Windows Vista...

Vista is new so there are bound to be some issues...XP wasn't perfect the year it came out...and it still isn't necessarily. I recently built a machine for my brother and DID go with Vista. My thoughts were either to try and buy XP which is going to wayside support wise or go with Vista and whatever risks if any. I have had zero issues personally so far on the machine with vista (home premium). EVERY piece of hardware was detected and working however I always go to the manufacturer's sites and get the latest drivers (still no issues when doing this). I did turn off some things like the "gadget bar" (seems like I've seen something like this before haha!). Anyway the computer runs great with vista and even the games I've "tested" on it. It does have 2gb of ram but I don't generally build with any less than that especially when its primary purpose will be games or multimedia. When monitoring the system resources it was using around 512mb of ram which isn't really that bad. Video cards is where alot of people complain...and what causes the "lag". Vista is MUCH more visual than previous OS's. Simple fix for that: TURN OFF THE EYE CANDY! I have nothing I can tell anyone I don't like so far. It is different internally and seems to be for the better (directory structures, etc.)

I will be running vista soon along side OSX on my macbook pro and I know it will do fine. The thing you need to think about again is do you want to buy what's current and be as up to date as you can for as long as possible...or do you want to run an OS that is at or near its end of life?

Do not upgrade just for the sake of upgrading. Vista offers nothing worthwhile over XP worth going through the hassle of dealing with the problems Vista has.
I have an IT friend who put Vista on one of his pc's and went back to XP the next day.

My new machine came with Vista on it. I like it well enough. It's a much cleaner, sharper look than the older Windows versions...with a lot more gadgets and goodies to play with. I haven't had any issues with incompatibility, except that a few programs I have will cause it to bump my custom color schemes back to the default Windows color scheme, but I barely even notice that. I also haven't had a single performance issue, except that it takes forever to shut down and boot up. That's it. I haven't had any "shaking" or a single blue screen or any problems running the programs I want to use.


Keep in mind, I'm a pretty simple user. I do mostly internet work...some graphics work...and have maybe one graphic-intensive game that I focus on at any given time. People who do lots of process-intensive work, use lots of older or obscure programs, or play a variety of hardcore video games may not get along so well with Vista.

I also like the look and feel of vista, but it requires a bunch of memory to run.

I don't know why anyone would be running only 512mb of RAM on a newer system anymore anyway. I run 3, although I am a gamer.

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Originally Posted by darkangel

I don't know why anyone would be running only 512mb of RAM on a newer system anymore anyway. I run 3, although I am a gamer.

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b/c notebooks come standard with 512mb. and upgrading is very expensive. On desktops it is quite different. Most come with 1gb and upgrading is very easy and not so expensive.

OK! Didn't realize we were talking about notebooks. Agreed. Wouldn't touch Vista in a notebook with a 10 foot pole.

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Originally Posted by AkivaSmith

b/c notebooks come standard with 512mb. and upgrading is very expensive. On desktops it is quite different. Most come with 1gb and upgrading is very easy and not so expensive.

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I can tell you this is NOT the case. There is absolutely no "standard" that notebooks come with 512mb of ram. Of the laptops I purchased for my staff in the last year or two I have never placed an order with the specs of less than 1gb of ram. I spec/purchase laptops as well as desktops with 2gb, at this point in time its more than most users need however it really keeps the performance aspect up and generally prolongs the usability time of the system. I will agree that laptop memory *can* be expensive but it does not have be. Most big name manufacturers will definitely gouge the price of any additional memory but I still have not seen less than 1gb in basic specs these days. When purchased separately by other vendors laptop memory can be found at very reasonable costs. Installing laptop memory is easier than a desktop in most cases. I can take any laptop in operation here at work, flip it over remove one or two small screws, pop off a panel and wala! the memory is right there. Nothing like a desktop where you have to open/remove the case panels and work around cables and other hardware.

-not trying to sound like an arse but I've been doing this type of work all my life and try and give as correct and accurate info as I can to those who inquire.

I still think its funny seeing all the vista haters...people said the same thing about XP and they will say the same thing about whatever the next OS is called. 9 times out of 10 their dislike is not even formed by their own opinion but by someone "who knows computers" or the like and really have idea about the underlying platform improvements.

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

I still think its funny seeing all the vista haters...people said the same thing about XP and they will say the same thing about whatever the next OS is called. 9 times out of 10 their dislike is not even formed by their own opinion but by someone "who knows computers" or the like and really have idea about the underlying platform improvements.

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But we aren't down the road are we? We are at now, and right now Vista sucks. Trying to find software compatible with it is a pita. Look at all the software out there, they use "COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS VISTA!!" as a perk for a selling point, which goes to show you its rare to find something that will work with Vista. Needing a gig of ram to run "smoothly" is flat out ridiculous and no OS should need that much just "run smoothly", or run at all.

If he said he was looking to upgrade to a new OS in 2-3 years, then you would have a valid point, but hes not, hes looking to upgrade NOW, and right NOW Vista isn't worth the time, effort, headaches, stress, and pain to get working.

And this is all of course, my own opinion :D

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Originally Posted by sw204me

But we aren't down the road are we? We are at now, and right now Vista sucks. Trying to find software compatible with it is a pita. Look at all the software out there, they use "COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS VISTA!!" as a perk for a selling point, which goes to show you its rare to find something that will work with Vista. Needing a gig of ram to run "smoothly" is flat out ridiculous and no OS should need that much just "run smoothly", or run at all.

If he said he was looking to upgrade to a new OS in 2-3 years, then you would have a valid point, but hes not, hes looking to upgrade NOW, and right NOW Vista isn't worth the time, effort, headaches, stress, and pain to get working.

And this is all of course, my own opinion :D

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This kinda brings back my other point doesn't it...You can buy something now that the general public is used to and "says" works...something that is at its end of life development wise. OR you can purchase what IS NOW and IS current. I won't argue with anyone, especially who is blindly against change and new things however I do see things from a very different angle than "users".

Think of it in terms of breeding reptile morphs...some are compatible some are not. Some will produce killer combos some will produce nothing special, and even some lose offspring...that doesn't stop those willing to try new things from moving forward to get the next greatest thing. And then once one person shows what can be done...then all the others jump on the wagon.

Now before this conversation gets "silly" no I'm not comparing reptiles to computers (but leave it to me to try!). I am simply explaining the idea of something new. Things are very visual these days and that's all most people "see". Most don't have a clue about the REAL changes.

Lastly: No I am not some Microsoft fanboy freak. In fact I post this sitting behind an Apple macbook pro running OSX of course. Until I convinced myself that I need to get up to speed on apple technologies I had similar thoughts and a bias opinion of Macs. Part of my job now includes supporting apple technology which was something I had never really worked with much and so had little use for. Low and behold I pulled this shiny laptop out if its box and never looked back! Of course I still use windows also but my point is that even IT professionals can gain something from trying something new!