Vista vs. XP

[Terence McCann]

Originally posted by chicago

P.S I will hate being forced to give up my XP

My wife got a new desktop last week, it shipped with Vista. After 10 minutes with it I promptly reformatted the hard drive and loaded XP Pro on it.

[n/a30]

My HP Vista laptop works great in the field. Same for the Compaq XP laptop.

I also use a Compaq Ipaq complete with Microsoft office and all the IRC codes. It fits nicely into a large shirt or pants pocket.

Some times newer is not better. It is only newer, and thus has a fresh marketing push (hype) until it proves itself worthy of any serious investment.

[Lewis Capaul]

Originally posted by Terence McCann

Originally posted by chicago

P.S I will hate being forced to give up my XP

My wife got a new desktop last week, it shipped with Vista. After 10 minutes with it I promptly reformatted the hard drive and loaded XP Pro on it.

A good move. I have Three different versions of Vista setting here in their factory packages, I'm waiting for SP2 to come out before Vista goes on any of my computers. My son teaches Computer Science at a local College and he won't touch it yet either.

[n/a30]

The only hang up with Vista is that the "Windows Explorer" was sort of eliminated in order to make the machine act more like a MAC. I miss the directory tree and standard "file management" functions.

The learning curve and changes to MS office might cause some a few iniitial problems if they expect everything to stay the same. It does not. Everything changes in technology, sometimes far too rapidly for the average person who can get caught on the "bleeding edge." Some slow learners might want shop around for the brightest instructors and books / publications if they need some beginner orientation to Vista. Do not fear Vista. It does not bite.

[homnspector]

I ditched it because a large portion of my software doesn't work on Vista. I am not ready to upgrade Adobe Acrobat, Macromedia Contribute and a few others that are expensive to replace.

[Chris Bernhardt]

A few months ago I got a vista box as a loner while my main XP box was in the shop. I had to buy a new printer, upgrade to office 2007 and adobe 8. What a nightmare. I was cussing for a good week. After using Vista for a month I got use to it and even started liking some of the new features.

Chris, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Chris Bernhardt

A few months ago I got a vista box as a loner while my main XP box was in the shop. I had to buy a new printer, upgrade to office 2007 and adobe 8. What a nightmare. I was cussing for a good week. After using Vista for a month I got use to it and even started liking some of the new features.

Chris, Oregon

You shoulda just stuck with Windows 3.1.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[SonOfSwamp]

Like it or not, all PC users will be running Vista sooner or later; and, we'll all have to buy replacements for our old software, such as Adobe Acrobat.

While I'm thinking about it, Windows Explorer is alive and well in Vista. I use it every day.

WJ

PS: All that said, I can't get my Vista PC to network with my XP machine. Google "Vista network problems" and you'll see that Vista and XP just don't play well together...

[Jim Baird]

"I ditched it because a large portion of my software doesn't work on Vista."

"What's puzzlin you is the nature of my game."

My local computer guru has downloaded a free OP called "Ubuntu" or something like that from Linux. He has it on a separate hard drive and says it is pretty agreeable and is compatible with lots of windows stuff.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by SonOfSwamp

I can't get my Vista PC to network with my XP machine. Google "Vista network problems" and you'll see that Vista and XP just don't play well together...

I guess ignorance is bliss. I'm a computer moron and I've made mine talk to each other. Go figure.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Brian G]

I wish I had never started down the Microsoft road. Imbedded as I am in their software, I'll stick with XP Pro until changing becomes totally unavoidable. When that happens I'm going to start over with a Linux system like Ubuntu or Linspire. I'll be happier not supporting ineptitude or villany.

Brian G.

Planning My Escape [:-masked]

[ozofprev]

Microsoft is terrific and terrible. Economically, it is advantageous to have a common system. It doesn't really matter whether the system is the best - beta was technically better than VHS, but Sony wouldn't allow porn on their proprietary format, so they lost the war to VHS (Sony learned its lesson and is allowing porn on Blu-ray).

The grass is always greener.

Linux is no panacea. It does crash. It can be a nightmare to fix because important files are strewn wherever the author of that file decided to put it. I like all forms of Unix - including Mac - but my primary OS is Microsoft because it is the OS of 95% of the people with whom I communicate. Linux/Apache makes for a great web server, but that's because it doesn't have to offer a UI to the common user.

Stay tuned.

Vista performance is going to get a large boost when SP1 comes out Q1 of 08. Additionally, PCs are constantly changing. The chipsets and buses supporting the latest processors are much improved. Vista's biggest fault may have been leap-frogging the existing technology of most users' PCs.

The computer I'm building now will allow me to upgrade to DDR3 memory when its cost goes down. I will also be able to use the future (45nm) processors when they come out.

CASE**$147

Antec Performance One P182

21.3" x 8.1" x 19.9" (H x W x D)

PSU**$209

SeaSonic M12 SS-700HM ATX12V/EPS12V, 80Plus, RoHS, Dual-Fan

GRAPHICS**$126

XFX GeForce 8600GT PVT84JUDD3 Video card

MOTHERBOARD**$150

GIGABYTE Model GA-P35C-DS3R

CPU Socket Type LGA 775

CPU Type Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium FSB 1333/1066MHz

Chipsets North Bridge Intel P35 South Bridge Intel ICH9R

MEMORY**$100*****************************************

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800

(PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

PROCESSOR**$280

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz

2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

HDD**$80

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS

(Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM

16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

DVD**$40

SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL

20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X

CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM

2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

OS**$180

Vista Ultimate

TOTAL $1312

[hausdok]

Gary,

I gotta say it; you're so friggin smart it's scary.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[ozofprev]

Jeez, I wish that were true [:-spin]

I feel dumb next to the likes of you and several of the regulars here. Thanks, though!!! Way kind.

[Brian G]

I'll start by admitting this isn't my strongest subject. What I know about the deep inner-workings of computers would be a very thin book indeed.

Certainly it would be great to have a common system, but that seems all but impossible in my lifetime. And if there were to be one, it should be an open source system (free or dirt cheap), not one that costs hundreds of dollars for a "home" version the manufacturer will be working to make obsolete and unusable as soon as possible. Too many people are left out at the bottom; too few reap the massive profits at the top. In terms of economics, Linux is a panacea.

If it isn't obvious yet, my desire to change is primarily political (via economics). Having one giant corporation dominate this field is not in the best interests of anyone but the giant corporation. Thank the stars above the same didn't happen to hardware, or a basic PC would still cost five grand and far fewer Americans would have one.

I haven't tried any of the current Linux systems yet, but the few I've talked to who have swear they're very stable and user-friendly. Any OS can crash, that's a given.

Brian G.

Competition Is Always Good in a Democracy [:-thumbu]

[ozofprev]

Originally posted by Brian G.

Certainly it would be great to have a common system, but that seems all but impossible in my lifetime.

In today's PC market, it's hard to imagine anything much more common than Windows.

id="maroon">

And if there were to be one, it should be an open source system (free or dirt cheap), not one that costs hundreds of dollars for a "home" version the manufacturer will be working to make obsolete and unusable as soon as possible. Too many people are left out at the bottom; too few reap the massive profits at the top. In terms of economics, Linux is a panacea.

Before we go any further, let me say I am not, Not, NOT a fan of Microsoft. My politics are very similar to yours. Peace and love, Bro! I agree with everything you write in your previous paragraph.

I would love to see everyone dump Microsoft and buy Linux. But then, I remember the Serenity Prayer.

id="maroon">

If it isn't obvious yet, my desire to change is primarily political (via economics). Having one giant corporation dominate this field is not in the best interests of anyone but the giant corporation. Thank the stars above the same didn't happen to hardware, or a basic PC would still cost five grand and far fewer Americans would have one.

Well, it kinda did happen with hardware. Intel and Microsoft began the Wintel revolution back in the 80's. The world is supplying Vista drivers much more quickly than open-source folk are providing Linux drivers for new hardware.

id="maroon">

I haven't tried any of the current Linux systems yet, but the few I've talked to who have swear they're very stable and user-friendly. Any OS can crash, that's a given.

Well, that's not strictly true. I have worked on (and written) real-time embedded operating systems that will not crash. Of course, they are tiny systems (relative to Windows) that are responsible for instruments that must not fail (e.g., medical dosing pumps). The politics in the Linux world are not completely selfless. Many egos polute Linux development. See, for example - http://linuxgeekboy.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/a-leading-linux-kernel-developer-quits-but-why/%20

id="maroon">

Brian G.

Competition Is Always Good in a Democracy [:-thumbu]

[/color]

I agree.[:-thumbu] I wish this were a very different world.

id="maroon">

[Jim Baird]

To misquote one of our recent nationally prominent dunces, " You go to work with the OS you've got..."

Gary, my tech guru tells me a brand called Asus will soon hit the market with a laptop/notebook that has no hard drive but does have DVD burner & other bells &whistles, to be way competitively priced, like sub $400. Instead of spinning, battery eating hard drive it will use all "flash" technology, much like a handheld.

Does your ear to the ground pick up vibes of any such stampede?

[Brian G]

Originally posted by ozofprev

In today's PC market, it's hard to imagine anything much more common than Windows.

id="maroon">

In today's market, yes. It's by far the most common, even downright dominate, but not universal. Wouldn't a universal open source OS be nice, if it was good stuff.

Before we go any further, let me say I am not, Not, NOT a fan of Microsoft. My politics are very similar to yours. Peace and love, Bro! I agree with everything you write in your previous paragraph.

I would love to see everyone dump Microsoft and buy Linux. But then, I remember the Serenity Prayer. id="maroon">

The world is what it is my brother, I'm just impotently raging against the machine. All I can do is deprive the Evil Empire of my measley two cents next time.

Well, it kinda did happen with hardware. Intel and Microsoft began the Wintel revolution back in the 80's. The world is supplying Vista drivers much more quickly than open-source folk are providing Linux drivers for new hardware. id="maroon">

True I'm sure, but that's the advantage of having a huge lead in the market. Vista is the new flagship of the juggernaut, and there's a lot of money to be made.

Well, that's not strictly true. I have worked on (and written) real-time embedded operating systems that will not crash. Of course, they are tiny systems (relative to Windows) that are responsible for instruments that must not fail (e.g., medical dosing pumps). id="maroon">

Now you're just getting persnickety on me. []

The politics in the Linux world are not completely selfless. Many egos polute Linux development. See, for example - http://linuxgeekboy.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/a-leading-linux-kernel-developer-quits-but-why/%20id="maroon">

I read it. Interesting, but I'm not sure where the big ego comes in. A Linux guru got frustrated and quit. Egos, of course, are wherever people are, and people are rarely completely selfless.

In a different vein, why are Windows-based computers called "PC's"? Isn't that just short for personal computer? Is a Mac not a personal computer? Or a Linux-based desktop?

Brian G.

Are ATM's IMpersonal Computers? [?]

[ozofprev]

Originally posted by Jim Baird

To misquote one of our recent nationally prominent dunces, " You go to work with the OS you've got..."

I like that.

id="maroon">

Gary, my tech guru tells me a brand called Asus will soon hit the market with a laptop/notebook that has no hard drive but does have DVD burner & other bells &whistles, to be way competitively priced, like sub $400. Instead of spinning, battery eating hard drive it will use all "flash" technology, much like a handheld.

Does your ear to the ground pick up vibes of any such stampede?

I have read that, but there are always rumors of what company X is planning. Asus would be a likely maker of such a machine. They were the first, I believe, to use Windows' SideShow to combine a sort of PDA with a laptop (imagine a PDA in the lid of your laptop). I would expect them to put GPS capability into it as well.

If manufactured, will it produce a stampede? That takes a crystal ball (and great marketing). My guess is that it won't.

id="maroon">

[ozofprev]

Originally posted by Brian G.

In today's market, yes. It's by far the most common, even downright dominate (dominant)id="maroon">, but not universal. Wouldn't a universal open source OS be nice, if it was good stuff.

But it already exists! Linux is precisely that. Your question is really, "Wouldn't it be nice if Linux was the dominant OS in the world?" The real-world answer is that it apparently isn't nice enough.

As a systems programmer at IBM, I worked with a very bright Russian man. He told me that, under communism, there is simply no choice of product. The government decides what car people drive, the electronics available, and so on. Lack of choice meant people had the same stuff and there was not a sense of rich or poor ("Oooh, you have a Mercedes and I have a Yugo.") Basically, everyone felt poor.

In a market where there is choice, the free open-source product loses its edge. Why? Because, for money, there is always someone willing to provide just a bit more.

id="maroon">

The world is what it is my brother, I'm just impotently raging against the machine. All I can do is deprive the Evil Empire of my measley two cents next time.

Your freedom allows you to do that. Freedom allows everyone to do that - or not.

Pardon my rhetoric, but if you made your living writing software, would you contribute to open-source or would you write software people would buy?

My personal choice was to move away from programming computers. I began programming novel hardware - e.g., The embedded systems found in wastewater monitoring instruments. There, I was free from the Microsofts and Suns and Gnus.

id="maroon">

True I'm sure, but that's the advantage of having a huge lead in the market. Vista is the new flagship of the juggernaut, and there's a lot of money to be made.

Well, the world is what it is.

id="maroon">

Now you're just getting persnickety on me. []

Not at all. Just stating reality.

id="maroon">

I read it. Interesting, but I'm not sure where the big ego comes in. A Linux guru got frustrated and quit. Egos, of course, are wherever people are, and people are rarely completely selfless.

Then you didn't read the whole boring story. The link to the entire interview is provided in the article. There, Con tells the story of how he worked very hard to create a fair, responsive scheduler for Linux. His ideas were quashed by two other people. BUT later, those two people implemented what Con wanted - but they put their names on the result. Now, if you are working your ass off for free, do you really need jerks like that making you more miserable? Con thought not.

id="maroon">

In a different vein, why are Windows-based computers called "PC's"? Isn't that just short for personal computer? Is a Mac not a personal computer? Or a Linux-based desktop?

Yes, they all fall under the heading of PC. I have not seen the term limited to just Wintel systems.

id="maroon">

Brian G.

Are ATM's IMpersonal Computers? [?]

Actually, ATMs are so important that they have there own not-so-little world.

id="maroon">

[chicago]

Due to my dead August I went back to Comcast part time and found a suprising number of subs (customers)buying Macs.

Microsoft has really screwed up.

I also have been testing office 2007.Yes I know (behind the times).Open office is free and better from what I can tell.