http://live.pirillo.com/ – There is more than one version of Windows Vista: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate. Why?!
Microsoft wanted to be able to sell Vista Home Basic with low-end hardware and Vista Ultimate with high-end hardware. Do you need Home Basic or Home Premium? Are you going to need the advantages that Ultimate has over Home Premium?
Then there’s the Windows Genuine "Advantage" which can be a support nightmare if you need to reinstall the operating system or install new hardware. And god forbid you try to move your legally licensed copy of Windows to another machine.
Compare this to OS X: there’s only one edition of OS X (although Apple is very guilty of pushing out new versions every couple of years), so there’s no confusion when it comes to selecting an operating system.
Ubuntu might even be a better alternative (depending on the technical level of the user), since you just install the operating system and go.
The bottom line is this: users don’t care about the multiple versions of Windows. They want the computer to start up and just work. They want it to be an appliance, like the car in their driveway, not something they have to constantly tweak to make it "just work."
What operating system do you use?
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I use Ubuntu 7.04(32bit). I’m no linux expert and i was able to get it up and running without any problems whatsoever. A comparison to XP – the CD is live and is fully functional to run the OS before you even install ! Not so with XP. The installation was easier and faster than XP. It installed all needed software for my hardware(drivers), XP lacked drivers for network and video. I can play just about any media without having to search the net for “codecs”. Not so in XP. To be honest i find it much more user friendly over all then XP is.
I use Ubuntu 7.04(32bit). I’m no linux expert and i was able to get it up and running without any problems whatsoever. A comparison to XP – the CD is live and is fully functional to run the OS before you even install ! Not so with XP. The installation was easier and faster than XP. It installed all needed software for my hardware(drivers), XP lacked drivers for network and video. I can play just about any media without having to search the net for “codecs”. Not so in XP. To be honest i find it much more user friendly over all then XP is.
Apple only has about 5-10% of the market share, so their user base isn’t as diverse. Plus, Apple makes their own hardware so they don’t have to worry about users with weak computers.
However, Microsoft should still limit how many versions of the OS there to at most two. First off, MS should have combined Business and Enterprise. Those 2 versions make absolutely no sense. The user base for those 2 versions is about the same, if not exactly the same in most cases. Second, I would eliminate Home Basic. There’s no reason why someone other than a 3rd world nation should have a special cheap version. I say Microsoft should have forced the OEMs to have at minimum Home Premium.
So that leaves us with Ultimate. I’m at a bit of a crossroads on that. I can understand why you won’t want Media Center for Business users. And why you don’t need the encryption and other business-related capabilities of Enterprise for Home use. But I think the value added between Home Premium and Ultimate is minimal, so I say everyone but business users should get Ultimate.
Here’s my breakdown which would have only 2 domestic versions:
everyone – Ultimate Version
business – Business Version
3rd world nations – Vista Basic Version
Apple only has about 5-10% of the market share, so their user base isn’t as diverse. Plus, Apple makes their own hardware so they don’t have to worry about users with weak computers.
However, Microsoft should still limit how many versions of the OS there to at most two. First off, MS should have combined Business and Enterprise. Those 2 versions make absolutely no sense. The user base for those 2 versions is about the same, if not exactly the same in most cases. Second, I would eliminate Home Basic. There’s no reason why someone other than a 3rd world nation should have a special cheap version. I say Microsoft should have forced the OEMs to have at minimum Home Premium.
So that leaves us with Ultimate. I’m at a bit of a crossroads on that. I can understand why you won’t want Media Center for Business users. And why you don’t need the encryption and other business-related capabilities of Enterprise for Home use. But I think the value added between Home Premium and Ultimate is minimal, so I say everyone but business users should get Ultimate.
Here’s my breakdown which would have only 2 domestic versions:
everyone – Ultimate Version
business – Business Version
3rd world nations – Vista Basic Version
I use Windows XP SP2, simply because it works, its stable, and truthfully it does everything I need it to do.
Since my company creates CBT training, we need to have Vista, and I do work on Vista from time to time. I do like some things like the calendar some of the widgets. However, so many programs and hardware either don’t work quite right.
It’s been said before, here and other places… there should just be one version of Vista, period. The OS shouldn’t be the “center” of attention, it should be the platform that enables everything else.
Just my two cents.. I’ll keep with XP until it goes End of Life.
Christopher Rees
Palaestra Training
http://www.palaestratraining.com
I use Windows XP SP2, simply because it works, its stable, and truthfully it does everything I need it to do.
Since my company creates CBT training, we need to have Vista, and I do work on Vista from time to time. I do like some things like the calendar some of the widgets. However, so many programs and hardware either don’t work quite right.
It’s been said before, here and other places… there should just be one version of Vista, period. The OS shouldn’t be the “center” of attention, it should be the platform that enables everything else.
Just my two cents.. I’ll keep with XP until it goes End of Life.
Christopher Rees
Palaestra Training
http://www.palaestratraining.com
Until retirement in 2002, I managed & supported a 200+ client network with multiple locations and heavy network usage, so I am more than familiar with Windows, Unix, Solaris, and (sigh) even MVS. At the time I left, we were running W2K. When it came to my own machine, after leaving, I bought an Apple G5 and I’ve been delighted with it. I’ve been through one OS upgrade which was very smooth and quickly accomplished. The machine never crashes. It runs 24×7 as I support a small webserver for a specialized client base. And if I need to fix anything, since it is built atop Unix, I can directly tweak things that might not be available to tweak using a GUI interface. NeoOffice has proved a 100% replacement for Microsoft Office.
I wouldn’t touch Vista with a 10-foot pole; it seems like it is just not quite ready for prime time. Insufficient/nonexistent drivers; sluggish performance; stability problems; yeesh–I don’t NEED that anymore!
Until retirement in 2002, I managed & supported a 200+ client network with multiple locations and heavy network usage, so I am more than familiar with Windows, Unix, Solaris, and (sigh) even MVS. At the time I left, we were running W2K. When it came to my own machine, after leaving, I bought an Apple G5 and I’ve been delighted with it. I’ve been through one OS upgrade which was very smooth and quickly accomplished. The machine never crashes. It runs 24×7 as I support a small webserver for a specialized client base. And if I need to fix anything, since it is built atop Unix, I can directly tweak things that might not be available to tweak using a GUI interface. NeoOffice has proved a 100% replacement for Microsoft Office.
I wouldn’t touch Vista with a 10-foot pole; it seems like it is just not quite ready for prime time. Insufficient/nonexistent drivers; sluggish performance; stability problems; yeesh–I don’t NEED that anymore!
Actually, Jaxim, there is the Vista Starter Edition (VERY crippled) for the 3rd world nations market that sells for the equivalent of $3.00 US. Though I do agree that there really shouldn’t be a Home Basic Edition.
“Plus, Apple makes their own hardware so they don’t have to worry about users with weak computers.”
No, Apple USED TO make their own hardware. Now it’s basically a painted Dell with a cheap hack of a BIOS. Nothing special there.
I’ve been using Ubuntu exclusively for a while now. Prior to that I was using Debian 2.something, prior to that Mandrake.
I use Kubuntu, I like KDE more than GNOME.
Great thing about linux, you’re not stuck with one stupid UI that you can’t do anything with.
Golly, I miss the spyware and viruses …
I just love the fact that every brainless person starts given advices regarding who should or should not install Vista.
Like Jaxim he doesn’t have any idea what so ever regarding IT.
What the hack does this mean :
“everyone – Ultimate Version
business – Business Version
3rd world nations – Vista Basic Version”. Brain dead.
I use Vista on my production station and it’s ok, no problems.
I also like the chick that says the printer isn’t working on Vista. Well off course it ain’t working on Vista since the idiots who created the printer didn’t deliver the drivers for it.
What does Microsoft have to do with that ?
I have been running Ubuntu (64 bit) on a secondary machine for about 6 months. As I become more comfortable with the OS, more of my workload is moving to the Ubuntu machine. I don’t yet see a day when I will turn off the XP and OS X machines, but it may be coming.
ya this all may be true that people go for ultiment but it depends if home basic can game, so i want to know can vista basic play games such as battle field 2, 2142, lost planet(when it comes out), halo 2 for vista and any other game or do i have to get the premium pack upgrade.
e-mail me back at [email protected]
Yah, I live in a 3rd world nation and I have that Windows Vista Starter. Man, it really SUCKS.. I mean really. I was so disappointed with it. I bet Windows XP SP2 worked better than this crap! I wanted to have a cheap laptop with a good OS, and all I get is this?! What in the blue hell is wrong with Microsoft???!
Mac OS X Tiger. Works great. Looking forward to the new features in Leopard. Time Machine. Spaces. Stacks. Quick Look.
Mac OS X Tiger. Works great. Looking forward to the new features in Leopard. Time Machine. Spaces. Stacks. Quick Look.
Conspiracy Theory: Windows Vista was designed to fail intentionally, just like the auto industry did in America. It generates revenue because it does not live up to its operating potential. It will be around for some time and have good times and bad, but overall it will not eclipse XP.
Chris is just pissed at Microsoft cuz they’re an evil corperation. The Vista with Aero Glass theme is actually pretty nice. I bought this laptop from Best Buy the other day for $550 before tax and it performs amazingly well.
Windows Experience Index scores:
Processor Genuine Intel(R) CPU T2080 @ 1.73GHz
4.6
Memory (RAM) 0.99 GB
4.5
Graphics Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
3.1
Gaming graphics 224 MB Total available graphics memory
3.0
Primary hard disk 50GB Free (71GB Total)
4.8
Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium
System
Manufacturer Acer, inc.
Model Aspire 5570Z
Total amount of system memory 1016.00 MB RAM
System type 32-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 2
64-bit capable No
Storage
Total size of hard disk(s) 141 GB
Disk partition (C:) 50 GB Free (71 GB Total)
Disk partition (D:) 70 GB Free (70 GB Total)
Media drive (E:) CD/DVD (DL DVD burner)
Abemore,
I bought the following from Circuit City for $499:
Acer
AMD Athlon 64 X2 1.7GHz (dual core)
Bus speed 1600MHz
Level 2 cache 512KB
RAM: 1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-4200)
RAM expandable to: 4GB
Hard drive 5400: RPM SATA 160GB
Burns DVDs
Screen: 15.4″ 1280 x 800
Video memory 512MB (shared)
3 USB 2.0 ports
PC card slot
5 in 1 card reader
Wireless: 802.11b/g & Bluetooth
Built-in webcam
Windows® Vista Home Premium
6.2 lbs.
I bought mine for business. I was on the phone this evening with a business associate and I was trying to access a link in FireFox.
I had to jump off of my new laptop and jump onto my P3 600 running Win 98 because my laptop was making the task of accessing a web link painfull.
My P3 600 loaded the link immediately. Yes. My 7-year old computer allows me to get work done quicker than my brand new dual core AMD with a SATA drive. What’s wrong with that picture?
Since I’ve been a Mac user since 1985, I can tell you that I’ve long recognized the importance of how quickly and easily you can get work done vs. having a “faster” or more powerful computer. The only thing that really counts with a computer for business us is how product *I* am–not the computer–measured in real time.
Vista phails. On paper the new laptop should crush my P3 600. In reality, I can get more done, more efficiently, with my older box.
And if I need more than 1 gig of RAM to surf the net, somebody at MS needs come to terms with reality.
I will write this again; I’ve had the computer for 1 24-hour cycle. My Pentium 3 600 MHz computer surfs the web more quickly and more efficiently than 1.7 MHz 64 bit Athlon with a 2 core processor and a 1600 MHz bus speed.
Whisky Tango Foxtrot?
Abemore,
I bought the following from Circuit City for $499:
Acer
AMD Athlon 64 X2 1.7GHz (dual core)
Bus speed 1600MHz
Level 2 cache 512KB
RAM: 1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-4200)
RAM expandable to: 4GB
Hard drive 5400: RPM SATA 160GB
Burns DVDs
Screen: 15.4″ 1280 x 800
Video memory 512MB (shared)
3 USB 2.0 ports
PC card slot
5 in 1 card reader
Wireless: 802.11b/g & Bluetooth
Built-in webcam
Windows® Vista Home Premium
6.2 lbs.
I bought mine for business. I was on the phone this evening with a business associate and I was trying to access a link in FireFox.
I had to jump off of my new laptop and jump onto my P3 600 running Win 98 because my laptop was making the task of accessing a web link painfull.
My P3 600 loaded the link immediately. Yes. My 7-year old computer allows me to get work done quicker than my brand new dual core AMD with a SATA drive. What’s wrong with that picture?
Since I’ve been a Mac user since 1985, I can tell you that I’ve long recognized the importance of how quickly and easily you can get work done vs. having a “faster” or more powerful computer. The only thing that really counts with a computer for business us is how product *I* am–not the computer–measured in real time.
Vista phails. On paper the new laptop should crush my P3 600. In reality, I can get more done, more efficiently, with my older box.
And if I need more than 1 gig of RAM to surf the net, somebody at MS needs come to terms with reality.
I will write this again; I’ve had the computer for 1 24-hour cycle. My Pentium 3 600 MHz computer surfs the web more quickly and more efficiently than 1.7 MHz 64 bit Athlon with a 2 core processor and a 1600 MHz bus speed.
Whisky Tango Foxtrot?
I also want to add that the first things I did after I opened the computer were to remove all the Norton packware and replace it with AVG, choose the Win 98 theme, and uncheck all the visual effects.
Also, what’s up with the delay when using the Shutdown command?
I am beginning to think that Microsoft is punishing me for loading Firefox, Thunderbird, and StarOffice 8… and if Vista replaces my Macintosh themed pointers with the Vista pointers one more time, I’m going say very bad things under my breath….
I have use a few operating systems from dos, win 3.11 to win XP. Vista settings are by far the hardest to configure and a lot of programs don’t wotk on it. At this rate, learning how to use Linux might be easier and less stressful.
I can’t belive I paid $300 for Vista Ultimate. Dell can’t help me with this crap and Microsoft can’t help me with this crap! Anybody know why none of my USB devices will work with Vista. I have tried desperately to get help and nobody cares about their customers anymore. Time for Google to pick up and conquer this mess of an industry.
I now have Linux Ubuntu 7.0.4 on my desktop and laptop. Installation is a breeze and everything just works. Plenty of third party software apps to choose from (thousands in fact). All my hardware was supported out of the box (printers, scanners, etc).
I can still run everything I used in Windows, including Skype, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, movies, mp3’s and Open Office has been a great alternative to MS Office.
Vista was a nightmare for my parents. Unsupported hardware (although not MS’s fault), it’s slow, even after adding a gig of RAM to move to 2 gigs. The recycle bin mysteriously dissapeared, web surfing takes forever compared to XP, and it has “locked up” a few times. Plus they are nagged to death due to Vista’s “enhanced” security.
Maybe these issues will be resolved in a major service pack or something. Let’s hope so, I’m not impressed at all with Vista.
I think Vista is great! I don’t care about functionality, or even if my computer is fast or not. Even when my computer crashes, I’m happy. Why is that? Because I love the Aero glass. It’s sooo cool! I turn it on in the morning and slide windows around all day and play with it. Amazing! MS, you’ve done a good thing!
I think Vista is great! I don’t care about functionality, or even if my computer is fast or not. Even when my computer crashes, I’m happy. Why is that? Because I love the Aero glass. It’s sooo cool! I turn it on in the morning and slide windows around all day and play with it. Amazing! MS, you’ve done a good thing!
jz, you’re crazy… It’s just a ripoff of Mac OS X’s beautiful interface. i think that Bill Gate’s true ideals have been lost… i switched to os x after XP…. XP was the last thing that worked for me…
I just installed Vista Ultimate this evening, because I wanted to see for myself if it’s good or bad, rather than take other ppls word for it. I farted around with it for 2 hours, turning off as much of the shit I don’t like as I could. I finally gave up after running out of ideas on how to change the display resolution and colour depth. Things that I used to do with 1 or 2 clicks now take 6 or 8, or can’t be done at all.
Vista sucks. Really sucks. I suspected we didn’t need it and I was right. Admittedly, I’ve been spoiled by using Server 2003 for the last 4 years, but even XP isn’t bad, if you turn off the cartoon desktop.
Vista has removed the option of retrofitting your UI to resemble Winddows 2000. The Security Center nags you to death, assuming you’re some sort of idiot. OS features are hidden from you even more than with XP. There are even more “features” cloaking even more DRM. In reality, it’s just more eye candy and even more pandering to the computer-illiterati.
Vista? No, thanks. I might try Server 2008. But not yet; Server 2003 Service Pack 2 has just come out. That’ll do me, I think.
BTW, JZ above is exactly the sort of moron M$ is counting on to make Vista a big success. Unfortunately, there are enough of them around that it just might work. That’s why it’s so important for the rest of us to fight back.
Any discussion about Micrsoft is always tricky. At some level, I do understand why Microsoft would release multiple versions of Vista… However, I also feel that it’s overkill. As some others have already posted, I think 2 versions of an OS at a time is PLENTY.
But, there is something that is missing from this thread: the discussion about MONEY and PROFIT. The multiple versions of Vista mean more $$$ for Microsoft. It’s not ALL about functionality and practical usage for EVERYONE. They’ve marketed the different versions to different demographics and are making money doing so.
The average computer user is comfortable with Microsoft products, hence their popularity. I hear what you are all saying about Ubuntu and various versions of Linux, not to mention Mac OS, but for consumers, the Microsoft platform is more readily, and easily available.
Personally, I’m torn. I do like and support Microsoft. I’m a software engineer and have been developing on the .NET framework with great success and productivity. The hard part is that Microsoft is attacking from all angles and they are succeeding a great deal of the time. The support for other operating systems just does not exists (besides Mac). It seems that the new Windows Vista is just something new. Not necessarily better, but new.
In the long run, who cares??? Its a damn computer. I have Vista Business currently and never ONCE had a problem. (running on a Dell machine). If you know how to use your machine, it will be kind to you. If you don’t, you’re going to have problems. God damn Microsoft.
Wow chris…i was expecting a long, detailed, factual article on windows vista’s “suckage”. I was wrong… 🙁
I use PCLinuxOS 2007 myself, and have been quite happy with it. In fact, of all the Linux distros I’ve tried, if one has enough RAM for the KDE desktop on it, PCLOS is what I would recommend to anyone wishing to explore the Linux world. And if that winds up being too slow for ’em, then I’d recommend SAM as an alternative, which is based on PCLOS, but with the lightweight XFCE desktop, which is designed to run comfortably on older computers.
With all I’ve heard about Vista, I’m glad I bailed out of the Windows claptrap when I did. I’ve discovered a much better alternative, one I’m more than happy to share with anyone at all who’s having problems with their computers! 🙂
Fred in St. Louis
My expert opinion? Windows Vista will go down in history the same way that Windows ME (Medieval Edition/Mostly Excrement). Edsel is to Ford as Vista is to Gates.
I had vista could not get it to work at all it would crash before i could configure it to do anything and it was incomputable with everything. purchased xp pro and can do anything i want i think it is a way to get people to purchase xp pro after they have upgraded to the best vista. which is like saying the best dung pile. Why would they call a collection of nice looking stuff in a mess of bad code an upgrade.
I used windows ME for years with no problem. it didn’t need sleep or hibernate. It was the fastest booting and shutting down OS ever! I seem to be the only person who could ever tolerate windows ME.
…well it wasn’t the fasted os ever
but it was the fastest shitty windows os in recent years
unfortunately, try as i might to live in the past, eventually i have to upgrade to support the new shit.
I just purchased 3 Vista Home Premium machines (2 quad core bundles, 1 laptop), and setting up the first quad core was such a chore, I had problems loading up the preinstall 2 times before it fully completed the third time. I installed half of my programs I use (even though they are vista compliant, according to their websites), I uninstalled most of the junkware that came with the preinstall, I installed a few of my many games, I installed Onecare (I know, I know, but it was thrown in for free because I bought 3 machines from Futureshop, I even got them to replace the 20″ widescreen for a 22″ widescreen with a TV tuner, best monitor I got almost for free ever, I can even hook up the 360 in 720p), for a OS that is touted a gaming OS (Games for Windows), I had to fire up my windows xp pro machine to figure out how to use the update features in them. One Care had to get permission from the OS to do everything (Is it me or does that not make sense?). Main problem though “Windows Explorer Has Stopped Responding” “Windows Explorerer Is Restarting” Sheesh, Quad Core Intel with 3Gb Ram, and a meazly Ati 2600 pro is so damn slow on Vista. Second computer I had to run install only 2 times to get the damn thing working as opposed to 3 on the first machine, barely installed anything on that one (just WoW really, and I had experience on getting that game to work from my first machine). Laptop installed the first time, so I figured everything was only going forward… Boy was I wrong…get to windows update install everything, check again…Oh my an updated Intel Chipset driver from Intel! Lets install it! Reboot machine when it informs me to…OMFG! A BSOD!!! What am I using? WinME??? Dual Core laptop with 256Mb dedicated Video and 2Gb ram is NFG with Vista. Windows Restore I thought I would never use you unless a virus or spyware borked my system…On a friggin’ Recommended Optional Install from the Windows Update Site???? Now I have to hide that update…(or my wife and sons will see it and try to install it (as we all make sure our pc’s are up to date) I should note that the Explorer issue is not tied down to one computer but to all the new machines I bought… I am going to dig up my XP pro install discs wipe my hard drive clean (even if Lose the Vista restore partition, I don’t care… I have the license sticker on the pc, my friend has the Vista Dvd, so If Vista gets it’s act together then maybe I will reinstall it), and I hear good things about XPsp3 coming in a month or two (screw Vistasp1, that may be negative and uncalled for and narrow minded, with all the problems I have with it I don’t care), or maybe I will try out linux too. The only thing I really like about Vista is the Parental Control (I have children), but I can use Family Safety with my XP machines, so… I hate being a Guinea Pig to find and sort out all the bugs for MS, isn’t that what I did when I was running RC1 and RC2??? Some people liked ME, I installed it and went back to 98se, some people liked Xp when it first came out, again I installed it and went back to 98se until after Sp1, some people like and have no problems with vista, I am going to wipe my HD and install XP pro on all my new machines. Right now Vista Sucks IMO
My PC gives me much touble with Win vista, so I changed my OS to Win XP.
I hate vista. HATE IT! HATE IT! HATE IT! I have the Home Premium Edition. And then it’s on an emachines! Wow…and I thought I hated Windows NT…heck, these operating systems Microsoft is coming out with are crappier as they come out… I mean, I loved XP, but I couldn’t even figure out how to get the UAC off of Vista! It was dumb luck I found where to go…if you want to get the annoying UAC off of it, just click the start button and click the picture (you know, your startup picture) when you have clicked start and then you have to go down to the bottom of the window that pops up! The best OS in my opinion was XP Professional. I loved it like a Borg son…WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO US, BILL GATES? WHY????!!!!! Oh, and one other thing…don’t try running “older” software on vista. It’s incompatible with pretty much everything before XP… I tried putting an older program of norton on it and a message popped up that said “This program is incompatible with vista.” I tried to run it and it WOULD NOT RUN AT ALL! It just went to an infamous screen…the blue screen of DEATH!!! I’m going to apple! I just have to figure out how to right click without 2 mouse buttons… Yeah, I like Star Trek. What of it? Anyway, good luck. Set a course for Apple Computers. Engage!
I am ready to quit being a developer because Vista SUCKS so bad!!!!
I use flash cs3, flex, photoshop primarily, and am constantly cussing my head off because the new laptop that forced Vista on me keeps crashing. plus the machine which is twice the hardware of my previous laptop is half as fast as the old machine.
Vista is the worst thing that Microsoft has ever done!!!!!!
I’m going apple frome now on. The extra 1000.00+ is worth the price so i can avoid the ridiculous waste of productivity that has plagued my work since I downgraded to Vista.
I have to agree that Vista is the worst thing to ever happen to a pc, I have an Acer 5570z, a cheaper pc but some ok specs, dual core, gig of ram, 120 gig of ram, but Vista destroyed it!! Of course I have wipped out my system and downgraded to XP Pro SP 2, which was a smart move. I had to go through the dreaded process of finding and downloading all the drivers for my pc but it was worth it, the only things I cant get the drivers for are the wireless (which got screwed on Vista too) and I cant burn dvds (which didnt work on Vista either, go figure) even Acers president had this to say about Vista “Lanci said the operating system was riddled with problems and gave users and businesses no reason to buy a new PC, according to the report. Taiwan-based Acer is the world’s fourth-largest PC manufacturer, after HP, Dell and Lenovo.” “Users are voting with their feet, Lanci said, so that the Vista launch has had the smallest impact on PC sales of any version of Windows in the history of PC manufacturing. He added the situation didn’t look likely to change in the next six months.
Many business customers have specifically asked for Windows XP to be installed on their new machines, Lanci noted.”
And this was stated in PC World Magazine. Unfortunetly I was not able to get my copy of XP from Acer and they dont have very good suport for getting new drivers, but I had to do what I had to do, I wouldnt mind trying Linux Ubuntu but I do alot of Photoshop and use alot of Windows software, so im wondering how compatible Windows software is with it.
i unfortunately use windows vista ultimate cause i have to for my work. if you could get mac and ubuntu working flawlessly on a pc, that would be the way to go.
People that need specific programs to be run on Win-Doze can take advantade of Ubuntu’s support for dual-booting both OS.
Install your XP, put there ONLY the programs that Ubuntu Wine (Windows Emulator) cannot run, then install Ubuntu, get it to use Grub to choose OS at boot, and enjoy life on the Ubuntu!
I have been a software developer for 10 years using mainly Microsoft products. I have always liked microsoft products but VISTA JUST FLAT SUCKS. My first day with it, and I had all kinds of security problems. I am logged in as administrator yet it asks me if I want to run a program as adminstrator. Ummmm no I think I will run it as someone who has no authority to do anything. Some “brain” at Microsoft decided that they should make the security nearly impossible to use. See this post http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Account_Control
After a week of working with it, it became slower and slower. I decided to just format the hard drive clean and reinstall the OS. Reinstall failed due to driver problems. Dell could not solve the problem so they sent me a new laptop. Ok, maybe it was hardware trouble I thought. Well yes and no. Yes it now runs but God forbid I should have to reinstall the OS at any point. The thing is hopelessly slow. I am running a DUO Core 2 2.2 ghz processor with 2 gigs of RAM and it frankly is not nearly enough. The sad thing is that Visual Studio 2005, the flagship product for developing software runs worse on Vista than it did on XP. I begged dell for an XP disc for my laptop and they refused saying this model did not have XP drivers.
Microsoft’s biggest problem is that they go messing with a good thing for the sake of marketing. Well it backfired big time.
Correction: Apple has not made all their hardware themselfs sence they made the switch over to Intel Processors. I am not even sure if they still make their Mother Boards. I cracked open one of their newer computers, and found the following: Obviously the processor is manufactured by INTEL, not Apple. The mother board inside a new Apple also looks freakishly similar to current Dell mother boards. The one I cracked open looked like it had an Intel graphics chip too.
I got a new computer for Christmas which came loaded with Vista. The computer is awesome, it can do just about anything. Unfortunately, with Vista its reduced to an arcahic piece of crap. Vista sucks so bad, I can’t even open e-mail attachments or view pictures people send me…unless, of course, they have Vista too. Vista is incompatible with absolutely everything that is not also Vista related and any softwre programs that are older than 6 months. So now, I have to take a brand spankin new computer in to have XP installed just so I can use it and run everday programs.
My laptop is an Apple MacBook Pro. Nuff said.
My PC runs Ubuntu Linux since version 5.10 (Breezy Badger). I’ve upgraded from that to Dapper, Feisty, Gutsy and now Hardy Heron (version 8.04).
I have a Windows partition I keep around to help Windows users who need assistance. It also runs a few older apps… but even then those are becoming less desirable.
As you may be aware, Ubuntu’s interface has remained pretty much the same since I started using it. Aside from a few minor tweaks everything is right where it’s supposed to be with each upgrade. Gutsy to Heron was done online and flawlessly. Am I surprised? Not really. I’ve come to expect this from a community that makes quality a matter of pride.
My experience with Vista has been on other people’s machines. And honestly? That upgrade is not going to happen here. You can keep your copy of Ultimate. I would recycle the box, manuals and license for its valuable paper. The DVD would go into the plastic recycle. And my system would remain usable.
My constant thought with the interface was: “What gives? If they ‘improved’ the interface for ex-Mac users and for people who’ve never used a PC before, why did they leave their regular customers, like me, in the dust?”
After working on the laptop, trying to fix its problems, I hand it back to its owner with a: “Man, you have my sympathy.”
I’ve heard people say: “Ubuntu isn’t ready for the desktop.” But that’s generally a cop out way of saying: “Unless Ubuntu is a Windows clone… I don’t want it.” Either way: going from XP to either Vista or Ubuntu (or Mac OS, for that matter) means retraining. May as well be a better OS, wouldn’t you say, Chris?
hi…
i build a computer with a friend of mine…well the computer we built was a prebuilt computer already we just took it apart and swaped the processor over and built it again it was realyl bad because it was an ex hospital computer and you know what they are like so we did everything and as we were building it we found this black metel thing pluged into the mother board and we didnt think we needed it so we unpluged it and chucked it over the room and we built it and booted it and it come up with an error it took us like 3 hours to find out that that metel thing was a security thingy that if u take it off the OS wont work any more…after we booted it and everything was working…in had Windows 98 on it we thought we would upgrade to windows XP home we did and everything worked and XP was running fine with only 128MB ran…it was just about faster than my Vista laptop and we got bored if it in the end we turned the little red switch on the power box and it never turned on again..aha…
thanks for reading
oh yeah the version of XP we installed said we had 20days to enter the right code of it will de activate???how weird
Honestly, i have never used vista, BUT i have heard that almost everyone was disappointed and moved back to windows XP. i think it’s ridiculous that windows has like 50 million versions of operating systems
o lets offer the basic version for people who cant afford any of the high-end computers that are unable to run Windows Vista Ultimate.
I love how apple has only one operating system [Mac OS X] because i feel like they arent discriminating against anyone. Everyone who buys an apple computer is offered the same thing as everyone else. Basically i think windows is using all these versions to make a higher profit. The way i see it people love to have the best of everything…
So which one are you going to buy Windows basic OR WINDOWS ULTIMATE! it’s a no brainer which one will draw more people’s attention
Microsoft really messed up with vista.
1. Its a cheap rip off of os x
2 it has bad security
3. its not compatible with anything
and a lot more
Why is this website REALLY REALLY slow in firefox 3?
“The bottom line is this: users don’t care about the multiple versions of Windows. They want the computer to start up and just work. They want it to be an appliance, like the car in their driveway, not something they have to constantly tweak to make it “just work.””
You state nothing in your “blog” about what needs to be “tweaked” after you install the OS.
Also assuming that ALL users don’t care about what version of Vista they use is just ignorant.
I would say that odds are people who want their computer to “just work” are going to get the cheapest version of Vista, which is the right one for them. Where as someone who knows what they are looking for will know what version they need and buy it.
People don’t get OSX because they enjoy being able to use their computer, upgrade it, and not get shafted by Steve Jobs.
and to Evan, I have had fewer issues installing things on my Vista machine than on a machine running OSX…
XP still rules though, hopefully Windows 7 will be less crappy.
Chris, I use to work for Micosoft supporting Windos XP here in the U.S. The support for Widows Xp was transfered to India and thePhillipines in 2005. I recently called to complain about Windows Vista to support and got a support technician in th Phillipines. I kept him on the line as logas possible (after crumavigating through Microsoft suppor for about 20 minutes). I asked him to document in is case notes that I was completely dissatisfied with Windows Vista and that Microsoft sucked when it came to to his version of Windows. He obviousl was followng a sript when I pointed out my complaints ad wanted to know my prouduct ID. When I mentioned that it contained an OED id, he refered me to my orginal equipement vendor (Vista came preinstalledon my Acer laptop) and to contact them for support… Damn!!!! we would have never done that for Windows XP support taking anything that was thrown at us. Not only has MIcrosoft released a crap product… they are throwing all support issues anywere but where it lies.. with th original product release.. I reformated and installed Window XP. Maybe I will get no support,at least it is stable, and I know how to resolve issues with it…
First off, most people say “Vista sucks”, for no apparant reason other than “Vista sucks”. I can’t comprehend why they can make that rationalization when they have never run it, or have no computer or software engineering background.
Currently I’m running a Core 2 Duo T5500, 2 gb ram, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M w/256 mb of dedicated memory, and a 5400 rpm HD (the HD is fine for this). Vista Ultimate 64 runs flawlessly. It’s not the fastest HD, processor, RAM (333MHz), video card… etc… but it is much more reliable and stable than my other machines running XP Pro with Core 2 Duo’s.
99% of problems are from inexperienced teenagers, or other fat American idiots, who do not really understand what this operating system is designed to do. They complain because their $499 PC they just bought from Dell or HP is slow because “Vista sucks”. In reality it is due to the memory-robbing “bloatware” that is preinstalled on these underpowered machines, or they have installed some frigging drivers that are designed for Windows 95 or some ancient thing. Or they have downloaded some pirated software and became infested with trojans…. or are running 112 other apps in the background… and still expect the machine to be a gift from God.
I hate it when technology falls into the hands of inexperienced home users that have access to message boards such as this and post their ignorant feelings.
And to Evan: I actually get angry reading internet posts from people like you.
Y Chen’s statements are only true on the lowest of levels… of COURSE there are folks who are tech-nots. That goes for both systems and perhaps every electronic device ever made (Can you say “blinking 12:00”?)
But I am in the field. With almost 30 years of experience at the highest levels, I have come to the conclusion that Vista doesn’t just “suck”; it’s an abomination. From the overtly and anal security settings to the way MS moved all the GUI components around NOT because it was needed, but rather because they COULD. And have you tried to do something as simple as share a folder? Sure, you can share it, but heaven help you if you want others to see it. Y Chen has to realize that the vast majority of computer users in the world are far below his level of expertise, and MS should have, at the very least, taken this into account. What the HELL is MS cramming a billion lines of code into a box that does word processing and surfs the net? Okay, I exaggerate, but you get the drift.
In any other business, in any other world, MS would have to declare bankruptcy. But no, the masses have been brainwashed into thinking Windows is the big dog, when in reality it’s merely a victory from their admin offices to get you and others to buy that pile of crap.
I stop with XP as a working machine. I use Vista SIMPLY to test my software, but I will never, EVER, actually use that machine on a daily basis.
Vista is very functional. The security is overly anal? You can configure it to your liking. Turn UAC off? It’s easy.
Moving everything around GUIwise? It is essentially the same, but it has a new look. I find it easier to manipulate. It should be easier for the low-end non-technical user.
Vista is quite a bit more stable. One main problem that does cause the unstability is users installing drivers meant for XP. Then they bitch that they don’t work. It doesn’t take a genious to figure out the problem.
Windows Vista is just one of those things that people will bitch about no matter how good it is. It could be the best thing in the world, but people will hate it because it’s Microsoft. Windows XP was widely hated when it was released, now all you read about on blogs like this is how good it is.
Tony
I run openSuSE 11.1 couldn’t be happier.
It runs smooth, looks nice, is rock solid, and I don’t have to deal with Microsoft at all anymore.
Sheer bliss.
Vista is rubbish. I work as a senior network engineers so I have spent many years of my life fixing bad software from Microsoft, thankfully no anymore i do more senior things like working on Cisco routers. I was a fan of Microsoft in the early days and my company even was a Microsoft partner but these days I would never touch a Microsoft product again. Windows 2000 was good for its time and XP when they fixed all the problems was also good. The way Microsoft advertised VIsta as the cure for all P.C problems. When I actually got a Dell P.C with Vista I was so disappointed. I would loose my network connection constantly. I checked my line, the carriers everything was fine. For some reason the software in Vista would disconnect my connection. I’ve even tried the Windows mobile phones. What a joke! Now I have a Blackberry and it’s never crashed once. Windows 7 will have all of the same problems and a big marketing campaign. Why bother taking another risk with Microsoft? At this point i’m getting a Mac. The Mac platform is stable and it works! I don’t care about the marketing hype any more from Microsoft. People just want computers that work. If you get a Micrsoft product now, it may start out fast for the first week, but give it a month, it will run like a snail. There is just too much malware out there. Microsoft as a OS software provider now is a joke. The only good product they have is Office. A long story short shift to a mac.
I finally took the plunge and upgraded to VISTA, I felt that I needed to keep up reasonably with technology. I installed it without a problem. Worked fine until I wanted sound. No sound my highly expensive $700AUS creative audigy system was not compatible with vista. Then I found some start up programs I wanted to run at start up, wouldn’t because vista thought better. I installed all the vista drivers like a good boy, which then made my TV card no longer work. I installed creative vista sound drivers such as they are and that was instant death. on the reboot cycle got the blue screen of death. So I ran the repair tool, it refused to repair. So I ran the system restore, of all the 20 points for restore, I could use none, so that was the end of vista. I restored the xp ghost, and hope my days of hell are over.
It;s a pity really because I was liking the interface, however it did go against my philosophy that I should rule the computer, not the computer rule me. Microsoft must have a certain arrogance, and what must it be like for other people who just want a computer to enjoy, I am reasonably competent and can overcome most problems, but the last few days have been a nightmare.
If I were to Mark VISTA a score out of 10, zero being excellent, and 10 being awesome, My score would me something like minus 10million – It;s widely missed the mark for acceptability.
Software companies would make their software much better if they were liable for it’s failings.
WHERE DO I SEND THE BILL FOR TIME WASTED?
I was recently introcuded to Vista about Dec 16, 2008. I am already having problems. Configurations aren’t as you left them. Settings aren’t as you set them. Permissions aren’t as you permit them. I find myself battling my pc for control. I even use command prompt to get things done. “Update.microsoft.com/” leads to GOOGLE.com. I gotta wipe it clean and find an older OS.
It seems that every new version of Windows is more unfriendly toward the home pc user than the last. In their quest to build the ultimate os for businesses, the folks at MS seem to have forgotten that a huge portion of their consumer base are ordinary home users who find many of the so-called “improvements” confusing at best, and infuriating at worst. Home pc’s are indeed an appliance, and we shouldn’t be forced to re-learn how to use them every few years just so MS can make a few billion more dollars.
I have never liked Vista in the fact that nothing works on it and that it is generally slow. I don’t need my OS to look all ‘pretty’ or to automatically update itself to the point where it interferes with what I’m working on.
Even right now I have no idea what the hell it’s doing in the background. A couple of weeks ago I had Norton – thought ‘hmm… maybe something’s wrong’ – so uninstalled Norton completely and tried AVG – still nothing.
I have a dual-core Intel processor with 4GB of RAM. This machine should not slow down… not like this.
You will always find fanboys for everything… even Vista. The pet rock had them, spray on hair had them. Milli Vanilli even had them. Vista sucks just cause… it sucks n, stuff! Yea! oh wait…
Could it be because it’s a resource hog? Were not talking a little bit hoggish, were talking like a 440 charger towing a freight train kind of hog. Why exactly do you need 4 gigs of ram to almost do what XP could do with under 1 ?
The defragger “worked” one time. It took half of the evening but it “worked”. It doesn’t “work” anymore though. It was actually slower than the one in “98. A real step up. Very retro.
The security dialogs have already been gone over. They’re GREAT!
“You need to log in as an Administrator” to run pretty much anything. Lovely. BRAVO BILLY! (golf clap)
It’s obvious that the entire user interface was just completely mixed up and rearranged until… someone just grabbed a Cdr off a programmers desk and said “we should have had this last Monday”. Were using it… Sorry…
It’s a slow, incompatible, pain in the neck, resource hog that induces more headaches and nausea than the Nintendo “Virtual Boy’ did.
Vista is a train wreck. If you do your own research, you will see that Micro$oft actually found a way to make something worse than Win ME.
Other than all of that stuff, it’s a pretty good OS though. I know a mistress that has one in her “chamber”. She tells me about how her “slaves” pay here to use it. They really enjoy the whole: pain/humiliation/torture aspect of it with a good measure of the “money slave” role playing thrown in. So I guess Vista isn’t all bad… if your a sadist.
I hate Vista too. I was ripped off by buying a PC in April rather than August. At least I can install Windows XP Professional instead of useless-now Vista.
VISTA.IS.A.PIECE.OF.NON-WORKING.CRAP.
I have a Toshiba laptop with 512 megabytes of memory, 1.72 GHz celeron m cpu, snd thats good enough for general use..
Until Vista steps in.
Vista slows it down so much i have to wait 3 freaking minutes for it to boot, and a mere 10 minutes for it to start up its crap like uac and explorer.exe. Then it works like a snail. I got so mad i powered it down by force. And what happened?
A boot error with code 0xc000000f.
Installed Ubuntu after I found out about it. It works so fast now that I don’t have to wait for anything. Also installed it on my desktop, still with VISTA on it, so i’m multi-booting. Apparently THIS vista is not as bad as the laptop’s, and i have games to play for windows.. Ubuntu is highly recommended.
Think Vista is nice. NO. Try Again.
Don’t forget they completely changed the user interface around FOR NO REASON, renamed things FOR NO REASON, moved familiar elements clear over to the side, corner, etc. FOR NO REASON, completely changed around the location, names, and structure of familiar settings FOR NO REASON. Changed Yes/No to Save/Don’t Save FOR NO REASON (even though it’s still asking a y/n type question). Oh, but it’s “prettier” and slower etc. Ever hear of the word “familiarity” micro$$$oft? It’s certainly possible to “improve” things w/o breaking familiarity, but micro$$$oft doesn’t know that. Asinine.