to use beta drivers for most everything and for other devices there are no drivers at all.
Take my Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 webcam, for instance. It’s useless on Vista because there isn’t a Vista driver for it. With CES and other events coming up I really want to use this webcam, but I can’t. Because I’m running Vista. I have some other webcams, but they aren’t as good. I really want to use the LifeCam. Microsoft says that Vista drivers will be available in January for the webcam. I’m guessing it’ll be after all these events are done and Vista hits the retail shelves. Oh, well. Time to look for an alternative webcam.
During any major OS transition there are always driver issues that pop up. In the past, I’ve negotiated my way around them by purchasing new equipment that’s designed to work with the latest OS. Will I need to do the same with Vista? We’ll see.