Searches For Microsoft Vista Surge

Despite Microsoft's best efforts, Vista isn't yet breaking any sales records. According to some reports, the launch of the new operating system didn't even draw a midnight crowd. People are curious about Windows Vista, though - data from Hitwise reveals that searches for the term are up 53%. I had a cynical reaction when I saw LeeAnn Prescott's headline: "What kind of 'start date' does that 53% reflect?" My cynicism abated once I'd digested the second sentence of her piece. "[L]ast week the share of US Internet searches for 'windows vista' increased by 53% from the previous week (week ending 1/27/07 vs. week ending 1/20/07)," Prescott these). But 6.84% of searchers are going to Wikipedia, according to Prescott, and Microsoft may not be thrilled about that. The "free-content encyclopedia project" offers a huge entry on Vista, and the article seems to be both informative and objective (it's also locked against further editing). The entry doesn't end on much of a high note, however - it concludes with 1,000 words of "Murdok. Visit