If you talk to the suppliers of components, manufactures and even the average geek, the answer is no, no and no. Worse the buzz surrounding Vista is nothing like the buzz that surrounded Microsoft's Windows 95, 98, Win NT and even Windows 2000 and XP.

It's possible that some buzz will evolve, but it's beginning to look like a pretty standard news story rather than anything like the marketing events we've seen in the past. I have to assume that the promoters who put on a worldwide show for Windows 95, for example, have long since left the company (MSFT

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It looks like the best Microsoft can do is provide us with an incredibly bland façade that seems more like something coming from General Electric during the announcement of a new afterburner technology for a jet engine. As an example of how peculiar this all is, can you look at the Microsoft Vista Web site and determine the message? See the Microsoft site.

The site, if you were uncertain as to the nature of the product, looks like an advertisement for an expensive prescription drug for constipation. Seriously, that's exactly what it looks like.

While there is no way that Vista will be a flop, since all new computers will come with Vista pre-installed, there seems to be no excitement level at all. And there does not seem to be any compelling reason for people to upgrade to Vista.

In fact, the observers I chat with who follow corporate licensing do not see any large installations of Windows-based computers upgrading anytime soon. The word I keep hearing is "stagnation."

Industry manufacturers are not too thrilled either. One CEO who supplies a critical component for all computers says he sees a normal fourth quarter then nothing special in the first quarter for the segment. Dullsville.

Apparently there is no increased demand, nobody is ramping up anything and it's expected that horrible bugs or some mediocre reviews will actually have a negative effect on the business until the second half of next year.

When will things perhaps perk up? Would you believe August?

Microsoft is not helping with its lack of enthusiasm. This is further complicated by a confusing array of Vista offerings. There is Vista Home Basic, Vista Starter, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate.

What is the point of so many editions? People will not know what to choose, so they'll skip it.

One of the interesting things I'm seeing is the relative ignorance of the computer-using public in general about the system requirements for Vista. Most obvious is the complete lack of knowledge regarding the next generation hard disk that is required to make Vista perform well.

These drives, called hybrid hard disks (or HHD) contain a few gigabytes of flash memory for instant-on and certain operating system enhancements. Vista talks to these special disk drives directly.

Knowledgeable folks who should know about these drives never heard of them except in some relation to laptop battery life which seems to be the only promotion done so far. The only reason I know so much about them was by an odd coincidence of moderating a panel that discussed the drives in great detail.

This secret seems to be a tip of a knowledge iceberg. Nobody seems to know anything about the operating system except some vague generalities coming from Microsoft and that miserable Web site.

Eventually this will settle down and we'll all be using Vista. But between now and then do not expect it to set the world on fire. From what I can tell there will be no major impact from this offering on any tech segment. Sorry.