SpawnPoint

Windows Vista is the evolutionary Microsoft operating system that has been that sole recipient to all the media buzz. Well, under the noses of the non-geek media moguls there is Linux. Now my guess is, if you can open up your PC and tell the difference between your north bridge and your south bridge on your motherboard, then there is a good chance you know about the open source operating system-Linux. Linux's Beryl user interface has some serious graphic power through utilization of openGL acceleration. While on the other hand the mainstream Vista OS has an innovative feature incorporated into Vista. And it’s called Aero.

Aero is a graphical user interface that's aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and gives the bubbly effect to the user much like that of Mac OSX 10. Thankfully, Aero is unlike the simple, traditional, dull, business oriented user interface found in Microsoft XP that has literally not changed since Windows 95.

Beryl is a fork of the Compiz X Window management system and really is quite a treat to use. Linux, as it conventionally has, employs four desktops for the user providing much more physical workspace. Beryl will turn these quad desktops into a GUI that's simply breathtaking to use. I was lucky enough to kick around on a machine with Beryl accompanying Ubuntu at my bosses house and just...wow, Aero is child's play compared to Beryl's unique user experience. The features of Beryl include scale effects are similar to OSX 10s expose where windows use a scale effect incorporating a view of all windows thus making it easier to switch between windows. A preview of windows when in this expose type mode are live and up to date when viewing. The four desktops can be displayed as a cube that is in three dimensions, yet not cluttered to the eye. The cube is transparent enough to see programs on the opposite sides so the user can know which program is where at all times. What I personally like the most about Beryl is the psychedelic windows animations that clearly show the user where his or her windows are going. Beryl can do other simpler tasks to windows such as zoom, blur, transparency, brightness, and saturation. These are the core components to Beryl GUI but there are many other subtleties to stumble upon. This GUI is an adventure to explore and I recommend you do kick the tires on a Linux box with Beryl before you try that "other guy".

The behemoth of Microsoft has had some revolutionary software products produced over the years. The former flagship of operating systems, XP, has had a notorious user interface. The UI of all PCs has been lackluster and monotone ever since the invention of the right click. Vista has aimed to end the current paradigm of boring Windows UIs, and I feel does succeed. Aero, which is only available on the premium, ultimate, and business editions of Vista provides an experience like no other previous operating system. The GUI experience is the translucent effect of Aero Glass, featuring dynamic reflections and smooth animations. Aero is more modest in its graphical ways but does have one key feature that manages windows extremely well and it has been dubbed my Microsoft Flip 3D. This feature creates a three-dimensional stack on your desktop to quickly browse through and pick the window you were searching for. Overall Aero is a nice GUI. It’s just simple and clean.

The real question here is what's your preference, as many things in computers are. Would you prefer Aero where you have one very well managed desktop with such features as Flip 3D were navigating between windows is a breeze? Or are you the Beryl type that does multiple complex tasks on many different levels and would rather not clutter a desktop? Are you morally opposed to mixing excel tables for the boss with mindless videos on Youtube on the same desktop? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself before you make the plunge into the land of the penguin or jump through glassy windows.