Note to Microsoft GUI gurus: Take a look at the latest version of Apple's iTunes software, the recently released Version 7. Gloss and shine are out, the 3-D sandblasted look is in. From what I've seen so far, Mac OS X 10.5, or Leopard, still looks pretty much like the current OS X 10.4 -- at least according to the developer preview Apple released selectively last month. But I'm really hoping that one of the tricks Apple CEO Steve Jobs has up his sleeve is a plan to make the entire operating system look like the interface used in iTunes 7. We'll know in a few months.
Perhaps most annoying is the fact that millions of Windows users will be delighted by the new look of Windows when it's released next year, blissfully unaware that Mac users have enjoyed bling for years.
They'll also likely be delighted by the fact that Microsoft has slammed the door on some of the more glaring security holes that have plagued XP users for years. The inclusion of Windows Defender to help keep malware at bay will be welcomed by users. But I doubt they'll be nearly as content with the way Vista constantly reminds you that you're safe. I'm talking here, of course, about UAC, which a number of Vista reviewers, including Computerworld's own Scot Finnie, have already criticized for its intrusiveness.
The UAC warning window. Users will see it a lot.
(Click here to see larger view)
UAC, for those not familiar with it, is designed to essentially stop bad things from happening to your computer. It can prevent an evil .exe file from running unprompted and infecting your PC. It can stop you from doing something stupid like installing software that, given a few seconds to think about it, you might not want to install. It can stop you from making changes to Vista that might cause problems later on. Those are all OK. Apple does much the same thing in OS X -- asking, for instance, if you really want to download and install that little app you found online, or asking you for your password when you go to make a user account change.
What's annoying about the UAC implementation in Vista is that it's so heavy-handed and intrusive -- and it halts what you're doing, even if you want to do something as simple as change your clock. Or set your network connection. Or change the font DPI. Or activate Windows. That's right. When I installed Vista on my MacBook Pro a few weeks back, I unchecked the box asking if i wanted to automatically activate Vista with Microsoft. Then, a few days ago, a warning message popped up telling me that unless I activated Vista, the OS would stop running in two days.
As soon as I moved to activate Vista, a UAC dialog box popped up, asking me if I really wanted to do that. Now that's useful user control! Having been duly warned, I proceeded to activate my copy of Vista. Bouncing back and forth between Vista and OS X, I've tried to figure out what it is about the way UAC works that bugs me in comparison to the way Apple handles similar security issues. Part of it is that seemingly innocuous actions trigger it -- such as changing the time and date on the computer. Part of it is that you can't selectively turn UAC off. In Mac OS X, changes to the system through system preferences can be "locked" and "unlocked," making it easier to avoid having to type in your password when making changes. Don't want your time and date easily changed? Just lock that particular preference and you'll be asked to type in your password before you can do so in the future.