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Vista at one year: Progress and painWindows upgrade fuels revenue and frustrations
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | 1-30-2008 | Todd Bishop

Posted on 01/30/2008 10:17:19 AM PST by XR7

Microsoft released Windows Vista to the world one year ago with ads likening the new PC operating system to such awe-inspiring moments as the first American spaceflight and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Charles Walling just wants it to work with his printer.

The retired Seattle warehouseman has spent hours on the Dell tech support line, installed all the drivers and, yes, double-checked all the cords and plugs. No luck. The cause of the problem isn't clear, but Walling knows one thing: The same printer worked with Windows Vista's predecessor, Windows XP.

"You can see the frustration," Walling said this week, sitting at his desk after Windows Vista displayed an error message in response to an attempt to print.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates recently called Windows Vista the "best new product of the year." The company says more than 100 million copies of the operating system have been licensed since it became available. Outside experts say Windows Vista is a major advance in security, and some users say their experience has been smooth.

But a year after its glitzy retail launch, Windows Vista has developed a reputation as a source of frustration for others.

The effects of that reputation are apparent in the habits of PC buyers. At the computer store Quidnunc in West Seattle, for example, owner Bill Hibler estimates that 40 percent of people ordering computers through his shop still ask for Windows XP.

"I'm still stocking almost as much XP as...Vista," Hibler said. Based on his experience, the only other time people have been so reluctant to choose a new Microsoft operating system was when the company released the widely panned Windows ME.

One of Vista's challenges is the explosion of hardware, software, devices and networks that the operating system has to work with...

(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: apple; computers; mac; microshaft; microsoft; pc; vista; windows; xp
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To: Richard Kimball

Well from everything I’m hearing, I think I will have to give the Mac products a very close look next time, even if they do cost a bit more.


101 posted on 01/30/2008 1:01:06 PM PST by Womp Rat
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To: ChinaThreat

Time Machine.
Spotlight. (Beagle ain’t the same thing).

Those two are thanks to File System Notifications.

Unified look and feel on all apps.

You like being a Linux user. So what? I didn’t tell you not to use a Linux box. You’re trying to convert me. What gives? I’m quite satisfied with my Mac.

I was responding to someone else who was dissatisfied with their PC, and you started telling me that I shouldn’t use a Mac because liberals do.


102 posted on 01/30/2008 1:01:20 PM PST by rom (Deserted by Fred, I am now for Ron Paul)
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To: ChinaThreat; rom
You haven’t mentioned one thing that a Linux variant couldn’t do.

That is because OSX and Linux share POSIX standards.

103 posted on 01/30/2008 1:01:23 PM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: ShadowAce

What is your favorite flavor of Linux? I do unix/linux sys admin stuff, so i am always interested to hear others opinions in the know. have you ever been to a usenix/sage event?


104 posted on 01/30/2008 1:01:55 PM PST by ChinaThreat (s)
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To: ChinaThreat
What is your favorite flavor of Linux?

I use Fedora 8 on my main laptop (personal and work), my kids use Fedora 6 on my older personal laptop, and I have Fedora 5 on an old P3 tower that I need to upgrade someday. :)

My company supports Red Hat AS 4/5 and Suse Enterprise 9.

have you ever been to a usenix/sage event?

Nope. Haven't seen any close to home. :(

105 posted on 01/30/2008 1:04:56 PM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: rom

Its your $$$ my friend. You just seem to be stuck on mac, when you can get everything but the hardware for free through another provider. I personally don’t give a damn where you spend the money, other than the fact that your dollars will go to liberal causes.

You are right about Google. But i don’t think you can make an argument that Dell is a liberal company. I’ve taken the tour. I’ve been offered a job with Google and turned it down based on principle. Bill Gates has some liberal tendencies, but nothing like Steve Jobs.


106 posted on 01/30/2008 1:07:20 PM PST by ChinaThreat (s)
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To: ShadowAce

Please run me through the steps. I know a coworker who’d love to do this.


107 posted on 01/30/2008 1:07:44 PM PST by rom (Deserted by Fred, I am now for Ron Paul)
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To: ShadowAce

Attended a show in Dallas back in Nov. Great to be around so many linux/unix geeks. They should probably put on some “interpersonal communications” classes at the next one though. At times, i thought i was a Trekky convention...lol. next year is in San Diego i believe.


108 posted on 01/30/2008 1:08:59 PM PST by ChinaThreat (s)
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To: rom
Here ya go
109 posted on 01/30/2008 1:15:46 PM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: Vom Willemstad K-9

ping


110 posted on 01/30/2008 1:18:20 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: rom

Here is the perl script for doing what you want.

http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/RedHat/2003-11/0454.html


111 posted on 01/30/2008 1:18:25 PM PST by ChinaThreat (s)
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To: ShadowAce

See 111 also. just fyi


112 posted on 01/30/2008 1:19:06 PM PST by ChinaThreat (s)
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To: CougarGA7

RE: #74

Hilarious!
Thanks.


113 posted on 01/30/2008 1:20:18 PM PST by XR7
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To: counterpunch

I think that all started with service pack 2. I installed it and it wouldn’t let me do anything. So I formatted the hard drive, bought a copy of Windows XP which did not have Service Pack 2 with it and have been happy ever since. Also got rid of Internet Explorer and now use Thunderbird.


114 posted on 01/30/2008 1:21:03 PM PST by nygoose
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To: ChinaThreat

LOL! People will write Perl for anything. I like adding the cups-pdf package better. It seems a little easier.


115 posted on 01/30/2008 1:21:39 PM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: XR7

100 million copies sold


116 posted on 01/30/2008 1:21:41 PM PST by BurbankKarl
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To: ChinaThreat; ShadowAce

Thanks, you two! I really appreciate the info. It will come in handy. Already forwarded to a coworker of mine.

But on a side note, it does kinda prove my point a bit about how much more involved doing some of this stuff under Linux is compared to OS X for the average user :)


117 posted on 01/30/2008 1:25:58 PM PST by rom (Deserted by Fred, I am now for Ron Paul)
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To: shorty_harris
Ever look into hackintoshes?
118 posted on 01/30/2008 1:26:35 PM PST by TKDietz
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To: ChinaThreat; rom
I personally don’t give a damn where you spend the money, other than the fact that your dollars will go to liberal causes.

LOf'nL!!!

Who do you pay your phone bill to?
Insurance?
You listen to music?
Watch movies?
Pay income taxes?

119 posted on 01/30/2008 1:29:15 PM PST by XR7
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To: Womp Rat
MacMall seems to have the best deals you can get without special discounts. A Mac Mini with a printer included and Parallels for running Windows will cost you $569, shipping included. http://www.macmall.com/macmall/default.asp?adcampaign=external,mwb06732&wt.mc_id=mwb06732&source=mwb06732

Apple also has pretty good academic discounts if you have any kids in school, and depending on where you work your employer might have a discount program with them. My little brother works for a company that gets discounts. He can buy one make a year and even “sponsor” a purchase by a friend or family member and get a deal better than any academic deals I’ve seen.

Still though, you don’t get everything when you buy a Mac. These Mac Minis don’t come with keyboards or mice or monitors. You can use old stuff you have laying around, but it just seems dumb to me to sell a computer without a keyboard or mouse. For $569 you can find a pretty darned good Windows machine on sale with a couple of gigs of memory or more, a hard drive in the neighborhood of 300 gigs, a 19 inch flat panels monitors, speaker, and of course a keyboard and mouse. And they’ll probably throw a printer in free too. The software will suck compared to what comes on a Mac, but man you’ll get a lot of hardware for your money compared to what you get when you buy a Mac.

120 posted on 01/30/2008 1:43:36 PM PST by TKDietz
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