Windows Vista?

[Sassy]

Vs. Windows XP ?
Vista is coming out on January 30th or 31st...(I forget for sure...)
Anyone know how it is different from XP? I could look it up but I'm lazy! :thanku:

[scorpio]

Vs. Windows XP ?
Vista is coming out on January 30th or 31st...(I forget for sure...)
Anyone know how it is different from XP? I could look it up but I'm lazy! :thanku:

It's different, but not necessarily better than XP. If you're not an early-adopter kind of person, XP is totally fine and will be for years. Just wait until you buy a new PC, it'll come bundled with Vista and you won't have to pay the outrageous retail shelf price.

[Sassy]

That's what I'm wondering...my boss told me that the told her at Office Max they would be getting a new shipment of computers in...I'm wondering if Vista will be on it or XP and an update for Vista...guess I should ask ;D I am considering a new computer...I use my computer mostly for photos and the internet...so I'm upgrading on memory for sure! Oh yeah...and burning CD's.

[Bronco Billy]

Weren't they supposed to come out with Longhorn or something to accomodate the faster processors?

[Sassy]

What type of desktop setups do you guys have?
I'm not big on laptops...they aren't really what I what to use for what I want to do.
Not enough memory, I hate the screens and the mouse and I want to be able to
use my photo printer/scanner...

[Jetmeck]

A friend is running the BETA version of Vista . He runs TWIN 64 bit processors. He has all the cutting edge stuff
and his habit is paid for by fixing and upgrading others
computers. Vista is set up to run faster by taking advantage of the 64 bit processors. The only thing he said was it wasn't a whole different than XP just supposedly faster. He has yet to give me any benchmarks because he has the computer set up to boot from XP or Vista so he should be able to compare them.

[scorpio]

Longhorn was the codename for Vista when it was in early development, and also the project name for Server 2007.

Right now my Windows box has a 3.2 ghz multithreaded processor, 2 GB of DDR RAM, a 512 MB VisionTek/ATI Radeon X1600 video card, 16X DVD drive, 16X DVD+-RW DL drive, and two 250GB ATA hard drives. My pride and joy is my 24" widescreen LCD monitor. :)

Need to upgrade to SATA hard drives, PCI-E video card and DDR3 RAM soon.

[scorpio]

\Vista is set up to run faster by taking advantage of the 64 bit processors. The only thing he said was it wasn't a whole different than XP just supposedly faster. He has yet to give me any benchmarks because he has the computer set up to boot from XP or Vista so he should be able to compare them.

There are 32 and 64 bit versions of Vista, the OS itself doesn't inherently take advantage of 64 bit processors.

Due to the new driver-signing code in Vista, many current device drivers don't work properly in the 64 bit version of Vista because they haven't been audited and approved by microsoft.

[Jetmeck]

There are 32 and 64 bit versions of Vista, the OS itself doesn't inherently take advantage of 64 bit processors.

Due to the new driver-signing code in Vista, many current device drivers don't work properly in the 64 bit version of Vista because they haven't been audited and approved by microsoft.


He is running the 64 bit version and if it's 64 bit, logic would say it is optimized for 64 bit applications and hardware ? He did mention some minor incompatibility problems. And yes I am aware 32 bit applications will run on a 64 bit system just not nearly as fast as a 64 bit application would.

[Orange_Beard]

Stay away until service pac 1.

[Rigs11]

I'm running a dual boot with xp and vista 64 bit. Vista does take advantage of 64bit and also takes advantage of dual core more so than xp.It also takes your ram and caches it which makes it way faster when accessing it. Driver support is pretty scarce though at the moment. But man is it fast.

[scorpio]

Stay away until service pac 1.

The company line from Microsoft is that Vista is designed in such a way that it will never need service packs in the sense that previous Windows versions did.

Of course, I don't believe that for a second.

[Jetmeck]

I'm running a dual boot with xp and vista 64 bit. Vista does take advantage of 64bit and also takes advantage of dual core more so than xp.It also takes your ram and caches it which makes it way faster when accessing it. Driver support is pretty scarce though at the moment. But man is it fast.


Have you found any benchmark programs to test the speed since you have the dual boot setup ?

[Jetmeck]

The company line from Microsoft is that Vista is designed in such a way that it will never need service packs in the sense that previous Windows versions did.

Of course, I don't believe that for a second.

Always bugs in the code somewhere.

[scorpio]

I'm running a dual boot with xp and vista 64 bit. Vista does take advantage of 64bit and also takes advantage of dual core more so than xp.It also takes your ram and caches it which makes it way faster when accessing it. Driver support is pretty scarce though at the moment. But man is it fast.

Okay, just to head this off, what I meant is that many operating systems have 64 and 32 bit versions. There is nothing built into Vista that makes it extra super special when you run it with a 64 bit proc.

Any OS version specialized for a 64 bit processor is going to be faster in certain respects than the 32 bit version on the same processor.

[Sassy]

So windows xp with an update to vista...if you want... is probably a better option ???
Tell me in 'English' ;D what I should get for cd burning, photo storage (Kodak easyshare program), Printshop 21, what you would use for a processor, etc., how much memory, etc.

...I'm hooking it all up to an HP Photo Printer/Scanner.

Hey...I trust you guys...mostly ;D...well, you guys did give me directions on how to fix my sump pump connector...and it's been ok so far ;D :-*

One more ?...have you guys had good luck buying electronics online? You can go to the HP website and "build" a pc...but I'm not sure I want to mess with that yet.

[ro_50]

Here is my question. I just bought a new laptop online and I've heard about Windows Vista but I only use my laptop for Internet and Microsoft Word.

Do I need the Vista for anything I use my laptop for?

[Rigs11]

Okay, just to head this off, what I meant is that many operating systems have 64 and 32 bit versions. There is nothing built into Vista that makes it extra super special when you run it with a 64 bit proc.

Any OS version specialized for a 64 bit processor is going to be faster in certain respects than the 32 bit version on the same processor.

Vista fully supports 64 bit. And uses the new NET Framework 3.0.If an application is written to support vista 64 you are going to see major enhancements.

[Rigs11]

Here is my question. I just bought a new laptop online and I've heard about Windows Vista but I only use my laptop for Internet and Microsoft Word.

Do I need the Vista for anything I use my laptop for?

No. Stick with XP until vista gets better driver support.

[scorpio]

So windows xp with an update to vista...if you want... is probably a better option ???
Tell me in 'English' ;D what I should get for cd burning, photo storage (Kodak easyshare program), Printshop 21, what you would use for a processor, etc., how much memory, etc.

...I'm hooking it all up to an HP Photo Printer/Scanner.

I would not do an in-place upgrade of XP to Vista if I were you. It's a mess. Much better to either wipe out your hard drive and start from scratch with Vista or just buy a new machine with Vista pre-loaded, it will be much more stable.

If you buy a new computer, it will come with burning software, and Vista has a built-in application to retrieve and sort photos from your digicam. Usually new PCs come bundled with some photo editing software too. Hooking up the printer/scanner should be no problem at all. Printshop 21 will work fine.

For a new Vista desktop, I would get at least an Intel Core Duo 2 2.4 Ghz with 2 GB of RAM. Also, a 256 MB video card is the minimum I would recommend for running the new user interface.

[scorpio]

Do I need the Vista for anything I use my laptop for?

Short answer is no.

[ro_50]

No. Stick with XP until vista gets better driver support.

Thanks.

[Rigs11]

So windows xp with an update to vista...if you want... is probably a better option ???
Tell me in 'English' ;D what I should get for cd burning, photo storage (Kodak easyshare program), Printshop 21, what you would use for a processor, etc., how much memory, etc.

...I'm hooking it all up to an HP Photo Printer/Scanner.

Hey...I trust you guys...mostly ;D...well, you guys did give me directions on how to fix my sump pump connector...and it's been ok so far ;D :-*

One more ?...have you guys had good luck buying electronics online? You can go to the HP website and "build" a pc...but I'm not sure I want to mess with that yet.

I recommnend nero for all your burning needs.

[scorpio]

Vista fully supports 64 bit. And uses the new NET Framework 3.0.If an application is written to support vista 64 you are going to see major enhancements.

Did you even read my post?

[Sassy]

For a new Vista desktop, I would get at least an Intel Core Duo 2 2.4 Ghz with 2 GB of RAM. Also, a 256 MB video card is the minimum I would recommend for running the new user interface.

Good to know! I was wondering about Intel vs. AMD (which is what I have now in a compaq presario hp.

[Sassy]

I recommnend nero for all your burning needs.

I actually like Realplayer.

[Rigs11]

Did you even read my post?

yea it contradicted it self.

"There is nothing built into Vista that makes it extra super special when you run it with a 64 bit proc."

and then..

"Any OS version specialized for a 64 bit processor is going to be faster in certain respects than the 32 bit version on the same processor."

[Sassy]

Great...now I've got the men engaged in an electronics chat and I'm being ignored ;D

[scorpio]

yea it contradicted it self.


I'll type slower for you...

There are 64 bit versions of many operating systems, including Windows XP. Nobody is disputing that 64 bit versions of operating systems are designed to take advantage of 64 bit processors, namely the larger address space.

You are asserting that Vista is somehow superior in this respect.

There is nothing about Vista that sets it apart from these other operating systems... there are no magical gnomes living in the Vista code that get out and push your processor faster.

Get it?

[dnvrbrncos]

Here's PC World's take on it - they found it to be consistently slower than XP. Even with major hardware upgrades there was only mild performance improvements over XP.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128009-page,1/article.html

[chadta]

up here in canuckistan they are already selling computers with vista, well sorta, they put xp on it and give you a cetificat for a free vista upgrade when it comes out.

ive used vista but didnt like the way it worked, i liked the fresh new way it looked tho so now im running the vista icon pack in win xp

[Sassy]

So...stick with windows xp then ;D

[Lev Vyvanse]

Great...now I've got the men engaged in an electronics chat and I'm being ignored ;D

Realplayer sucks. Feel better?

[Sassy]

Realplayer sucks. Feel better?

Ha! I don't burn CD's that often so I guess it works for what I need it for...never had a problem with it.

[ZachKC]

I have been all Windows...ever since I was using 3.1 but I think I am making the switch and going Mac.

[Lev Vyvanse]

Ha! I don't burn CD's that often so I guess it works for what I need it for...never had a problem with it.

Each to their own.

[Sassy]

Anyone want to answer Intel vs. AMD?

[scorpio]

I have been all Windows...ever since I was using 3.1 but I think I am making the switch and going Mac.

I have a healthy respect for Macs and Apple in general. If they develop an Exchange plugin for the iPhone, I'll jump on that **** like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

[ZachKC]

I have a healthy respect for Macs and Apple in general. If they develop an Exchange plugin for the iPhone, I'll jump on that **** like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

Exchange plugin?

[SoDak Bronco]

I work and sell computers for top 3 PC company, and we have had several Vista training sessions, and have been able to use Vista. I really think it is worth getting, and the reliability and stability should be there immediately. You can have 1 GB and run Vista just fine, but obviously, the more RAM the better. Most of the new features are visual, and if anyone uses the ALT-TAB function you will love Vista. It actually has an acutal clip of the different programs you have pulled up. Also when you use a thumb drive/flash drive, and say you have a 1 GB flash drive, Vista will pull from that 1 GB of storage and use it to run the computer on a temporary basis. Also, office 2007, server 2007 will be launching with lots of sweet features..

[Drek]

Anyone want to answer Intel vs. AMD?

As of right now the Core 2 Duo is the ideal chipset if you ask me. Its fairly affordable, very capable, and offers a multithreaded chipset that many new programs want.

AMD has a new multithreaded chipset in the works as well. The big thing on AMD's front is in the not so distant future they'll role out AMD CPUs with embedded graphics support as a result of their ATi merger. It'll far outstrip Intel's built in graphics options.

As for Vista, its a largely rebuilt OS so it'll take a little bit for every app to be converted over. Also, Vista is designed for powerful systems, so it does take some major system requirements. In turn its a much better gaming OS, and for businesses offers better control for IT and better stability.

As for the visible differences most will see, its got a few nice tweaks over XP. Desktop widgets like a weather update, clock, or calendar on your desktop. Every explorer window has a sidebar similar to Mac OS X's that'll let you quickly jump to my computer, my documents, etc.. Windows as glass panes (semi-translucent) and also allows a rolodex style feature to flip through stacked windows. You can edit metadata on your files from explorer windows as well without having to right click or anything, so you can rename, label, etc. your music, pictures, etc.. Search features are also added to the explorer window, and the start menu has an overhauled navigation system that should be easier to navigate than the branching paths of XP.

If you're looking to get a new computer make sure its Vista Performance Ready with an upgrade or wait for Vista installed. Its worth having over XP. It'll almost definitely be a little buggy out of the gate though, so you might want to continue holding off.

I'm looking forward to it. I love Mac OS X, Vista is a big step for Windows getting to be as usable. I also love the overhauled MS Office 2007 interface. Very well done installment.

[Los Broncos]

You should wait before using Vista, Microsoft has to work out some bugs, it will take some time to do this. Just like when XP came out, they had some problems with it, but now its solid.

[Ratboy]

If you can do it yourself, do it. Don't buy a PC from Dell, Gateway, or HP. Build the thing yourself. It's cheaper and more powerful.

[TheSportsGuru]

I'm a MCSE and have been running the full version of Vista Ultimate since the business release on November 30th(not to mention all the Beta's and RTM versions).

I am running a Dell Inspiron E1705/2 GB RAM/Intel T2500 @ 2 Ghz/256MB ATI Mobile Radeon Video.

I like Vista, and have seen no reason to go back to this point. It is a resource hog, no doubt, but if you have the horse power it is worth it.

I will agree with an earlier post. Don't use the upgrade path. Put a fresh install on the harddrive. I tried to upgrade over XP and it worked but not well. Started from scratch and haven't had one error or lockup yet.

I have been running Office 2007 just as long and I love it, though there are some big time changes in the user interface.

Most new PC's you buy now will come with a Vista upgrade certificate, though you still may have to pay some kind of price.

And I totally agree with the suggestion to build your own PC if you have the know how. You can get much more power for the money.

[scorpio]

Exchange plugin?

Exchange is Microsoft's integrated email/calendar server product, we use it at work. I wasn't a big fan at first but since I've been forced to use it, it's grown on me. Most PDAs now have some level of built-in support or at least a 3rd party software solution to integrate with it, so hopefully Apple will have something ready by the time the phone hits the shelves.

[v2micca]

I'm a MCSE and have been running the full version of Vista Ultimate since the business release on November 30th(not to mention all the Beta's and RTM versions).

I am running a Dell Inspiron E1705/2 GB RAM/Intel T2500 @ 2 Ghz/256MB ATI Mobile Radeon Video.

I like Vista, and have seen no reason to go back to this point. It is a resource hog, no doubt, but if you have the horse power it is worth it.

I will agree with an earlier post. Don't use the upgrade path. Put a fresh install on the harddrive. I tried to upgrade over XP and it worked but not well. Started from scratch and haven't had one error or lockup yet.

I have been running Office 2007 just as long and I love it, though there are some big time changes in the user interface.

Most new PC's you buy now will come with a Vista upgrade certificate, though you still may have to pay some kind of price.

And I totally agree with the suggestion to build your own PC if you have the know how. You can get much more power for the money.

Hey, I'm hoping you can answer some questions for me then.

I've seen a couple of disheartening articles lately that indicate that Vistas is reserving a great deal of system resources for DRM policies. One article went through and outlined the hits the system was taking in memory and processing to run these things. The article also seemed to present an ominous tone about how much Vistas was going to lock down your system with the new DRM policies. So, having tinkered with the OS for a little bit. What response can you give me on these allegations?

[TheSportsGuru]

Hey, I'm hoping you can answer some questions for me then.

I've seen a couple of disheartening articles lately that indicate that Vistas is reserving a great deal of system resources for DRM policies. One article went through and outlined the hits the system was taking in memory and processing to run these things. The article also seemed to present an ominous tone about how much Vistas was going to lock down your system with the new DRM policies. So, having tinkered with the OS for a little bit. What response can you give me on these allegations?

hat was a huge problem in the Beta versions of the product. Everytime you tried to install something, or run something, you were prompted. Was a real pain.

The final version does a much better job of this. You still get prompted during an install, or when a program tries to access the internet, but no more than if you currently have a firewall or anti-spyware program installed currently.

The network capabilities, especially on the Ultimate version, are 10 times better than XP, especially when it comes to wireless support.

As I said earlier, it is a resource hog, and unless you have a powerhouse of a machine I wouldn't recommend it, but I haven't found it to be slower and I personally love the new interface(not totally different, just streamlined).

I have been using it exclusively for a couple months and have had little to no problems with software and hardware. Madden 07 runs like a champ as well!!:wiggle:

[Drek]

If you can do it yourself, do it. Don't buy a PC from Dell, Gateway, or HP. Build the thing yourself. It's cheaper and more powerful.

I don't think this always holds true, I've built my own systems several times, but when my girlfriend's laptop crapped out we found a great system on Gateway. A Core 2 Duo, 1GB of DDR2, two 250GB HDDs running as a RAID, dual DVD drives (one a lightscribe dual layer DVD burner, the other a DVD/CD-RW combo drive), wireless kb/mouse, etc. with a 19 inch widescreen LCD with DVI input. Got it for less than $1K. All it needs to meet my desired specs is a better video card and an extra 1GB of ram.

I know the system itself wouldn't cost that much, but the LCD and free vista upgrade pushed it over the top for me. I could probably have bought everything for a little less but after S&H and then having to take time to assemble it myself it just didn't seem worth saving a few bucks.

[Rock Chalk]

Vs. Windows XP ?
Vista is coming out on January 30th or 31st...(I forget for sure...)
Anyone know how it is different from XP? I could look it up but I'm lazy! :thanku:

Thre are a couple of things better in Vista, a couple of things worse. Like Scorpio said though you should just wait. Wait until you get a new computer to get Vista. First, its not cheap. Second, you practically need a new computer to get the most out of Vista anyway because of its hardware requirements. It has some really great features outside of Aero (which is the graphical look and feel of the OS that can be turned off if you dont have tons of memory), but mostly XP is fine for at least 2 more years.

[Rigs11]

I'll type slower for you...

There are 64 bit versions of many operating systems, including Windows XP. Nobody is disputing that 64 bit versions of operating systems are designed to take advantage of 64 bit processors, namely the larger address space.

You are asserting that Vista is somehow superior in this respect.

There is nothing about Vista that sets it apart from these other operating systems... there are no magical gnomes living in the Vista code that get out and push your processor faster.

Get it?


Umm yeah it is superior. it supports the new NET Framework which is tailored for 64bit programs. Other OS's don't. Got it?

[SoDak Bronco]

Buy Gateway....:wiggle:

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I'm running a dual boot with XP Pro and Vista Ultimate and like Vista just fine. I'll run XP for another few months and then go with Vista full time (after all drivers and my trading programs are updated for Vista).

As far as burning.... EAC for burning audio, ImgBurn for DVDs and Nero for data and DVDs.



Screenshot Vista....

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/6079/desktopuv0.th.jpg (http://img395.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desktopuv0.jpg)

[worm]

As far as burning.... EAC for burning audio, ImgBurn for DVDs and Nero for data and DVDs.

EAC with correct profile = best audio ripping possible.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

EAC with correct profile = best audio ripping possible. As close as you can get to a perfect copy and it's free. :) So is ImgBurn which is a great little app!

As of right now the Core 2 Duo is the ideal chipset if you ask me. Quad cores coming out soon :)

[Ratboy]

I don't think this always holds true, I've built my own systems several times, but when my girlfriend's laptop crapped out we found a great system on Gateway. A Core 2 Duo, 1GB of DDR2, two 250GB HDDs running as a RAID, dual DVD drives (one a lightscribe dual layer DVD burner, the other a DVD/CD-RW combo drive), wireless kb/mouse, etc. with a 19 inch widescreen LCD with DVI input. Got it for less than $1K. All it needs to meet my desired specs is a better video card and an extra 1GB of ram.

I know the system itself wouldn't cost that much, but the LCD and free vista upgrade pushed it over the top for me. I could probably have bought everything for a little less but after S&H and then having to take time to assemble it myself it just didn't seem worth saving a few bucks.

I play games, so i have to go out and build my own PC. Factory PC's come with horrible Motherboards which will slow you down.

Top of the line PC from NewEgg will cost 1500 give or take a little. Top of the line at Sony? Over 2 grand.

[prunch]

I have vista ultimate (best of 5 versions of vista) on my new system due to my company having an MSDN license with tons of copies. I just bought a new system with dual core 2GHZ, 2GB ram so there is no concerns for me on running it with all the bells and whistles.

I never used the mac OS X but it has been compared to it but i will say i like it. Vista is way prettier than XP and the file management is really sweet for disorganized clowns such as myself. There is nothing in vista that would cause me to drop real money on the upgrade. Nice features, recommend it but i'm not sure there is anything there for anyone to buy this over say an upgrade of your graphics card.

On the argument about the "improve your PCs performance", there are a couple of tweaks that will help like knowing what apps you use so that they are in the cache and if you plug in a usb drive, vista will use that to improve performance.

Any questions for me?

[SoDak Bronco]

I have vista ultimate (best of 5 versions of vista) on my new system due to my company having an MSDN license with tons of copies. I just bought a new system with dual core 2GHZ, 2GB ram so there is no concerns for me on running it with all the bells and whistles.

I never used the mac OS X but it has been compared to it but i will say i like it. Vista is way prettier than XP and the file management is really sweet for disorganized clowns such as myself. There is nothing in vista that would cause me to drop real money on the upgrade. Nice features, recommend it but i'm not sure there is anything there for anyone to buy this over say an upgrade of your graphics card.

On the argument about the "improve your PCs performance", there are a couple of tweaks that will help like knowing what apps you use so that they are in the cache and if you plug in a usb drive, vista will use that to improve performance.

Any questions for me?


You used your first post to talk about Vista? Come on...But I'm with you on Vista, it is pretty nice.

[prunch]

So i did .... DOH!

:)

Upgrade the DLine and Oline and we are having a super 2007

[sisterhellfyre]

Great...now I've got the men engaged in an electronics chat and I'm being ignored ;D

And you expected otherwise...? ;-)

Regards,
m.

[Woody]

If you want to screw with your computer, fight driver problems, be unable to play or copy your own CD's because M$ believes the MPAA and RIAA laywers, pay more for propiaraty software just to burn CD's, fight virius, apply patches and fixes at regular intervals, have big brother Bill Gates watch over your computer at all times making sure you don't break any rules.....

Then go for Vista.


If you want to surf the web without problems, avoid virius and spyware, have movies, MP3's, audio and picturs work well for your needs....

Get a MAC!



Honestly, I don't really see M$ "getting it right" this time. If Vista truly is better than any previous M$ OS, I'll give it at least a year of consumer use before I'll even give it 1ounce of respect.


If your curent XP system is working fine, don't touch it!

[Woody]

I'm running a dual boot with XP Pro and Vista Ultimate and like Vista just fine. I'll run XP for another few months and then go with Vista full time (after all drivers and my trading programs are updated for Vista).

As far as burning.... EAC for burning audio, ImgBurn for DVDs and Nero for data and DVDs.



Screenshot Vista....

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/6079/desktopuv0.th.jpg (http://img395.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desktopuv0.jpg)



Funy....
Looks a lot like the MAC "Dashboard" on the right.

[sisterhellfyre]

If you want to surf the web without problems, avoid virius and spyware, have movies, MP3's, audio and picturs work well for your needs....

Get a MAC!

Thanks for that Mac propaganda piece, Woody.

But seriously, there is another alternative... if you want to do all of that without paying overinflated Mac prices, look into open source software for Windows. There are many programs out there that work at least as well as or better than Microsoft products at a much lower cost or even FREE.

On my job I depend every day on Mozilla Firefox for web browsing, Mozilla Thunderbird for email, and the Open Office Suite in place of Microsoft Office. They all work great, and they're free for the effort of downloading and installing them.

Regards,
m.

[Woody]

I use Linux %90,
Windoze %5, MAC %5

I have doezens of Linux servers and workstations and I use it for Verilog Chip design using MentorGraphics and Xilinx software. I use Firefox for surfing, mplayer for audio and video, "Evolution" for email, emacs for editing and tetex/pdf for documentation. I use OpenOffice when anyone sends me a M$ document. I pay $0 for most software ($12k for Mentor Graphics, but nobody here cares about ModSim)

If normal people could get an Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/ system without much fuss, I'd love it. MAC is the next best thing.

If your average Windoze user, sits in front of a well configured Linux system for about 2 days, they will start to think...
Why is this thing still fast after not being rebooted for two days?
Where is the virus software, what happened to that annoying popup window that kept telling me about my virus updates?
Wow, this thing is fast!

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I use Linux %90,
Windoze %5, MAC %5

I have doezens of Linux servers and workstations and I use it for Verilog Chip design using MentorGraphics and Xilinx software. I use Firefox for surfing, mplayer for audio and video, "Evolution" for email, emacs for editing and tetex/pdf for documentation. I use OpenOffice when anyone sends me a M$ document. I pay $0 for most software ($12k for Mentor Graphics, but nobody here cares about ModSim)

If normal people could get an Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/ system without much fuss, I'd love it. MAC is the next best thing.

If your average Windoze user, sits in front of a well configured Linux system for about 2 days, they will start to think...Why is this thing still fast after not being rebooted for two days? Where is the virus software, what happened to that annoying popup window that kept telling me about my virus updates? Wow, this thing is fast!
I used Ubuntu for for a couple of months but finally ditched it as it wasn't compatible with enough of my software. Macs can't run my trading software and they are subject to viruses (http://tinyurl.com/yydzg3) just like Windows (the more popular an OS the more viruses and attacks). I leave XP Pro on for weeks at a time with no slow downs.

XP seems plenty fast to me. I can burn a DVD 5 in 5 minutes, while running a trading program with real time quotes covering over 800 securities, multiple web pages opened, email running etc...

Funy....
Looks a lot like the MAC "Dashboard" on the right.
:) Yep and Apple is making Windows compatible machines, who would have thought.

[Sassy]

Good Info Guys...Thanks!

[Sassy]

Bump to go along with Windows XP ;D

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Good Info Guys...Thanks!
Here are some more screenshots for anyone interested in Vista.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Start Menu

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/5709/startmenuik5.jpg




Start Menu 1

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/7549/startmenu1tz5.jpg



Explorer

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/6195/exploreraz5.jpg



Start Menu 2

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/6673/explorer1gd5.jpg



Welcome Center

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/9187/welcomecenteriz5.jpg




Control Panel

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/1248/controlpanelyu7.jpg




Audio Console

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/163/audioconsolekc2.jpg

[Florida_Bronco]

If you can do it yourself, do it. Don't buy a PC from Dell, Gateway, or HP. Build the thing yourself. It's cheaper and more powerful.

It's also not that hard at all.

[Florida_Bronco]

Thanks for that Mac propaganda piece, Woody.

But seriously, there is another alternative... if you want to do all of that without paying overinflated Mac prices, look into open source software for Windows. There are many programs out there that work at least as well as or better than Microsoft products at a much lower cost or even FREE.

On my job I depend every day on Mozilla Firefox for web browsing, Mozilla Thunderbird for email, and the Open Office Suite in place of Microsoft Office. They all work great, and they're free for the effort of downloading and installing them.

Regards,
m.

What is Open Office Suite? Can you tell us more about it and where you can download it?

[BroncoBuff]

No. Stick with XP until vista gets better driver support.

Agreed ... and the guy from Microsoft here is all over the "minimum 1 GB RAM" warning. He said you have to really move up over 1 GB to see any real speed advantage over XP.

I'm sitting here w/ 256 using XP Pro, and I could use at least another 256. I'm just too lazy to go out and buy more ... and there's even a computer recycle store 6 blocks from here ...

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! Uhh ::)

[Bronco_Beerslug]

What is Open Office Suite? Can you tell us more about it and where you can download it?http://www.openoffice.org/ It has the same type programs as MS's Office.

Also, there is a lot better option for PDFs than the bloated Adobe app. It's also free like Open Office. Foxit (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php)

[Sassy]

Thanks for the pics, Beerslug!

[Houshyamama]

I've been running a Vista RC 1 copy for a few months. My overall impression? Not that different. It is a ram HOG, you will need at least 1Gb to do anything and probably 2Gb to game with it. Overall though it is very user friendly with a nice graphical interface (via 64bit). Unless you just have to have it because you're an early adopter, I'd just wait till you get a new computer where it will come bundled.

[TheSportsGuru]

I would agree with that sentiment. I get all Microsft Software free becuase I am a MCSE and have a TechNet subscription, but I still use alot of OpenSource software.

I will say I love what I have seen from Vista so far, and have no plans of going back to XP on my personal laptop....I have been able to install the Cisco VPN client, which is critical for my job, and it seems to run ok in my Windows 2000/2003 server environment.

Different strokes for different folks, i guess...

[Ray_Lewis'_Victim]

If you want all the cool bells and whistles of vista's pretty interface, get linux with xgl/aiglx and beryl. 3d desktop cube, wobbly windows, fun animations, animated alt+tab, mac-like expose feature. The list goes on. I'm not certain but I'm pretty sure its MUCH less of a resource hog than vista as well because xgl/aiglx sends all the rendering work to the gfx card, leaving your cpu to do whatever you need it to.

And, of course the best reason to switch : ITS FREE!!!!!

http://www.linuxmint.com <--awesome OS!!

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Thanks for the pics, Beerslug!

3-D Flip...


-----------------------------------------

FULL SIZE (http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/16/vista9qf.jpg)



http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7726/vistaresize1ru.jpg

[Sassy]

http://tech.msn.com/microsoft/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1433991&gt1=9013

Everything You Need to Know About Windows Vista
By Preston Gralla, PC World
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Next >

It's big, it's ambitious, and it's (finally) here. We give you the bottom line on what Windows Vista does better than XP, where it needs improvement--and how to perform the upgrade, step-by-step.

Has any operating system been so maligned and so praised during a painfully long development cycle as Windows Vista? The march to Windows Vista's launch has sometimes seemed longer than the Hundred Years War.

Read More About Windows Vista: 15 Reasons to Switch

Now that Windows Vista is at hand, let the debating begin. Is it a look into the future of operating systems, or the last, dying gasp of an old way of computing? Should you upgrade your system to meet its considerable hardware needs? Is it anything other than Mac OS X Lite?

Some may complain that Windows Vista isn't as revolutionary as it should be after five years of work. But you don't judge an OS by the amount of time developers have put into it. You judge it by how useful and how pleasurable it is to work with--and in these respects, Windows Vista is a clear winner. It's beautiful, sports much-improved security, offers superb networking capabilities...and maybe most of all, it's just plain fun to use.

That's not to say it's perfect--far from it. Some may view the new interface as little more than fluff or be turned off by the intrusive User Account Control feature. Expect a long-running discourse between Windows Vista lovers and Windows Vista haters. On which side will you fall? There's only one way to find out--by taking a tour of the operating system.

The Look
The moment Windows Vista starts, some of its biggest changes are in plain view: It is distinctive and eye-catching. Colors are subtler and the overall look less cartoonish than Windows XP's.

Dare I say it's Mac-like? In fact, it is. Microsoft has always stolen from the best. Key to a lot of what's new in Windows Vista is the much-anticipated Aero interface--but to use it, you'll need adequate hardware and one of the pricier versions of the OS. (For details on these editions, see "How Much Will Your Windows Vista Upgrade Cost?" )

Within Aero, screen windows maximize and minimize with a kind of visual "swoosh." The <Alt>-<Tab> command for switching between open windows now invokes Windows Flip, which displays thumbnails of open windows. Flip 3D (<Windows>-<Tab>) ups the ante, stacking windows so that you can flip through them like playing cards.

Some may say this is mere eye candy that won't affect your real productivity. Maybe so. But it makes life at the keyboard fun again. And for my money, that's right up there with productivity.

Two other notable new interface elements are the Sidebar and Live Thumbnails. Hover your mouse over a minimized window on the taskbar, and a thumbnail pops up with its contents, plus the program and document name or Web site.

I'm particularly fond of the Sidebar gadgets, interactive applets that display information--RSS feeds, stock tickers, clocks, weather, and so on. Windows Vista ships with about a dozen of them; there are more online. While similar to Google Desktop Gadgets or Yahoo Widgets, they're actually more like the Mac's Gadgets in that they're built directly into the operating system and so may use its underlying architecture. For example, one gadget displays RSS news feeds you've subscribed to using Internet Explorer 7's RSS Reader.

The Start menu is more compact and useful; and Control Panel is more logically organized than in XP--it has several new "Centers," such as the Network and Sharing Center and the Sync Center (which handles functions of ActiveSync desktop software you previously had to install for Windows Mobile devices).

But for some odd reason several differently named links bring you to the exact same location. For example, in Control Panel, Network and Internet, if you click 'Network and Sharing Center' or 'View network status and tasks' or 'Set up file sharing', each of these choices will take you to...the Network and Sharing Center. This can make using Control Panel feel like getting directions from a dotty old aunt....(continued...click on link)

[chadta]

anyone that really wants that vista look without giving up the way xp works can always install the vista transformation pack, it has a bunch of the visual toys but still works like xp, i see it as a good step in the process of switching over.

http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Vista-Transformation-Pack-Download-32042.html#download_locations

i prefer this to actual vista because it still works like xp it just looks like vista while doing it

[alkemical]

Ripple effects of a Windows Vista rollout (http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0129/p01s02-usec.html)

Ripple effects of a Windows Vista rollout
Will the new operating system's arrival mean a boost to the worldwide economy?
By Mark Trumbull | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Computer users know the drill.

First comes the hype from Microsoft about the latest Windows software. Next come the reviews from techies, and then the decision about when or whether to upgrade the core software on their machines.

(cont'd on site)

[Bronco Bob]

Vs. Windows XP ?
Vista is coming out on January 30th or 31st...(I forget for sure...)
Anyone know how it is different from XP? I could look it up but I'm lazy! :thanku:

If you are thinking of getting Vista, you might want to read this.

http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html

[Bronco_Beerslug]

If you are thinking of getting Vista, you might want to read this.

http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html

I've been using it for over a month and haven't experienced any of those issues but haven't used or tried everything mentioned. I do own the SACD of DSOM and it plays flawlessly from my S/PDIF link out to my receiver.

[Arkie]

I bought a new computer last november that is "Vista Upgradable." I just got my free copy in the mail yesterday. I'm scared to install it because I've heard a lot of hatin'. Has anybody had any experiences?

[Rock Chalk]

I bought a new computer last november that is "Vista Upgradable." I just got my free copy in the mail yesterday. I'm scared to install it because I've heard a lot of hatin'. Has anybody had any experiences?

After a bit of tweaking for my media center, Ive had zero problems.

Couldnt use my version of norton, but I didnt want it anymore anyway so I went and got the free version of Avast anti-virus.

All my software works and I have yet to even crash a program much less the OS. Though, my other friend who works with me said he has had some issues playing some of the games released last year.

OVerall I found my Vista experience pleasurable. Some things need getting used to because they are different. Not better, not worse, but difference (where things are located, etc). Somethings are a lot better, some things are worse. If your machine can handle it and you have it, Id do it just to see it. If you dont like it, you can always switch back to XP. I have both XP Media Center Edition 2005 and Vista Home Premium and was a bit leery at first, almost switched back because of my media center issues (turns out, I just needed to update my ATI X1900 series driver).

Like anything though, make your own opinion on it. If you got it, install it to try it out. Be forewarned though, its a long install if you are upgrading. Dont know about a clean install but upgrading took like 2 hours.

[Rock Chalk]

My desktop

[SureShot]

Alec, what do you think of Rosetta Stone?

[Los Broncos]

I have free access to Vista threw school but im not going to roll it out till all the drivers come out. Im running XP home and have a rock solid system so i dont really have any reason to use Vista now. But i know some people and have heard some things for my teacher about Vitsa, some people are having trouble and some not, most of the drivers wont come out till july.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I have free access to Vista threw school but im not going to roll it out till all the drivers come out. Im running XP home and have a rock solid system so i dont really have any reason to use Vista now. But i know some people and have heard some things for my teacher about Vitsa, some people are having trouble and some not, most of the drivers wont come out till july.Drivers for what? I'm using about anything you can think of.

[Los Broncos]

Drivers for what? I'm using about anything you can think of.

Two people i know bought new pcs and bought a new printer also, the printers wont work with Vista. The called Microsoft and was told those drivers for that printer wont come out till july.

[Sassy]

Great...so if I buy a new computer, it's probably not going to work with my printer.

[Los Broncos]

Great...so if I buy a new computer, it's probably not going to work with my printer.

It depends, make sure you ask some questions and if Vista will support the printer.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Two people i know bought new pcs and bought a new printer also, the printers wont work with Vista. The called Microsoft and was told those drivers for that printer wont come out till july.That seems odd. My printer is two years old and works fine. My scanner is almost 2 years old too and works fine. Why would MS know when a certain printer company was going to release drivers for it's line of printers? You almost always have to go to the manufacturers website to get new drivers.

[Los Broncos]

That seems odd. My printer is two years old and works fine. My scanner is almost 2 years old too and works fine. Why would MS know when a certain printer company was going to release drivers for it's line of printers? You almost always have to go to the manufacturers website to get new drivers.

Thats what i said.

[Los Broncos]

That seems odd. My printer is two years old and works fine. My scanner is almost 2 years old too and works fine. Why would MS know when a certain printer company was going to release drivers for it's line of printers? You almost always have to go to the manufacturers website to get new drivers.

Thats what i thought.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Great...so if I buy a new computer, it's probably not going to work with my printer.Vista's and XP's kernel is almost identical. Just about everything works on Vista that works on XP.

[Willynowei]

I bought a new computer last november that is "Vista Upgradable." I just got my free copy in the mail yesterday. I'm scared to install it because I've heard a lot of hatin'. Has anybody had any experiences?

How much RAM does your computer have and what do you use it for?

My experience with Vista has been good, but there have been some issues. For one, driver support is not as widespread as XP, thus if your computer parts/peripherals are old, or unpopular, it may not be supported. This has more to with manufacturers updating the drivers which has been a lot better since the RC1 days not too long ago, so I'm hopeful.

Vista is surprisingly automated in its facilitation of most housekeeping tasks. Driver searching and updates are certainly tidier and better for anyone who would rather not go to said manufacturer's websites. It ripped off a lot of bad things from the Mac OSX but it also ripped off some good things as well. However, almost all the downsides are associated with running the OS on older, less cutting edge hardware. Unfortunately this means a majority of the PC population.

If you have over a gig of RAM i would say that its a very good OS. Anything less than a gig, and you should stay away from VISTA at all costs. The main benefit of an OS should be efficiency, and unless you have the hardware, Vista won't improve your productiveness over XP.

BTW, Windows shortcuts for Flip 3D are much better thought out than Mac OSX. Thats not a jab at mac, just, alt + tab is easier to reach on the keyboard and you'd be suprised at how big a difference that makes. I never used expose b/c it was always easier to click your application from the dock than to hit f8 and click another box on a macintosh.

Alt+tab and Windows+tab are very nice functions. If you normally use google desktop, they've also ripped off them as well. Really well integrated product. My experience has been good. But again, absolute system hog, uses 1.4 gigs of RAM on my computer, though it scales.

[Rock Chalk]

Alec, what do you think of Rosetta Stone?

Check PM.

I dont use it like I said because I already know the language we got, but I got it for the gal and the youngin. I want the little one to know another language before she graduates and what better than the language I know :D

[Rock Chalk]

Great...so if I buy a new computer, it's probably not going to work with my printer.

Hogwash. If you already own the printer, check the printer's website to see if they have Vista compatible drivers. Thats all you have to do. If you buy a printer with the computer it will come Vista ready.

[Sassy]

Nah...I love my printer and scanner. I'm not buying new ones.