Comments on: Don't Fear The Vista From Your Windows

Larry Magid Reviews Window's New Operating System As XP Goes The Way Of The Dodo

[ozarkbard]

A little more on the bandwidth issue...

If I added up all the bandwidth consumed by downloading fixes for Windows OS''s over the years, I suddenly realize that I''ve spent a LOT more money on that bandwidth then I did on the MS product.

Does anyone remember trying to download SP1 for Windows XP on dialup? It took days!

And please no arguements about being able to download the fix while doing other things online... ever try to play online games, stream video, or talk on V*nage while downloading a large file? You can''t! Not without an expensive router with good QoS (Quality of Service) capabilities; (there are only a couple of QoS routers that balance internet traffic correctly to be able to do this).

[ozarkbard]

"Personally, I''m not particularly concerned about any of these issues, and I recommend most people just go with Vista. I''ve been using it since before it came out and I''m pretty happy with it."

Well, that''s because you are completely out of touch with most Americans, which have gotten sick of buying a new computer every 4 years just to keep up with the "mandatory" OS. Vista is no more then 64-bit XP with a lot of unnecessary dressing...

Every OS that MS has put out has been full of bugs for years until fixes allowed them to run stable. MS has made the world''s biggest pile of cash by buying software code that other people wrote, modifying it to integrate it into Windows, then selling it to the public and let them deal with the bugs and kinks, thereby making the public perform quality control.

It seems every time we get close to nailing down a certain OS in terms of stability, functionality, and cost... MS ends it and tries to convince us that this new thing is what we''re supposed to buy.. even though every time before that has been a complete headache.

LET US KEEP OUR XP!!!! We''ve put tremendous time and resources into this OS! We simply don''t want to keep doing this over and over again. If you are going to FORCE a new OS on us, then put a GAURANTEE ON YOUR PRODUCT! Reimburse us for the money we have spent on bandwidth to download fixes for your incomplete products.

[marc411]

How could ANY reviewer say that ANY M$ program or operating system is "GOOD"? Has it become that engrained in us that it is just standard procedure to do the three-finger salute?

Micro$oft is an integrator, not an innovator. The one thing they have been good at is gathering together programs, drivers, and other ideas and stuffing them together on a CD. The fact that much of this comes to them (and therefore to us) through exclusive agreement, coersion, and theft is immaterial legally since they just buy or pay off their victims after they''ve devoured the market. But that still leaves us with a product that is a patchwork of pieces hiding behind a veneer of pretty user interface.

UGH!

How can any responsible non-Micro$oft-employee "recommend" this stuff???

Macs are great if you want something that "just works". Linux is great if you''re willing to work a bit and learn a bit for something even better. But Windows is simply too omnipresent for anyone to take notice of the alternatives, and that is a true shame for the end users.

[whheydt]

I''m not "afraid" of Vista. I DETEST Vista. Ona puyrely personal level, I abhore the amount of DRM crammed into it, none of which is of any benefit to me and only serves to bloat the code and slow everything down.

From a job perspective (DSL tech support), Vista is a pain. It attempts to determine if it has a conenction to the whole ''net, instead of just looking at what the PC is actually connected to (which can make it hard to confiure a modem when the outside link is done for any reason) and it has IPv6 active BY DEFAULT.

Sorry guys...IPv6 is a good idea and it''s coming soon, but for now, PCs live in an IPv4 world. Almsot the first thing most of us have customers do is DISABLE IPv6.

[nojoy01]

I DON''T CARE how super wonderful Vista is supposed to be. I''m SICK & TIRED of having to buy new a new @#%#$@ OS every few years!! Win 95 would have/probably still would do everything I NEED to do. SO, from here on out, I''ll keep my money & Bills'' Co. can keep their new, improved, super special, @#^%$*& OS

[whheydt]

I''m not "afraid" of Vista. I DETEST Vista. Ona puyrely personal level, I abhore the amount of DRM crammed into it, none of which is of any benefit to me and only serves to bloat the code and slow everything down.

From a job perspective (DSL tech support), Vista is a pain. It attempts to determine if it has a conenction to the whole ''net, instead of just looking at what the PC is actually connected to (which can make it hard to confiure a modem when the outside link is done for any reason) and it has IPv6 active BY DEFAULT.

Sorry guys...IPv6 is a good idea and it''s coming soon, but for now, PCs live in an IPv4 world. Almsot the first thing most of us have customers do is DISABLE IPv6.

[aggiekat2004]

jesterbelle....LOVE IT.

Oh yeah...Apple''s iWork suite that includes a great word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software (really classy) is only $79. A fair price for a really cool suite.

Microsoft should''ve lowered the price of MS Office years ago. It''s too expensive, too clunky, and is really hard to use. And people pirate it because it''s too expensive.

Tell me, if you could buy a suite of productivity tools for $79, wouldn''t you do it?

[j0xujahc]

Windows has always had problems.
Even when all we had was dos ms was constantly fixing its product. All this fixing seems ominous. Perhaps ms does not have the quality of programmers it wants us to believe.

[jesterbelle]

I read an article in the Times where Microsoft and Intel are getting together to help poor people with affordable computers.Microsoft is revamping Windows 95,and Intel is bringing back the original renamed Pentium processors.For about $150.00,you get a system with the new Intel Peon processor,and Windows XP Homeless edition.Should be available to the public on Feb 30th,---------;)

[yongamerica]

For us users it''s a shame Microsoft has embedded itself in 3rd party software companies with it''s development products. Many software companies, like Autodesk only make their software for a Windows platform. The good news is there is plethora of excellent software that is as good or better than the brands we are familiar with. Sun for example gives its Solaris OS away for free. Any techie can tell you Sun had the first 32 bit and 64 bit operating systems and has a user interface that both Apple and Microsoft strived to mimic. Apple''s OS is now also UNIX based. Sun also has a complete office suite that is every bit as good as MS Office and far far cheaper.

Forcing people to use VISTA is just pushing a large percentage of loyal users to alternate Operating Systems. VISTA might give the industry the window needed to unseat the clunky MS operating system with better and cheaper OS and software solutions.

[dan400man]

Future upgrades are to Ubuntu. Done with Micro$haft!

My next is a Mac - Microsoft gas cost me a fortune with more computer and software upgrades. I doubt that Ballmer will last.

[aggiekat2004]

Oh, and the Mac has had a wonderful search feature for many years. When Mac OS X was introduced around 2001, you were able to do all of the same searching that they''re claiming that you can "now" do with Vista.

We take it for granted. Every time I get on a PC and try to find files, I become very frustrated.

In fact, at my company, I connect my Mac to the Windows network, and use the Mac''s search feature to find files on the server...using the Windows search in XP is impossible, and the company will not upgrade to Vista because it''s so problematic.

[aggiekat2004]

Also, mediamomma...NO VIRUSES. You can sit at home and have fun fighting viruses and spyware and all of those things that PC users have to deal with.

And we''ve got 6 PCs here at the house, and three Macs. The Macs always run. The PCs always have problems.

[aggiekat2004]

By the way, a Mac can run Mac OS X (our operating system) within 1 GB of memory. 2 GB is handy, but I just sold a laptop that was running Mac OS X in 768MB of RAM...and running all of the high-end graphics software like PhotoShop, InDesign, and video editing.

[three-o-six]

SirRichard42

The problem with Linux is there is not enough software compiled for Linux. I run the computer system fo a civil engineering company and there is NO civil engineering or major CAD programs ported to linux or Apple. If you are in the engineering industry there is Windows. With 95% of the OS market none of the high end software companies are even interested in developing fo anything but Windows.

[stevador39]

Vista Home Premium with and Dell XPS computer with 2 gigs of RAM is slow and it locks up constantly. I just bought this piece of junk and my advise for anyone:BUY APPLE. Do not buy Vista unless you want junk.

blindows doest it again: ppl spend hard earned cash on shady software and don''t get what they pay for. Thanks bill. Appreciate that

[sirrichard42]

If you''re going to take the time to learn how to use a new OS, it is to your benefit to choose one which gives you full authority over your data and your hardware. Not Windows, with its Genuine Advantage mechanisms and Digital Rights Management software (which uses your own CPU against you).

Choosing something like Ubuntu or SUSE is much more rational, if you have to learn a new OS anyway. The linux-based systems provide software which is certainly no more buggy than the Windows software (some people would argue that it''s much less buggy), but with Linux it''s all free and much easier to install and uninstall. The only way to even approach the level of productivity that one can achieve with a common Linux installation is to spend several thousand dollars on commercial software, or break the law and pirate it.

[sirrichard42]

If you''re going to take the time to learn how to use a new OS, it is to your benefit to choose one which gives you full authority over your data and your hardware. Not Windows, with its Genuine Advantage mechanisms and Digital Rights Management software (which uses your own CPU against you).

Choosing something like Ubuntu or SUSE is much more rational, if you have to learn a new OS anyway. The linux-based systems provide software which is certainly no more buggy than the Windows software (some people would argue that it''s much less buggy), but with Linux it''s all free and much easier to install and uninstall. The only way to even approach the level of productivity that one can achieve with a common Linux installation is to spend several thousand dollars on commercial software, or break the law and pirate it.