Microsoft: All roads lead to Vista
Windows Vista's checkered history is now legend.
Instead of the evolutionary marvel that Microsoft long promised, Vista instead has become synonymous with development delays, shifting feature lists, and spotty driver support.
No wonder then, more than a year after Vista's release, many consumers and business customers have steadfastly held onto Vista's predecessor, the Windows XP operating system. Microsoft has followed with price cuts and promotions. This is not exactly the "wow" moment the company had in mind. News.com's Ina Fried has chronicled Vista's first year in earlier posts.
Still, we know that all good Windows releases eventually come to an end: Windows XP is stable, widely supported, and ultimately doomed. New PCs with XP installed will begin to disappear this summer. Microsoft will stop selling XP completely next January (although the company will provide support for much longer).
ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reports that it's unclear when a rumored service pack, SP3, will debut for XP, raising speculation that Microsoft is sending a pointed message about upgrade planning.
On Tuesday, Dell launched a Vista migration program to nudge big companies toward the OS. The PC maker's "client migration solution" will cut migration costs by up to 62 percent and reduce labor by an estimated 88 percent, Dell says.
Microsoft is greasing the skids for Vista acceptance by offering free telephone support for Vista Service Pack 1 through March 2009. (The toll-free call-in number in the U.S. for Vista SP1 help is (866)-234-6020.)
We're still waiting....
(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET News.com)Despite past "downgrade" offers from Dell and other PCs makers, and even a cottage industry of sorts around removing Vista from new PCs, most of us will likely be using Vista sometime in the near future.
Is that a bad thing? In my view, no, it's not. Let's face it: XP may work, but it's not pretty. Cosmetics aside, when Vista works well--and in truth that's more and more often for me--it works very well. I've been running Vista on three machines for well over a year. Compatibility issues are beginning to disappear, my wireless network connection no longer mysteriously vanishes, and other random glitches appear to have been fixed.
Still, maybe I'm setting the bar too low. Should we expect more from Vista? Are you ready to give up XP?
Why on earth, would I switch to something that is a resource hog, runs slower, and is a monument to "features in search of an application", when I have something that is stable, runs fine, does what I want it to do, and is configured the way *I* want it, and NOT the way Microsoft thinks it should be?
I'm buying a couple of extra copies right now of XP/Pro for the future...The next PC I buy will surely have Vista pre-installed on it, and the first thing I do will be to wipe the disk and install XP.
"and is a monument to "features in search of an application" "
Nice line, in search of an application that works correctly on it might work as well.
I'm still not so sure about the "gadgets" and "sidebar" thing, and I do still prefer FireFox, even though the newly tabbed version of IE is getting more stable. I despise the UAC thing, in spite of Microsoft's warm fuzzy explanations about how much safer my machine is now.
Seriously - I prefer Linux, but I know that not everyone is into it, so I can also happily recommend OSX (Mac/Apple), which is a breeze to use, lasts 3x as long as a typical PC, is 10000x more secure, and does everything I want/need it to (and then some).
But then, it's all your decision.
/P
My SO (who's in desktop support) was trying to install something on Vista a few days ago and was frustrated that it wouldn't install. She was cursing at Vista and calling it junk. Then I pointed out that it wouldn't install the program because that program was already installed. Vista was preventing a mistake and working perfectly.
The only problem with Vista is that people don't take the time to learn how to use it. Human error as always and, in turn, blaming someone/something else (M$/Vista) for their own stupidity.
/P
employed.
I ran Vista for a total of 60 days. (Most recently in January). I
won't be doing that again. Too many problems, too hard to get
my work done. Also: Much slower on modern hardware than XP
or Linux.
I won't be a sheep and fork over good money for a product that
doesn't work as well as what I have now.
Thanks Microsoft, but keep Vista.
There are plenty of current pieces of software that still will not run properly on Vista. Maybe they aren't mainstream, but they are essential to the industries which they serve.
Get off that nasty bandwagon and look at the facts! Vista is a no-go for a reason.
Macbook Pro. Now everything just works. Why bother with Vista
when you can use the OS it's trying (read: failing) to match?
Windows PC's are cheaper, but apparently you get what you pay for.
The only features of Vista is that it sucks up more hardware and gives you nothing but more security problems and DRM in return.
95 - Hated
98se - Loved
2000 - Business loved
ME - Hated
XP - Loved
Vista - Hated
Even after patches and updates most people will agree that 95 and ME were terrible versions of windows. I think that may be the fate of Vista.
Windows XP was an actual improvement over Windows 2000. Windows XP still ran very comfortably on older computers' specs (I recall installing a relative's ancient Pentium II with it, and it still ran peppy compared to Windows 98 that was installed before that).
Sure, XP had/has that stupid Fisher-Price "My first UI" look about it, but you could switch to Classic Mode and get a performance boost out of doing so.
Vista is different - it brings nothing to the table except bloat, incompatibility, and a way higher hardware requirement (forget the minimums - I mean what's required to make it look/feel usable).
/P
Back when XP came out, there were a bunch of naysayers who said "You will never pry Windows 98 out of my hands until they are cold and dead!".... they switched, sooner or later, and found that XP (once they actually USED it, which most of these MS bashers on here probably haven't) was pretty damn good, even with no SP and SP1.
Microsoft is just bashed upon everytime they release something, and everyone says "Buy an Apple!".... "Switch to Linux!".... "DO ANYTHING but buy Microsoft software!"..... and no one does because, when it comes down to it, MS software is pretty good.
Now, it does have a ******** of security problems.... but that mainly comes from being the 90% of all computer OS's in the world leader, so EVERYONE UNDER THE SUN is taking potshots at Windows XP and Vista right now..... Haven't heard of ONE person being able to remotely install something on Vista, have you?
Whether or not MS forces OEM's to ship only Vista is irrelevant. Only the clueless and those with low standards accept Vista.
Dell, HP, etc will keep offering XP or they will lose out to Apple and Linux.
MS still thinks that it can roll out any garbage and people will eat it up. Those days are happily long gone.
Even though Linux and OSX are decades ahead of XP and Vista it is funny that Microsoft's continued incompetence is what is destroying them.
Just like when I moved from 3.1 to 95, 95 to 98, and 98 to XP. I
have yet to see a BSOD. (3 boxes in over a year). Every upgrade has
had driver issues. It seems to me the vast majority of complaints
about Vista come from those that are not users themselves, have
an underpowered box or simply like to complain about MS no
matter what they do. For what its worth, I also have a Mac running
Leopard. Both OS's have the pluses and minuses.
otherwise instead of wasting time relearning the whole thing and paying for it, try one of the versions of linux that are out there. 3 that are very user friendly are Ubuntu Suse and PCLinuxOS.
if you use your pc for mail/surfing/messaging or anything else aside for gaming then these provide 0 cost alternatives for you and to be honest Vista is still playing catch up to some of the 3d desktop effects capable on even the most basic linux distributions. and some of them actually work quite well with much lower hardware standards then Vista. i wont preach any more on the virtues of Linux Microsoft pushes more people towards it daily with thier bloated Vista.
Likewise, manipulating a newly installed OS to a person's liking is quite common, and I'm willing to bet that anyone installing XP still takes some time to set it up to their liking; it's hardly a valid complaint that MS (or ANY software vendor) ships shoddy software because they set default values a certain way.
UAC has it's advantages, a lot of the average low end users that don't comprehend the relationship between their actions on the internet or installing software and the implications that has in regard to all the negative stuff that can happen will definitely benefit from it. So you don't like UAC? Turn it off.
I've run Vista for over a year. Over that course of time, I have had my share of issues. Were the issues caused by Vista? Not all of them, a lot were caused by invalid hardware drivers from the manufacturers, some were caused by Microsoft updates that broke things, but that's not limited to Vista, it seems that their updates are equal opportunity and break other flavors of their operating systems as well. Being a software developer, I accept that, not all things are guaranteed to get caught.
Pre SP1 Vista was fairly solid. SP1 Vista is very solid. XP is also solid. Linux based on the 2.4 kernel is solid. People should use whatever OS they want, but should also remain objective in comparing and not forget the past so easily.
Bloat, OSX and Linux have all the same features plus a lot more and can run smoothly on far less hardware.
Security Issues
XP had real improvements. Vista is a terrible "me too" OS.
That's right ME was terrible and most people stuck with 98se. The same way vista is terrible and most people are sticking with XP. The next windows will come out and people will skip right over vista, in the same way most people skipped me.
Vista is merely a half-dead and oft-ignored tourist attraction on this freeway, rusting and decaying as the majority of travelers pass it by...
/P
http://pc-os.org
"Compatibility issues are BEGINNING to disappear"
"Wireless network connections no longer vanish mysteriously"
"Random glitches have been fixed"
And only after using it on three computers for a year. Wow, it probably takes at least two or three years for competing OS's to repair themselves.
I will continue pass on Vista. So will my company.
An OS should take as little hardware as possible so the user can use the rest of the hardware to do work, be productive, play games. Ya, know? Actually be able to use the computer.
MS fans accept any level of crap since they don't know better.
My Athlon 64 3200+ running XP can run the same applications as Vista at higher speeds without the high upgrade cost. And yes, I have tried Vista on the same computer.
So why should someone have to spend more money to accomplish the same thing? Sounds like inferior software.
Real-Mode support for games being gone killed (literally!) some of my games, but big deal.... I've found workarounds, including a program that runs old "Real-Mode" games in a virtual system.
: http://www.crystalxp.net/bricopack/en.htm
You can have your choice of four different versions. This is an extremely easy install and absolutely has caused no slowdown's or problems. It's fantastic.
I was enjoying Vista until this weekend I started getting blue screens and then a fast reboot.
I only had my laptop a months so I'm hoping it's not a hardware problem.
Here's the shocker... the Dell was more expensive (though not by much). I even went so far as to call Dell and ask if I could get a laptop without all that annoying crap/trial/useless software they put on my last laptop. They said no. They also said if I wanted Windows XP, I'd have to take a lesser machine.
Microsoft/Dell.. making customers miserable.
Just to make Microsoft more money.
People will realize once and for all what a brick vista is if, according to this article, all companies upgrade. I CRINGE at the thought. Stop blaming Vista vitriol on mac fan boys, I'll NEVER give up my pirate copies of XP.
- Vista, the Windows ME of this decade...
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by pjerky
March 25, 2008 10:53 AM PDT
- Listen, I know they have made improvements to Vista, but the
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Reply to this comment
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- It does....
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by Igiveup2
April 6, 2008 7:06 PM PDT
- run well on $700 desktops. The ME comparison shows ignorance.
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See all 209 Comments >>hardware it is sold on just doesn't run it well unless you go high
end. Most systems people buy can't run it well. So you have lost
your dang mind if you think Vista is good. Maybe in 3-5 more
years hardware will be able to run it acceptably well at a price
point near $700, but until then its crap with Vista on it. The
performance differences are like night and day (and don't you try
to deny it). Most people don't really care how pretty it is as long
as it will run what they need well they are happy.
So stop giving free advertisement for a Microsoft product that
should have never been released in its initial state.