Windows Vista

[Shadow Assassin 336]

XP was released October of '01 if memory serves correctlyquote>

Hmm... I remember getting my computer in February 01, with XP preloaded...

Vista's not worth it. For three reasons:

- Why buy a new OS when XP is perfectly stable, and does the job?

- It may look nice, but there is no way in hell I'm forking out $600 for Ultimate.

- The fact that it tries too hard to be fool-proof.

There's more, but I'm only gonna list three.

[Zelgadis 638]

Well, y'all know I'm biased. But I can add what I've noticed.

- Vista Ultimate: $500. Mac OSX: $120 - does the same stuff, basically.

- Resource hog. Vista requires 1GB of ram according to what I've read. Yikes! I've got OSX 10.4.8 running on my old 1999 PPC G3!

- Closed. Again, from what I've read, Vista is more closed-source than ever.

My final observation is that it's time for Microsoft to wise up and realize that their core code isn't cutting it anymore. Mac came to this conclusion many years ago when they realized that UNIX was far superior to anything they ever made, and switched.

ISF

[clindhartsen 5]

Keep one thing in mind people, most of us only need what's included in Home Premium and that only costs roughly 160 dollars for the upgrade version, assuming most of us here have legit versions of Windows XP at this time.

Anyway, Vista is perfectly capable at this time to run on down to 512 and even better on 1GB, but in all resoects, most PCs are already coming with 512 and most are now selling with over 1 GB in their case.

Also, for the comparison, does Apple include an instant backup option (Shawdow Copies exist in Ultimate), computability to any PCI, AGP, or PCI-E piece of hardware, an integrated media center with TV-tuner capabilities, IPv6 native support, working speech recognition, ability for external mini-displays on laptops, IE7, and not to mention a number of other features in the OS?

[Zelgadis 638]

Mac OSX:  $120 for full (non-upgrade) version.  Forgot to mention that. 

I don't have a need for a lot of the kinds of functions that you mention, Clind.  But I know most are there in OSX and Macs.  There is instant backup somewhere (again, I don't use it.  )  It'll take almost any kind of internal card, no drivers necessary.  Speech: yes.  IPv6:  dunno what that is but I've seen it in there before.  External displays on laptops:  Yup.  Desktops all have dual monitor support.  IE7:  Nope, Safari.  Firefox kicks Safari and IE's butts anyway.  TV tuner:  No idea.  Don't have a use for that stuff; wouldn't use it if I had it.   

Basically, as far as features are concerned, they each have a few things the other doesn't.  My biggest curiosity is if adding hardware to Vista is any different.  Yesterday, I put a wirless network card in my other Windows computer with XP.  My PC expert boyfriend spent four hours just trying to get Windows to find it, install drivers, and then get it to work. When I put hardware in my Mac, it's plug, start, password, and go.  No drivers needed.  Same with my new video card.  I installed my Apple wireless internet card in 5 minutes.  How's Vista with that now?

Interestingly too, Microsoft has written in their authorization agreement that Vista Basic and Home Premium cannot be run virtually.  So, basically, they're forcing Linux and Mac users to purchase Pro or Ultimate for virtual running.  Now they've shot themselves in the foot.  I suspect that a great deal of people will crack Basic rather than pay.  Microsoft is gonna lose money on that one...

ISF

[clindhartsen 5]

Honestly, most of my experiences with a PC have been perfect with the rare occasional lapse for whatever reason. I've plugged in a new audio card, threw in the CD, the drivers instantly installed and out came the sound, just one of my own experiences.

Personally, I just don't see the point in a person spending twice the amount for a computer that runs an OS that now looks overdone (honestly, the blue gel stuff is kind of sickening) and can't run half the games or other software available to PCs without some works arounds implemented. Really, Vista is going to end up being an immitation of OS X no matter what, why? Because it's the defacto comparison many people automatically make and some ideas can only be improved, not come out of blank air. Also, many features in OS X now were already in earler beta and lab builds of Longhorn (codename for Vista from 01-06)

[cinzbenz 3]

I'm pretty impressed with Vista Home Premium. The upgrade from XP SP2 was smooth and problem-free. Vista runs smoothly, SimCity4 plays beautifully in it, and it's a good-looking interface. While I'm not a fan of Microsoft products, this one is nice.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: zelgadis Well, y'all know I'm biased. But I can add what I've noticed.

- Vista Ultimate: $500. Mac OSX: $120 - does the same stuff, basically.

- Resource hog. Vista requires 1GB of ram according to what I've read. Yikes! I've got OSX 10.4.8 running on my old 1999 PPC G3!

- Closed. Again, from what I've read, Vista is more closed-source than ever.

My final observation is that it's time for Microsoft to wise up and realize that their core code isn't cutting it anymore. Mac came to this conclusion many years ago when they realized that UNIX was far superior to anything they ever made, and switched.

ISF

quote>

I'm biased too.   And I've watched PC journalists pull out benchmark numbers and force their Mac coworkers to admit defeat.

Most people that run Windows don't realize this, but the core code that drives XP isn't the same as the code that drives Vista.  Vista may be Microsoft's next desktop OS, but it is actually built off the Microsoft Server software; the core code comes from Windows Server Edition 2003 Service Pack 1.  At the core level, Vista is an entirely different dog from XP; so much so that from what I've seen and been told, even components like mice aren't guaranteed to work with Vista (my mouse, while from Microsoft and part of a marketing campaign, bears a Vista approved seal on it and many other products are too).  Vista is different from XP at the most basic levels.

Also, in the opinions of many of my friends, it's difficult to adjust the low-level setting on a Mac.  While this may sound like a conflict of interest, I know a guy that is Microsoft certified (and 17 to boot) and he is of the opinion that Macs are good computers, but the ability to adjust the settings of Windows makes Windows the better of the two programs.  At this dude's school, there are two Microsoft certified network administrators working under the main tech administrator, and according to my friend, none of the students in the school have seen internet as fast as the school has it.  The school has a dedicated 40Mbps cable connection distributed among 40 computers, which is technically slower than a good DSL line.  Most of the students stay late at school to surf the web in the computer lab because it beats their own home connections.  It took the two network administrators about a week to get the network they way they wanted, but once they had tweaked the various settings in Windows, a computer on that network could surf the internet faster at peak usage times than a computer with a dedicated T3 line.

[cameron1991 0]

Im wondering whether I should upgrade to vista, My mum works for the Bank of New Zealand which just upgraded all its computers to the new windows server OS and made a great deal with microsoft, so that all BNZ staff members can get the latest microsoft software for extremely low prices, like Microsoft office proffesional,  which retails at $1150 in shops, and BNZ staff members can get the full version for just $20! They are also selling Vista for the same price as well, so im thinking I might get a copy of it to try it out and see how it goes.

[Mayor of Tempest Lake 34]

Let's just say, I'll phone up Dell and insist on getting my next laptop with Win XP. If they don't, the first thing I'll do when I get my laptop will be to format the drive and install XP Pro x64.

[coolotter88 2]

ah microsoft has no friends anyway, why would people pirate microsoft products?

a) they're so FREAKIN' expensive, why would anyone not under the influence of mind altering drugs buy an office suite at a whopping $1150 when they could simply download it for free? (or buy it off the street for 5 bucks in hong kong?)

b) to spite (insert evil company here)...I know I have.

for dell, you can request linux but microsoft says you can't distribute xp anymore or something like that...They're desperate to sell vista so they're forcing it on you.

[beebs 129]

Originally posted by: coolotter88 ah microsoft has no friends anyway, why would people pirate microsoft products?

a) they're so FREAKIN' expensive, why would anyone not under the influence of mind altering drugs buy an office suite at a whopping $1150 when they could simply download it for free? (or buy it off the street for 5 bucks in hong kong?)

b) to spite (insert evil company here)...I know I have.

quote>

Because that is quite illegal. And as a reminder to everyone here, discussing the partaking of pirating is quite a big no-no on this site. You might hate Microsoft with a passion, but that is no reason to steal their product. It's the same justification as saying you don't like a clothing store, and so you steal a shirt for revenge. Ain't gonna fly.

[coolotter88 2]

I know that, I was just joking...sort of a reference towards that monty python skit with the guy who says everyone wants to burn down an important building..."I know i have"

[tomtad23 0]

Originally posted by: S1acker I only have one thing to say...

Windows Vista = Another cheap crappy Microsoft imitation of Mac - This time its a copy of OS X.quote>

Almost. Microsoft ripped off the graphics from Mac OS X. They copied the 'Aqua' interface that Mac pioneered, called it 'Aero', and voilà - Vista. Of course, it's not a complete copy, since Mac OS X is so much easier to use (not to mention more secure) than Windows

[daniel01 0]

i personlly think that there is no reason to upgrade to Vista. i think that there is no difference from XP. XP was the best that came out.

I was reading PC User Australia, and it got bad reviews becasue of the hiiden bugs, and how harder it is to use Vista. But they also said that it was good for home and business use.

think i'll stick with XP for now.

daniel01

[simwario 95]

I still have Windows 2000 on my PC and i'm still satisfied with it.

Never had any serious crashes with it, the system runs pretty stabile.

I think i would only change to Vista, when it is integrated to a new PC system, but otherwise no.

[ShadeSlayer 15]

I have the Ultimate edition on my laptop, I like it.

[urbanculture 0]

Personally, I must say I like the style of Windows Vista. Very clean, sleek, funky and modern all in 1. But I heard it gets glitches on XP stuff, and isn't compatable with everything. Also the security measures on it are far too high. I mean you don't want it too high, but you also don't want not to have it. Not everything works properly on it either.

[urbanculture 0]

Also I thought XP was brought to stores in 2003??

[Shadow Assassin 336]

2001, actually.

By the way, Macs only seem "more secure" because there aren't many viruses out there that attack that OS. What would you say if Mac was the dominant operating system rather than Windows? They'd be complaining about all the viruses and crap that end up on their computer.

[simmaster07 1,220]

Windows Vista Home Basic is good enough for the average SimCity user. New features include:

- Instant Search
- People Near Me
- Better Categorization
- Windows Sidebar

But the best is the OS Windows Vista Ultimate. Home Premium is really for some us SimCity users who want more out of Windows.

[simmaster07 1,220]

Compatibility features are still included with Vista.

I should know, I run Home Basic.

And there are only 4 main types.

[Eastwinn 6]

After having vista for a month, I can tell you that if you want to play games on it, good luck. 512mb of ram will suddenly disappear. Stick with XP.

[warrior 169]

I have had vista since February and it works fine for me. One huge improvement was the search in Xp it would take about 5 minutes to find something. however in Vista i don't finish typing the word before it's found it. It is definatly not a CHEAP crappy alternative to OSX or what ever it is. The more people who turn to Macs the more likely it is viruses that will be made for Macs. Another thing you can't just stick a a game thats is made for windows Xp into a Mac and make it work straight away. It's the same compatibility issue between Vista and Xp and Mac and Xp. You will have to do something to the game before it works (i know this vista at least) you will have download some patch or it run it a different mode (compatibility, administrator) Another thing there are ways to lower the levels of security, just search the internet a lot of them are NOT hacking or anything like that and are actually where Microsoft have hidden certain settings away so that people who do know nothing can't fiddle (my mum for instance) I see more reason for closed source because if you spent weeks, months or what ever making an operating system and it gets released for free you don't get anything physical from it you also know tat people can claim it's theirs and get no credit for it whether with close source you can sell and people can't just claim it was theirs and some credit goes to you. I'm also sure that quite a bit of people would be a bit suspicious about something free, like why is that free is there something wrong with it( i know a lot of people who do think this) Not saying that is true or that everyone thinks like this.

[Elton_Bush 0]

I have Vista Home Premium with my new pc and have had no problems with it at all. The only gripe i have is my Nvidia drivers they are not 100% reliable with my 7300  and i should have had more than 1Gb of ram fitted

Apart from that its a good OS but unless your building a very powerful rig or are getting a new PC i would stick with XP for now

[ccecill 52]

I have 930 MB of RAM and the thing that I downloaded from windows said that I can run it.

[BlasterNT 5]

Vista does NOT require 1 gig of memory!!

I have 512 mb and Aero Glass enabled and everything runs VERY smoothly

EDIT: also, you can buy home prenium acedemic for only $64 if you are a student of the parent of one of a teacher

[RooRocz 0]

BadVista.com

Need I say more?

[coolotter88 2]

actually, that is true, Vista only eats up your memory (if you happen to have a spare 2-3 gigs lying around) just to sit on it. HOWEVER, when a program (like sim city 4) needs the memory, Vista lets go of that extra memory (your 2-3 gigs lying around) and gives it to the program that needs it. Or at least, that's what i've been hearing.