Posted on 04/15/2007 10:03:54 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Introduction
Microsoft is understandably touting its new Windows Vista operating system with as many superlatives as they can fit in a sentence but the response from consumers seems to be rather muted so far. Half a billion in marketing dollars can certainly make a flashy entrance but for all the publicity generated in the weeks leading to its 30th January release date, there hasn't exactly been the kind of maniacal rush that we had witnessed when tech gadgets like the new Sony PlayStation 3 were initially released.
There wasn't even a decent queue of any sort when CompUSA organized a midnight launch in the US , a somewhat disappointing turnout compared to the success of previous versions of Windows. Similarly in Singapore, there was no hint of a queue when we turned up for the official launch
, in stark contrast with the Windows XP launch here in 2001, which saw shoppers queuing for up to six hours to get their hands on it. It seems that despite the massive publicity promoting Vista's new features, the public is not biting yet.
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So how would your ageing systems perform when upgraded to Windows Vista? Would you be better off continuing with an existing operating system like Windows XP? To answer these questions and more, we have configured three systems that span the performance spectrum from an Athlon XP to the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor. But before we see how they fare running Windows Vista, let's first review the 'minimum' system requirements listed by Microsoft.
(Excerpt) Read more at hardwarezone.com ...
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I was planning on buying a new laptop. Can’t find a new one without that on there.
Try here.
Amen! “they” re-arranged the user interface so much I was instantly non-productive. 6 weeks into using it, I STILL can’t understand the WHY of the changes.
Since I use Windows mainly for gaming, XP is superior in speed and compatibility to Vista. It is also smaller than Vista and costs alot less -— hey, MS, what is wrong with this picture?? :-)
For my other work I prefer MAC OSX or Linux where I can have file journaling and other advanced features that Vista does not have.
The new OS X Leopard will cost about $129 as opposed to Vista (full Ultimate version) at about $500 or so. Hey, Billy, you are losing alot of business :-)
In a year or two a gaming company will release a DirectX 10-only game that will force my upgrade. At which point I will be paying "$348" for the game.
Besides, my computer is using SLI 8800GTS for which nVidia's XP drivers barely work. I don't even want to think about installing the nVidia SLI drivers for Vista.
I have 2 hard drives for my 2 gig processor, 2MB RAM Dell Latitude C640, one running XP Pro and the other, Vista Business. Thus far I see no compelling reason to switch to Vista. My laptop is admittedly obsolete, but Vista bogs it down while XP races along nicely. I’m considering reconfiguring the Vista HD to run Linux.
> ... but the response from consumers seems
> to be rather muted so far.
I’m still on Win2K due to XP’s annoying Activation
(I change my hardware a lot).
But XP looks positively benign compared to Vista,
due to the DRM infestation on Vista, not to
mention that a full suite of drivers is always an
issue on any new OS, and that many systems can
only run entry-level Vista.
If you’re planning to move to XP, do so before
the end of the year, when MS pulls the OEM
versions from sale.
And expect XP to contain a “bug” (time-bomb,
actually), that will turn up some years hence,
and require a patch infected with DRM.
Bottom line: if you can do what you need to
do with a Mac or Linux, stay away from Windows.
My Windows XP is so messed up with all their updates than I can no longer listen to sample music on Amazon. I have little confidence this would be any better.
If MS is losing the gamers...the hardware vendors are going to be very unhappy....
Zone alarm ver 6.5 was a 13 meg download. Ver 7.0 is nearly 40 meg.
Good grief.
Lotsa good info here if you’re into comparing Vista to XP.
What are you running?
and what is your machine specs?
here is a set of written reviews on Vista Home Premium.....these writers are people who frequent a site useful to computer-builders and tinkerers, and each reviewer expresses his own level of tech savvy at the left side of what he has written......I tinker with hardware a bit, and reading reviews here has never misled me, as newegg posts them all, good or bad.....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16832116202&SortField=3&SummaryType=ALL&Pagesize=10&Page=
P.S. here is the menu of Vista OS’s.....just click the eggs under each entry and it will take you to the reviews for that edition....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16832116202&SortField=3&SummaryType=ALL&Pagesize=10&Page=
> I wonder if other software vendors have had to bloat
> their software to make it compatible with Vista.
Yes.
“Avoid the Vista badge, it means DRM inside”
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38926
> Zone alarm ver 6.5 was a 13 meg download.
> Ver 7.0 is nearly 40 meg.
V7 is may massively destabilize your system (it has mine).
I’m running with it shut down to avoid random BSOD
STOPs, lock-ups and black screen reboots.
Check the ZA forums before buying or installing.
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