Windows Vista

[Dan Cook]

Is anyone going to get vista on the 30th? Our IBM store here's offering a student deal of $89 for Vista Basic and I'm considering getting it.

 

[Jarrod Cook]

I'm staying with XP. Upgrading to vista right away probably isn't the best idea - as no one knows what the major bugs and quirks are yet. Plus, it is much more resource intensive. I heard it's recommended to have at least 1 GB of RAM just to keep the system happy. XP has treated me well so I'm in no hurry. Here is a webpage I found earlier about the different versions of vista if one must have it: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2036157,00.asp

 

[Robert Dewey]

I'm upgrading...










To a Mac.

 

[B Ozanne]

I'm in no rush. I would need to upgrade my RAM and my video card to get the full performance, otherwise the features would be throttled back.

I'm more interested in the next Apple OS release. When that comes out I'll probably just get a Mac instead. Especially if they fully integrate the ability to run Windows on Mac.

 

[John Gnuechtel]

We have it installed on a few computers at work. Aero Glass is pretty cool, and the sidebar is neat too. I'm personally gonna wait on the sidelines and let the early adopters pound on it for a few months before I jump in. That should give Microsoft time to fix the most glaring issues, and hardware manufacturers time to get some more practical experience with the final release version.

 

[J Kinkaid]

I have been beta testing it for the last year and it seems to run very slow on my system with 2 gigs ram . Keeping XP pro a little longer

 

[Greg Campbell]

What for? 3D Dancing Bologna? Big whoop.
If you want a cool interface, purchase Stadock's awesome Object Desktop suite.

XP finally did Windoze right. I can't find a single valid reason to 'uprade' to the 'latest,' 'best,' 'waybitchunest,' MS offering.

-Greg

 

[Tom Stefanac]

I don't care for Windows, I only have it to run software that wine wont run.

Ubuntu Linux is my OS of choice, can run many wx programs in their original format and can run most windows software/games in wine. Can also run Apple2 for mac emulation.

As for Vista?

I have not tried it, but I have heard many bad things. Very strict DRM technology, resource hog and the same old bugs. The super geek guys I know talk about vista as if it was made by the devil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiG7KFDYkLI

http://freshman-15.blogspot.com/2006/01/vista-sucks.html

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=315


Now I have not tried it, so this is all second hand info but personally, I would stay away. Looking at the basic hardware requirements http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=31815 it is clear that making the jump from Windows 95 - XP on the same PC is easy when compared to making Vista work from scratch.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

I'm not sure the min requirements are THAT bad... I mean, most machines made in the past couple of years have processors >1gHz (even laptops) and system RAM of 512mb or more (and if not, it's a relatively inexpensive addition). The only thing that could sting laptop users who want the Aero interface is the graphics card requirement. Otherwise, any "upgrades" a PC older than a year or two may need should be relatively inexpensive (cheap but "doable" graphics card and a bump to 1GB system RAM). Regardless, if I'm not mistaken, the majority of the "bells and whistles" can be disabled if one doesn't like them or if they bog down the computer (just as many of the visual effects in XP can be disabled).

I remember the big deal when XP came out, with some folks saying "Geez, who needs the fancy eye canding... Windows 95 works fine for me". Of course, I'm referring more to the people who are combative about it (not just indifferent... I mean those who think anyone who buys the new OS is stupid for doing so). There are some nice variants of Linux out there, but there are a few remaining software/hardware incompatibilities that affect the soft-/hardware that I use quite often which prevent me from moving my main computer to Linux. Maybe if I make another hobby machine I'll put a Linux variant on it... Otherwise, I'd rather just plug something in and have it work than have to mess around with various problems (driver inavailabilities, compiling issues, etc).

As for the price... Various e-tailers (such as Newegg.com ) are selling OEM versions of Vista for much below the "suggested retail price" for the full and upgrade editions. For example, the Home Premium OEM version is selling for $119 -- not too shabby (unless you really want the fancy-dancy packaging). Of course, you'll need to buy some hardware in order to get the OEM version, but you can get something cheap to cover that. The OEM copy legally must stick with the machine then too (i.e. you can't move it to another computer).

Vista is shipping with thousands and thousands of drivers, and I think most hardware manufacturers will have Vista-compatible drivers available within a week or two of the Vista release (which is Tuesday). There are always compatibility issues when new Windows versions are release (particular the "major" releases, such as Windows 95, Windows XP, and, now, Windows Vista).

To see if your computer can run the various editions of Vista, you can download the Upgrade Adviser HERE (link to MS System Adviser website).

 

[Tarmo Tanilsoo]

My recommendation on upgrade - don't. Better go Linux. As much as I have read from computer magazines, it brings in a lot of compability issues(some appear to be on purpose), and those bells and whistles demand so powerful computer that it could run a weather model in my opinion

 

[Dan Cook]

My recommendation on upgrade - don't. Better go Linux. As much as I have read from computer magazines, it brings in a lot of compability issues(some appear to be on purpose), and those bells and whistles demand so powerful computer that it could run a weather model in my opinion

All of my software uses Windows.

 

[Tom Stefanac]

Wine is a windows emulator for Linux, 95% of windows software will work fine including GrlevelX.

However like Jeff said, you need to know what you are doing, it is more plug and play with windows than it is with wine emulation.

Personally, XP Pro is as good as windows will get, I don't mind XP but after having a dual boot system, XP begins to collect dust.

 

[Jarrod Cook]

It is silly to upgrade your computer hardware just so you can buy an operating system that "looks cooler." It's all about functionality. And no one will know how much more functionality Vista will actually bring to the table until it's been used for a while by those willing to buy it.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

Functionality. Bingo. Linux is great and has many applications, but frankly, Win XP runs just fine when taken care of. I honestly can't recall the last time WIN XP crashed on me. Why run an emulator when I can get full performance with native win apps? Almost anytime I am using a x-window on Linux, I can do the same task in Windows faster. The exact opposite is true when I need to program, edit text files, etc. For that reason, I have accounts on research linux boxes at school.

BTW... I setup my wife's mom with a Mac ibook. For a general photo/internet/email machine, it does everything she needs it to do. Not much need for tech support either =)

 

[Robbie Cox]

Windows XP just announced that support for XP will continue to 2014. So you have plenty of time for Vista to get the bugs out.