Aside: there’s TONS of stuff about Windows Vista shipping that I DID NOT put on my linkblog. Why? It’s all the same. Vista shipped. Vista shipped. Vista shipped. Why do I do my link blog? So that I can filter out all the duplicates for my readers. Only the best posts get shared on my link blog.

Anyway, this is the first day I’ve been sad about not being at Microsoft. I remember the day when I was an MVP about four years ago (before I was an employee) where they showed off some Macromedia Director movies about what Longhorn (the code-name for Windows Vista) would do.

The UI doesn’t look as cool. There isn’t any .NET code in Vista, which is a complete shift from what I saw back then. It took two years longer than I thought it would (taught me a lesson that software at this scale isn’t easy and you should never even think about a potential release date if the developers won’t let you play with the product).

Lots of people are underestimating Windows Vista. It’s gotten that kind of tarnish that comes from being a little too public with the sausage-making process.

I learned a lot from watching Vista be built close up. I learned that it’s better to spend an extra two years and possibly billions of dollars to do something right. Many people told me “no one will care in the end that it’s late, if it’s good.”

Someone told me that they’ll never load Windows Vista. I said I’m going to load it on the first day that it’s available. He seemed amazed by that.

I said “it’s way better than Windows XP.” I also acknowledged that there’s probably going to be things that drive me absolutely bonkers. Lots of blog posts to come on those, I’m sure (said with no irony that I’m fighting with Apple’s Final Cut Pro running on a different OS while I type this blog).

Anyway, I’m rambling.

The Vista team, under Jim Allchin, suprised me. They shipped it on time. With a lot better quality than I was expecting.

Kudos to the team. My hat is off to you and can’t wait to get the final bits and start using them. I’m sad I can’t be there.