Microsoft has yet another lawsuit on its hands. This time, it's over the permission the company gave PC makers to place a "Windows Vista Capable" label on their machines in 2006, before the OS was released-- even though many of those PCs were not powerful enough to truly handle Vista and all of its features. (That includes the Aero interface, which I personally turn off anyway, but I still like knowing I can use Microsoft has yet another lawsuit on its hands. This time, it’s over the permission the company gave PC makers to place a “Windows Vista Capable” label on their machines in 2006, before the OS was released– even though many of those PCs were not powerful enough to truly handle Vista and all of its features. (That includes the Aero interface, which I personally turn off anyway, but I still like knowing I can use it if I want.)Microsoft’s responsibility in all this still remains a judicial decision. The company is trying to get the lawsuit thrown out, claiming its documentation made clear that that “Windows Vista Capable” PCs wouldn’t run all the Vista features with Home Basic. If, however, the company is found at fault, let’s not blame Vista itself or those who developed it (and did an excellent job I might add). Rather, fault should lie with those behind the “Windows Vista Capable” marketing scheme. Microsoft is a large company. Executive decisions are made in terms of marketing that often have nothing to do with products themselves. In fact, do you think the developers were asked, “Hey guys, what should we name it?” and they came up with “Windows Vista!”? Not likely. Whoever came up with the Vista Capable guidelines over at Microsoft needs a talking to. The guidelines were way too low and people bought systems that they describe as “running with all the speed of a tortoise.” The entire Vista Capable scheme wasn’t supported by retailers either: Many have come forward in anger (including stores like Wal-Mart and Office Depot). In fact, as reported by the Seattle Post-Intelligence, many Microsoft execs didn’t support the Vista Capable plan, a fact brought to light in e-mails by the plaintiffs’ lawyers. Now there is a positive side to all of this for those Vista users who purchased one of the insufficiently powerful “Windows Vista Capable” systems and subsequently hate the OS: Your loathing likely has more to do with the hardware and the version of Vista you’re working with than with Vista itself. In fact, many critics are saying that the lowest-end version of Vista, Home Basic, isn’t even Vista at all because it cannot run all of the touted Vista features. Personally, I use only one flavor of Windows Vista: the Ultimate Version. This includes BitLocker technology and a few other extras that I require. From an enterprise Windows perspective, I recommend Ultimate, especially for traveling business persons, to ensure the data on their laptops is secure from theft. My personal experience with Vista Ultimate, running on systems that have 2GB of RAM and a decent processor and video card has been flawless. I love Vista, and this lawsuit will not hinder my view in any way of the OS or of the Vista development team. It is, however, an embarrassment for Microsoft, and it may end up being a costly one if the lawsuit proceeds. Stay tuned for more on this saga. Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business