A reality check for Vista

Will you buy Vista?

  • Yes

    Votes: 29 55.8%

  • No

    Votes: 23 44.2%
  • Total voters
    52
I'm also not bashing Vista ... been using RC1 for a few days, and its now my primary work OS ... nice minor enhancement to XP SP2.

However my point is, making end users pay/fund 'under the hood' enhancements/optimisations/refinements with few tangilble 'out of the box' new functions/features is not going to sit well with the average paying user. And you can't count drivel like Sidebar as new functionality. Also what tells me the underlying core is still very much XP is the fact that RC1 runs every 'designed for XP' device driver I've thrown at it ... even esoteric network related stuff like my Dell laptop's integrated HSDPA adapter (Dell refuse to support Vista until released).

MS could have easily re-packaged Vista as a (rather massive) SP3 and given it away for free like SP2. After all I dont think the variance between SP2 -> Vista is not hugely more than that between SP1 -> SP2. Since most copies of Windows are bought pre-installed on PCs, I think the whole Vista project is MS's way of justifing a price hike to OEMs (which is passed on to the end user) to extract more revenue per copy of Windows sold.
 
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Roman4604 said:
However my point is, making end users pay/fund 'under the hood' enhancements/optimisations/refinements with few tangilble 'out of the box' new functions/features is not going to sit well with the average paying user.
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The value in the OS will come when application developers start developing software for it.
 
Benefits of Linux vs. Windows:

Linux: It's free.

Windows: It works.

;)

Seriously, though. If you're a gamer, you will have to get Windows Vista eventually. XP isn't very different to 2000 (under the hood, I mean), so you could be a stubborn die-hard there if you wanted to be. But by 2008, all games will be using DirectX10, and Vista is the only OS that's going to have it - like it or not.

One thing with Vista. If they keep this online activation thing XP's got, they'd better fix it so that it doesn't give you crap everytime you do a re-install. Otherwise I'll just get a crack like I did for XP...
 
Ekhaatvensters said:
I dont know if they will try and force you.. have they ever done that with DX before? I know they stop supporting a operating system after a few years, but that is only once the OS is really dead.
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There will definitely be a few years of support for XP.

Game developers will only use DX10 if there is a significant installed base of hardware and software. It took them quite a long time to even start using DX9.
 
who needs vista

not interested in Vista at all, All I need to to is browse the web, do my business accounting and play a few games like Quake4, Warcraft, Doom, Battlefield2, write a few letters in doc format, do some powerpoints, watch a few movies, play my mp3's, use my box as a router, edit my home movies and photos, use skype, and not be worried about any malware....for that I use opensuse..its free...Aero?? did I mention XGL???
 
I find the poll so far quite interesting. Seems like M$ is in for a treat!
 
DAE_JA_VOO said:
And R1400 is frikken cheap if you ask me. Hell, even if they ask 4K, i still think it's cheap. Sure, 4K is a lot of cash, but think about what you're getting in return?! An OS that RUNS your PC, something you use for like 7 years, every day, free updates, etc etc etc.
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There is just the slight issue that a lot of other people manage to release complete OSs for free ... I recomend Ubuntu ...

Dominic Rooney said:
I find it quite amusing that Linux users always presume that Windows users [with 100% certainty] that they're going to get infected with spyware etc.

Yes I've been affected once but it wasn't really an issue for me. If you have a proper AV & firewall set-up and don't visit dodgy sites then for the vast majority of time, you'll be virus-free :).
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How many linux users here are running an anti-virus?
 
Dominic Rooney said:
I find it quite amusing that Linux users always presume that Windows users [with 100% certainty] that they're going to get infected with spyware etc.

Yes I've been affected once but it wasn't really an issue for me. If you have a proper AV & firewall set-up and don't visit dodgy sites then for the vast majority of time, you'll be virus-free :).
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Wasn't an issue for you? :)

Well, if you're a sysadmin administrating 100 windoze pc's and all gets assorted spyware and malware on them, then it's no picnic... that's why I'm quite restrictive in which sites can be visited and what can be downloaded... not to mention email social engineering.

Windows WILL get infected with spy and adware sooner or later...

Sorry, but that's my POV on this issue... ;) :D
 
kilps said:
There is just the slight issue that a lot of other people manage to release complete OSs for free ... I recomend Ubuntu ...


How many linux users here are running an anti-virus?
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A what? :) Oh, that... I only use it to filter out viruses in emails... :D

Ubuntu released a Christian edition as well...
 
Ermm Windows gets way more spyware and viruses because there are so many users. Virus programmers, like any programmer, would target the OS with the highest subscriber base. Get a good antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall, update regularly and you'll be fine.

The problem with Linux is that it's not yet ready for the average user, they can't just pick it up and use it like they would for Windows. The learning curve is much steeper. At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice, an OS is just an interface between user and hardware. Vista will sell as well as previous versions, reason being that it's the most widely supported OS. Don't like it? Tough ;)
 
Its all about the business model. Although the idea of linux is morally correct, the business model doesn't work right now.

This has been steadily chaning over the years.
 
Highflyer_GP said:
Ermm Windows gets way more spyware and viruses because there are so many users. Virus programmers, like any programmer, would target the OS with the highest subscriber base. Get a good antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall, update regularly and you'll be fine.

The problem with Linux is that it's not yet ready for the average user, they can't just pick it up and use it like they would for Windows. The learning curve is much steeper. At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice, an OS is just an interface between user and hardware. Vista will sell as well as previous versions, reason being that it's the most widely supported OS. Don't like it? Tough ;)
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I agree completly ... I was just pointing out some strong points to certain users :)
 
kilps said:
I agree completly ... I was just pointing out some strong points to certain users :)
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Apologies that wasn't aimed at you specifically, but for anybody who uses the argument that Linux is a safer OS :) It's only safer cos nobody would wanna waste their time programming malware for an OS with such a small subscriber base.
 
Highflyer_GP said:
Apologies that wasn't aimed at you specifically, but for anybody who uses the argument that Linux is a safer OS :) It's only safer cos nobody would wanna waste their time programming malware for an OS with such a small subscriber base.
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No probs ... didn't take it to be

I don't know much about security ... but what afaik an advantage of *nix systems (and now with vista) is that for an app to perform certain tasks it needs your admin password ...
 
Highflyer_GP said:
The problem with Linux is that it's not yet ready for the average user, they can't just pick it up and use it like they would for Windows. The learning curve is much steeper.
Click to expand...
Linux has come a long, long way, but I still find it takes more effort to get everything running initially. It does have an advantage later when things go wrong later - with Windows everything is either hidden or in some way convoluted such that when things go wrong its usually quicker to re-install, not so with Linux.

So far what I've liked about OS X is that you get the best of both.
 
noxi dude ive had windows xp since release

ive had tons of problems yes

but i knew how to fix em and if i couldnt i reloaded no biggie

i love windows, its works really well does what i want it to

runs all my games programs without effort

why would i want to use linux?
 
I quess it all boils down in the end whether you're prepared to :

1. Learn something new

2. Play games

3. Doesn't mind in reinstalling when something nasty makes itself a home on your Windows installation

4. Doesn't mind in purchasing (or pirating - arrr) anti-virus and spyware programs to protect yourself...

In the end it is personal choice, and up to you to make it work.

I have reached the point where my time is more important than keeping on fixing (or removing) nasty buggery programs.

OS/2 got thrown out because to reinstall from scratch took hours where a Linux (or Windows) install took two hours or less.

So, for me, the most important thing here, is time wasted fixing a problem, and that is time I could have spend doing something more constructive (like postwhoring :D ).

Also, spousal units does not like it when their other half sits in front of a PC trying to fix problems and not giving attention or time to spousal unit...
 
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