Vista versus XP

[FlyingNikonian]

Ran Vista for a while, but after a few updates, it got so slow and annoying that I just got fed up with it! I did like some of the features though.

Back on XP now, and back to being a happy camper! (....well, at least sort of... )
I must say I believe that Vista will be just fine one day, but until then I'll be going XP.

[Parapunter]

Well, I'll aquiesce to the brighter, smarter people than myself & I'm not being snippy or smart - I'm just a user although maybe a just about above average user, since I build my systems from scratch. My experience is like this: I built an Aopen epc 945 on XP media centre edition & it hummed from the word go, then I rebuilt it on Vista on the 30th January this year, so the day Vista came out & in hindsight, the system architecture wasn't designed for it but the one & only problem was the Creative Audigy drivers. No sound.

After three days, someone posted a work around & I had a Vista media centre with 1 Tb storage, a Dvico dual dvbt tv card, an xfx 6200 gpu & 5.1 surround sound - not at all shabby.

I've subsequentluy built an Antec fusion with 1tb hdd, Hauppauge dual dvbt tv card, the same sound card & an Asus 8500gt gpu & on loading Vista Home Premium & bunging on the Network Drivers, I hit device manager & right clicked update drivers for all the un-recognised devices - this installed every last device in five minutes flat & I know from experience that an equivalent xp machine takes hours of setting up from discs.

I'm aware that I tediously come across as an apologist for MS, but I have no connection to them, but I must be that rare thing - a user who has been positively delighted with Vista - I like Aero, I love dx10 & I like the automation of the mundane, but then again I built with 2 gb ram & plenty HDD space, but honestly, outside of the sound card probs, for me. it's all good

[Mac the Knife]

Gertrude

MS API documentations is awful (don't ask me, ask Neil Barrett, the MS approved EU technical advisor on compliance with the EU 2004 decision) and you certainly can't look at the source.

When a new Linux kernel is released any API changes are well documented and the source is there if you need it.

Mac

[acbus1]

Microsoft are a pain, and not just wrt operating systems. For too long they've behaved like a version of UK public services.....expensive, inefficient and self serving. All down to the same cause - no real competition!

I've been thinking about moving over to a Mac next time I need a new computer.

[Saab Dastard]

I know that the thread is originally about single-user non-commercial use of Vista, but I have been involved in a number of commercial projects over the last year, where the client was thinking about Vista, but has not implemented it because of:

• the cost to upgrade PCs
• the training cost (end user and support)
• The lack of any perceived benefit (who cares what it LOOKS like!)
• the lack of support for peripherals
• the lack of support for business apps

The last is one of the biggest problems, with a number of applications (client side) from large vendors simply not being released yet for Vista (Oh, we'll probably have a beta by the end of the year...).

So I admit that much of my bias against Vista is based on corporate / commercial rather than home use.

SD

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Of course some bits of it are worse than others, but in a documentation set which must total tens of millions of pages

MS API documentations is awful

is a completely ludicrous over-generalisation.

I have had particular problems with some of the Microsoft crypto API documentation recently ... but the open source stuff really really really isn't any better! This seems to be simply a feature of the crypto world - one gets the impression that the geeks who understand the mathematics have been let loose on the API documentation, in both cases, which is obviously a recipe for disaster.

[batninth]

Parapunter

No need to apologise for liking something, and to be honest I'm pleased to hear of good experiences with Vista - it at least gives me some hope. If it works for you, do it.

I must confess that my thinking is as Saab D describes it - we're facing a multi-'000 roll-out and I don't think the time is right yet.

SaabD - if you don't mind I would like to add a couple more user-tiers here:

1. Personal-Use - I can put up with the disruption, after all I installed it so took the risk. Or maybe I enjoy playing with it.
2. Family-Use - They will call on me just at the exciting time in a film or TV program becuase something has gone wrong. How much can I live with the potential disruption and/or them being unable to complete a task because of what I have installed?
3. Commercial-Use - Exactly as SaabD describes it, it's the hidden costs of doing this stuff that you have to think of.

Personal opinion is that Vista is OK at Tier1, and for some users at Tier2. I would say that Tier2 & Tier3 users are better served by XP still?

Interesting to map Linux & Mac onto these, but then I could see I'd get a

[Parapunter]

Well, I use mine exclusively for media centre & for that, it's ideal, really very good. At work, I run XP only. Since I use it for media, I do care what it looks like! For me, that is a key benefit & vmc is a lot prettier than mce, helps with the missus acceptance index ratio you see.

I have met people who have expressed their disappointment with it, when it turns out they've put it on machines that are just insufficient.

[stagger]

Like Parapunter, at the moment, I also only use Vista on a PC that is functioning as a "media centre" (i.e. playing videos + music via TV and stereo).

However, I don't like it. Lots of annoying features - many of which you can turn off but of course you then lose some functionality/security. With file sharing for example, getting a balance between security and functionality was tricky.

I've been a Windows user for a long time. 3.0 > 3.1 > 95 > 98 > 2000 > XP. And NT 3.51 > NT 4.0

This is the first time I've been disappointed with a new version. Same story with Office - I think I'll give 2007 a miss for a while.

After over 15 years of rushing to upgrade to whatever Microsoft had to offer I'm finally getting off the train and looking elsewhere. Seriously considering using Linux for my media centre.

[Mac the Knife]

"....one gets the impression that the geeks who understand the mathematics have been let loose on the API documentation, in both cases..."

Got to agree with that, I'm afraid.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I treacherously bought a MacBook not so long ago and am seriously seduced by OS X and the Mac world....

If only they weren't so damned expensive!