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CNET cites various reasons for naming Windows Vista as a terrible tech product. They say that any operating system that allows the previous operating system to be reintroduced again should be considered a terrible product.

CNET is referring to the incidient where many Dell customers wanted a new PC with XP rather than Vista. As a result, XP is still selling on Dell's website.

Initially Microsoft demanded retailers sell only Vista-based computers, but the company has since allowed them to sell until January 2008. There is a high chance it might extend beyond that date, as well.

CNET said when a new product provides an option to downgrade to a previous version, it should be considered a terrible product. In this case, some of the computers with Vista OS had options to downgrade to XP.

Some retailers even provided free XP Pro disks along with Vista-based computers for customers, so in the event they wanted to downgrade, they could. This option was made available to Vista Business and Vista Ultimate customers, as both of these require high graphic and memory resources so some customers wanted back to XP.

According to CNET, many retailers are lobbying Microsoft to extend the time period in which Windows XP is available. CNET reports:

"Any operating system that takes six years of development but is instantly hated by hordes of PC professionals and enthusiasts deserves to be classed as terrible technology."

CNET said another reason for naming Vista a terrible tech product is because many programs were incompatible with Vista. With so many incompatibilities, many users were forced to upgrade all of their software to work with Vista.

When Vista was introduced late last year, Microsoft also released it's Zune music player. But when Zune owners tried to connect the device to Vista-based computers, the DRM technology in Zune and Vista were incompatible so Vista customers were unable to use their new Zune.

In my experience, I have stuck to XP so I can't say if Vista is terrible. A friend of mine installed it and it took him a full day. Another friend of mine installed Leopard on his Mac and he did it quickly and with ease.

CNet also crticizes other gadgets this year, including Apple’s Puck mouse.

You can see TV coverage from the staff at Digital Journal about Vista VS. Leopard at this link.

What is your opinion? Is CNET's assessment true or too harsh?