A user very familiar with both Macs and Windows tested Vista for several weeks and had a mixed reaction in a story published at Low End Mac on Friday.

Adam Guha experimented with Vista for a few weeks on a new Acer notebook to get a feel for the new OS.

"Firstly, thereis the new interface. Its "shiny" as one of my friends pointed out. It is, thankfully, less distracting than XPis "Luna" or "Royale" theme and can be set in any color you want. I chose gray - maybe I still canit get over the fact Iim not running OS X. Itis also translucent, and closing windows has a very pleasant "fade out" effect. The close box is also larger than the minimize and maximize box, something that I find welcome, though not absolutely necessary," Mr. Guha reported.

One problem noted was that if the user doesnit have the right video card, Vista lapses into a very ugly appearing basic mode that cannot be modified.

Regarding the overall feel, "Unfortunately though, the Vista interface still feels "contrived" and "pasted over", just like the XP interface did," Mr Guha wrote. "Not all applications completely conform to it, and some older ones need the system to run in "basic" mode. I know, Microsoftis just trying to make it as compatible as possible, but it doesnit feel elegant like OS X does."

In terms of productivity, getting something done is ultimately more important than pretty interfaces. "Iive typed this article (and a paper just before it) in Word 2007 on my Acer, and, provided that the computer doesnit fall and break in the time before I get to send them in, I think I will have succeeded in the productivity department."

Vista also comes with a Backup and Restore Center that allows the user to make regular backups, but also return to a previous state if thereis trouble. The Reliability and Performance Monitor allows the user to see whatis been installed and whatis been done to the computer.

"As someone who has had a lot of experience with both the Mac and all versions of Windows since 3.0, I have to say that Vista offers a compelling reason to buy a new PC. Of course you could just buy a Mac and have the elegant user interface, stable and proven operating system, and still have the ability to install and use Vista," the author concluded.