Posted on 08/30/2007 6:59:42 AM PDT by ShadowAce
SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Wednesday it will release a major package of updates and fixes for the Windows Vista operating system in the first half of 2008.
The company said a "beta" test version of Service Pack 1 will be released "in a few weeks to a moderate sized audience." The SP1 beta includes updates Microsoft has already made to the operating system it started selling to consumers at the end of January.
The service pack fixes some common problems that cause computers to crash or freeze, Microsoft said, including compatibility problems with some newer graphics cards, external monitors and printer drivers. Microsoft said it also fixed some problems users had with putting their PCs to sleep and waking them up again.
The company said SP1 is also expected to improve battery performance, increase the speed of copying files and help Internet Explorer run faster on Vista.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker said SP1 also brings several security improvements.
Microsoft said it expects to release Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, Vista's predecessor, in the first half of 2008 as well, but in a statement added that it "should not significantly change the Windows XP experience."
In the past, some of Microsoft's business clients used the release of a service pack as a sign that a new operating system was stable enough to install. Analysts have said Vista seems more reliable out of the box than past versions of Windows, and that businesses need not wait for the service pack.
I've heard that, and it makes me a little bit nervous as my business is absolutely dependent on Office and we're currently on 2003. Are you sure Vista won't run 2003? I'd rather not have to spend money to upgrade the office suites and have to learn a whole new interface to boot; if that's the case it might be the deciding factor in favor of XP Pro.
Some people are just masohists and want to continue inflicting pain on themselves. You actually did not like a Mac after playing with it for 1 hr ? You have really drunk the Microsoft kool aid.
On any new machines, I would definitely go with Vista, not XP Pro. There’s really no learning curve for Vista.
You’d have to check with MSFT about Office 2003 for certain, but I believe it will run. I’m beginning to adapt to 2007, but I still don’t like it.
I didn’t greatly dislike it, per se, but I didn’t see anything special about it. To a long-time Windows user, the interface is somewhat cumbersome. Here are the impressions I took away, as a long-time Windows user:
-First, plusses. The display was really nice. There were no obvious problems (crashes, error messages, etc.) Apple finally figured out the right mouse button, although you need to know about it because the top of the mouse is solid and if you’re used to Apple’s “old” policy you wouldn’t automatically realize you can right-click. It didn’t seem to come preloaded with a lot of third-party stuff I wouldn’t want (it had a lot of Mac software I wouldn’t want or need, but as far as I can tell that stuff doesn’t run on startup - see below).
-In the entire hour, I couldn’t figure out how to maximize a window. If something that simple isn’t intuitive, what kind of a learning curve should I expect for the entire OS?
-The menu bar for the active program isn’t connected to the window for that program, but rather overwrites the Mac taskbar on top of the screen, so you kind of get a surprise as to which program you’re working with, and you have to close all your windows to get back to the Mac taskbar.
-It’s not obvious whether you are exiting a program or just closing its window, and there’s no obvious list of open programs on the desktop to switch to.
-On a related note, there wasn’t anything equivalent to the system tray or program tabs in the taskbar that I could see. I wasn’t sure how to figure out what was actually running on the machine.
-I really wanted to find out how big the hard drive was on the demo machine, as it wasn’t listed on the tag. I figured it out eventually, but it was not intuitive to a Windows user.
-It seemed kinda slow for a new machine, although it did only have 512MB of RAM according to the spec sheet. Also, previous users may have left a bunch of programs running that I didn’t know about.
-There was a ton of desktop clutter - both icons and a bunch of little applets like a clock, calendar, weather forecast, etc. I’m sure they can be closed, deleted, etc. but I didn’t want to clean up their demo machine for them. Combined with the fact that I didn’t know how to maximize a window to cover that stuff up, it made everything look very cluttered and distracting.
That all seems somewhat nitpicky, and I’m sure an experienced Mac user could tell me exactly how to handle each of those problems. But the fact remains that I saw no reason to have to put up with that learning curve, let alone buy all new software for it (assuming such software exists - there are apps I use that wouldn’t have Mac equivalents, and others that would probably require a lot of manual conversion time and effort to switch to). I don’t have the problems with Windows that the people who don’t use Windows tell me I’m supposed to have.
No Kool-Aid needed...although maybe my problem was that the trendy hipster working at the store was busy talking to his friends and never offered me any :-p
The best fix for Windows* is Linux.
2GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
$75 (after $30 rebate)
Seagate 250GB HD
$70
XFX GeForce 8600GT
$120 (after $20 rebate)
Intel QuadCore 2.4GHz Q6600
$289
CoolerMaster Case
$30 (after $10 rebate)
Gigabyte GA-G33M Motherboard
$135
Antec 550 Power Supply
$70 (after $30 rebate)
Asus DVD Burner
$28
Vista Home Premium
$112
Drop the price $100 for a fast dual core instead of quad.
My new laptop runs Vista Premium and I have found it to be rather unremarkable. It certainly doesn't live up to it's hype... There's certainly not anything that screams "I've gotta have Vista right now!!!"
Hardware wise, again: Bleah! Considering a Dual Core and 2 gigs of ram, I was expecting a lot more performance than I got. It is twice the processor (nearly) and twice the ram of my favorite XP box, and I would say the "Windows Experience" is just about the same, or slightly lagging in the Vista box. It certainly does not "run rings" around anything.
It is quicker starting up, but only because it hibernates by default when shutting down. If shut OFF, it's startup times are horrid. I might add that XP can be made to hibernate too, and is considerably faster than vista when restoring from hibernation.
If I were to be critical, I would say that most of my problems with Vista rise merely to irritation.
UAC can really be a PIA if one is working inside a protected folder (like 'All Users' for instance), but really is negligible otherwise.
I agree that it is irritating that MS moved everything around so much with no real reason, leaving me with the distinct impression that it is counter-intuitive- Though these problems are basically only apparent when 'under the hood', and during setup configuration.
What is most absurd is that with all the moving around they did do, they still failed to make the "Users (Docs & Sets in XP)" folder easy to move off the system partition (which should be default, as any tech would agree).
There are three things that drive me nuts in Vista, all being inherent and common in the every day use of the system:
First, the "All Programs" menu in the Start bar. I absolutely hate it.
Secondly, the new Windows Explorer interface, which I absolutely abhor.
Lastly, the CD burner is set by default to alway choose MS's new format- One can still use the standard format, but it requires a bit of burrowing, and one can easily forget to do so. The outcome of that absentmindedness will render your cd unreadable on all but Vista machines. All in all, my review of Vista- It is too fat by twice, unremarkable in features (compared to XP), and slightly to moderately irritating.
No sense disrupting your office if there is no need. Concentrate on your business, not MS' need to enhance their bottom line.
ROFLOL!
Microsoft has always had trouble with that! I had some hopes that they had since moved on to bigger and better issues, but they just can't seem to dig out of the technological hole they're in.
All the supposed drawbacks you mentioned are actually pluses. I think you have used Windows for so long, in your mind that is the right way to have a GUI. Use a MAC without those preconceived notions and you will love the Mac interface.
Maybe, except scratch Home Premium. If I go to Vista it’ll be either Business or Ultimate. But I don’t know that I want to take the time to build the desktops I need, and I’ll need at least two laptops as well. I’m leaning Sony for those because I’ve been so happy with my current Vaio laptop, but I heard Sony just got their hand caught in the rootkit cookie jar again and that gives me a lot of pause.
I bought a couple HP laptops with 2GB, 120GB drive, DirectX10 compat card, DVD Writer, 12cell battery, webcam and Brightview widescreen for $1100 each. I find Sony too expensive for what you get.
Acer seems to pack a lot features in a laptop for an easy price. Don’t know anything about the quality though.
All the concerns that you expressed could be solved in 20 minutes flat with a user. I could show how to all those things in 20 minutes
This part I'm sure is accurate. I didn't claim you couldn't do the things I said I couldn't do, just that the way to do them was not intuitive to a long-time Windows user. I'm sure to a long-time Apple user they're all second nature.
and you would then see that it is way more intuitive on a Mac.
All the supposed drawbacks you mentioned are actually pluses. I think you have used Windows for so long, in your mind that is the right way to have a GUI. Use a MAC without those preconceived notions and you will love the Mac interface.
I see and hear this attitude in a lot of Mac design and from a lot of Mac fanboys. The attitude is that everything Apple is right and everything non-Apple is wrong, and if you don't like the way Apple does something, it must be because you're stupid, because you couldn't possibly prefer a different way. Frankly, it's a huge turnoff - I want to do things in the way that's most efficient for me, not in the way some nerd in Cupertino (or Redmond, or anywhere else) thinks I should like to do them.
The fact that you use a mac means it is already apparent that you are not a gamer. Furthermore, when you state that your Mac boots up 5 seconds versus 5 minutes for an MS machine, you destroy any credibility you may have had on the other points you are trying to make.
Why apple cannot understand the importance of this subset of computer users (gamers), it’s ability to drive graphics card design and shorten overall computer lifespans is beyond me.
Can MicroSoft hand Apple a more golden opportunity to get us off the Wintel clients once and for all with it’s release of Vista? My guess is that Apple is too stupid to recognize this very real potential to actually shift a measurable perscentage of home computer users over to the Mac.
I don’t think people that don’t use or understand Apple are stupid, not at all. I just find the Mac a much better experience and I truly believe that you would find that your productivity goes up.
I am no fan of Steve Jobs or Apple politically, I just like their products.
People that spend hours of precious times playing computer games cannot and should not be the focus of a company. These are not exactly the movers and shakers of society, you can’t be financially successfully long term and be a gamer as well. The only gamers who make money are the one on the sellers or developers side.
Somehow being a gamer and a conservative has too many inherent dichotomies. Just my perception of course.
Spoken like a true Apple person.
Gamers money spent on software/hardware are a larger persentage of home users than Apple currently has of the total home user market share. Apple doesn't have a bloody clue.
Gamers have completely driven the graphic card industry for near two decades. Furthermore, our concerns/needs have been introduced at various places into the motherboard and CPU design over this time.
We have no allegiance to the machine, just the software. Unfortunately most of the good game software never arrives on the Mac or arrives months or years after MS introduction.
Yea, as a company Apple is being smart by continuing to ignore a market segment that has already spent BILLIONS pursuing it's hobby.
People that spend hours of precious times playing computer games cannot and should not be the focus of a company.
This statement may be the prevailing thought process amongst the current Apple executives. People who spend precious time playing games end usually buy the top-of-the-line personal computers they can afford and purchase games software throughout the year. Can't try to get a piece of this market, lets instead keep trying to get the government to buy of computers for the school children. ..end sarcism..
These are not exactly the movers and shakers of society, you can’t be financially successfully long term and be a gamer as well.
Thanks for the belly laugh. I am a hard core gamer, lets just say I make enough to be considered wealthy by rat or Pub standards. I write software for the company which sells to our navy the ability to SILENTLY find submarines. This one of our products works so well that we cannot and have not ever received authorization to sell it to even our most trusted allies (England/Canada/Australia). Of the two people that I game with most often, they do the following: One designs circuitry which has been used in some of the most recent solar system explorers, including the long running Mars lander. The other is the project manager for a secret weapon system currently being developed to support our war needs. What the heck is your definition of a mover and shaker?
The only gamers who make money are the one on the sellers or developers side.
Well duh, most of us gamers game for the pleasure of it. Very few of us also work writing new games software. This may be because most of us are too busy designing state-of-the-art products that have pratical, not pleasure uses.
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