Criticism of Windows Vista soon picked up by international media outlets: "Jornal de Notícias", Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, "La Nación", "The Chosun Ilbo", and 163.com. Criticism of Windows Vista Windows Vista, an operating system released by Microsoft for consumers on January 30, 2007, has been widely criticized by reviewers and users. Due to issues with new security features, performance, driver support and product activation, Windows Vista has been the subject of a number of negative assessments by various groups. For security reasons, 64-bit versions of Windows Vista (and of Windows 7 as well) allow only signed drivers to be installed in kernel mode.
Features new to Windows Vista users to create their own locale data for use in applications using the "Locale Builder" tool. Features new to Windows Vista Compared with previous versions of Microsoft Windows, new features of Windows Vista are numerous, covering most aspects of the operating system. They include new technical features, new aspects of security and safety, new networking features, new I/O technologies, and additional management features. Premium editions of Windows Vista include a redesigned user interface and visual style, named "Windows Aero (Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open)". Aero is intended to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than previous Windows versions, including glass-like