| | I was wondering about the pro's and con's about windows vista, and if it was worth buying or not? |
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Hi,I use Macs, UNIX, and Windows machines on a daily basis as part of my job and my personal life. Each machine has it's strengths and weaknesses, but the general consensus here on this forum is "do not get vista because it is buggy".Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft Windows Vista is a great operating system. As are Macs and UNIX systems; each caters to its specific audience. I c... read more.
To sum up my experiences with windows Vista...
Pro: Prettier More eye candy Supports newer hardware OOTB than XP DirectX 10. Easier programming WinAPI because the .NET Framework 3.0 brings them to managed code (less P/Invoke) Con: Slower Needs more RAM Buggy as hell
Unless you are some kind of developer or just want to jump the boat and test out Vista now, definitely wait a while longer until they release some kind of service pack for it. The programmers at Microsoft have put in a lot of time for Windows Vista and I'm sure that a lot of bugs are fixed, but as with all their other operating systems, more are to be found.
One major issue from what I read is drivers. Some of the older devices don't have a compatible driver made for Vista yet (or ever). So this will also require the user to get newer parts for their computer that supports the Vista operating system.
I just swapped my computer back to the WINNT 5.x series because Vista is way too slow for gaming on PC.
Even running Battlefield 2142 at 800x600, it lags like crap. Specs: QUOTE ASUSTek P4B533-VM Intel Pentium 4 2533 MHz (130nm, Northwood) NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (running at 4x AGP) 1 GB DDRSDRAM (running at 266 MHz instead of its peak of 400 MHz) Windows Server 2003 Yes, my computer is old, but I have to live with it, I don't have money for a new one. Best to wait until you buy a new computer with at least 2 GB of RAM. xboxrulz
My computer is slow as hell, so It's impossible to install Vista on this. However, buying a new and faster PC won't make me install Vista either. The layout seems pretty crazy and wild (things are everywhere) and as I am a very simple person (blank desktop wallpaper) I'd prefer getting WinXP instead. I'd mainly use the PC for gaming and developing, now since gaming in Vista seems to be too slow, then WinXP is better.
I've never tried Vista before (except for mucking around with those at the shops), but I can say the following through reading magazines:
Pros: Spiffy look; Alt+Tab thingomobby that swivels through windows; Vista's requirement/suggestion for decent RAM and storage; the limitations on cheaper versions of Vista (never buy Basic!). Cons: The bugs? (People have talked about the bugs, but I would think that there are less in Vista compared to XP); "Allow/deny" (Mac advertisement on TV haha). That's all I can think of, despite never trying Vista before (hopefully I didn't get anything wrong). QUOTE(ethergeek @ Apr 16 2007, 06:35 PM)  Buggy as hell I've been experiencing the opposite actually, and have yet to encounter a BSOD or system crash. I've been using retail version it ever since RTM was released. QUOTE "Allow/deny" User account control? The first thing I switched off. Go to control panel -> user accounts -> disable UAC. Done. The main con is the requirements. I have a high-end gaming PC, and thus I experience no slowdowns and such and my FPS is actually higher or at the very least the same as an XP with this hardware. Of course the power consuming options can be turned off though, but I understand why those with older hardware are reluctant to move. There are no trials available, but any CD can be installed without a key for 30 days - so if you want to try it out, you can by borrowing a CD from a friend. Driver support has been great with this release. Programs like Nero that had issues first have been resolved, I think there is still one with dreamweaver. If you aren't held back because of the hardware requirements, I wouldn't worry about the patching. There is no need to wait for a service pack as there was with XP, consider that the development time of Vista was considerably longer. Updating is also much easier now it is built in to vista and no longer operating with a website. My main pro reasons would not be the alt tab switch thing, but ease of use everywhere. It's more pleasant to work with in almost all aspects. i'd say you try before you buy.
I recently 'upgraded' (I'm not even sure if that's the word to use with this computer) because my old one was two steps away from frying on me, and as much as I didn't want to, I bought a Vista computer. Yes everything looks more polished and prettier, but at what expense? You need to spend a good $800+ (unless you find a better deal) to run 2gbs of RAM (most computers costing up to that much already have 2gbs unless it's customized) so everything can run smoothly. Unfortunately I have 1 and it's amazing that on the third day of having this new PC the bubble screensaver was lagging. It's own screensaver.
Program-wise I haven't had time (moving issues and all) so I've only installed Photoshop 7.0 and it seems to be running smoothly. Game-wise I've only tried American McGee's Alice, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Battlefield 2142. Out of those three only Battlefield didn't work. Probably needs more power. I'm not so worried about it though, since this was an emergency purchase and will be upgrading to a media PC soon enough. QUOTE(Moon Child @ Apr 17 2007, 10:37 AM) I recently 'upgraded' (I'm not even sure if that's the word to use with this computer) because my old one was two steps away from frying on me, and as much as I didn't want to, I bought a Vista computer. Yes everything looks more polished and prettier, but at what expense? You need to spend a good $800+ (unless you find a better deal) to run 2gbs of RAM (most computers costing up to that much already have 2gbs unless it's customized) so everything can run smoothly. Unfortunately I have 1 and it's amazing that on the third day of having this new PC the bubble screensaver was lagging. It's own screensaver. Program-wise I haven't had time (moving issues and all) so I've only installed Photoshop 7.0 and it seems to be running smoothly. Game-wise I've only tried American McGee's Alice, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Battlefield 2142. Out of those three only Battlefield didn't work. Probably needs more power. I'm not so worried about it though, since this was an emergency purchase and will be upgrading to a media PC soon enough. You need to make sure that you allow Administrator mode for the game under the Compatibility tab in the file's property box. xboxrulz
Yes. I think it's worth it but there are some annoying things like the User Account Control, and constant dialog boxes that needs permission to continue. I'm also annoyed with the fact that Task Manager can't be easily accessed anymore with the mere pressing of Control + Alt + Delete.
It has lot of eye candy but is kind of slow. It even took more than an hour to shut down. I had to take off the batteries so that it will turn off. Maybe it's because I'm using Home Basic so it sucks. I just hope they fix the bugs though. Latest Entries
Hi,
I use Macs, UNIX, and Windows machines on a daily basis as part of my job and my personal life. Each machine has it's strengths and weaknesses, but the general consensus here on this forum is "do not get vista because it is buggy". Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft Windows Vista is a great operating system. As are Macs and UNIX systems; each caters to its specific audience. I can safely assure you that Macs and UNIX systems has its own share of bugs; I do hope you do not get hoodwinked into thinking that they are the "perfect" operating systems because they are not. Yes, other Operating Systems have bugs too. Yes, they experience crashes and slowdowns as well. Yes, they still have gaping holes even up to now. For example, see http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/32596/108/. While the creator (I believe) is working for the company, there is truth in the data presented. This is backed-up by actual reports by actual people, as well as from my personal experience in working with this machines. What, then, makes Windows seem like a less-than-good Operating System? A very big contributing factor would be its immense popularity and market share. Putting it bluntly, Windows is everywhere. For most parts of the world, it is quite difficult (if not impossible) to look for a place where no system is installed with Windows. With this popularity comes a great price. Since it is everywhere, it is the most easy and viable target for malicious attacks---simply because it is so accessible. Had it been the Macintosh who won the Operating System wars way back then, I would not be surprised if it was under the same attacks (both in terms of software explotation and social mindset) as Windows is in now.
Definately not! My dad just bought an HP laptop that came with Vista. It is extremely slow to boot up and it is very confusing when trying to browse folders in My Documents. Sure the graphics are cool and the glass effect on the windows is amazing, but the overal functionality of it needs some serious upgrades. My dad is going to downgrade to XP soon because it is extremely hard to deal with and it takes him atleast five minutes to boot up. He's also come across a boot up screen that looked like hiroglyphics and he had to reboot the laptop. I would most definately not waste my money on Vista at this point. Maybe if they come out with a fix for it I would buy it, but right now definately not...
I have tested Windows Vista Ultimate Edition on my system.
I completely love the OS, minus all the bugs. It is very nice looking, has nice animations, and looks far nicer than XP or earlier versions of Windows. However, the bugs that it still has are HORRIBLE. For me, for example, everything was working fine with Windows Media Center one second, and then the next it suddenly had no Internet connection. Then I was getting BLUE SCREEN errors on boot up. And also, it has a HUGE BUG with USB on restart! My mouse plugs in via USB, and after a reboot the mouse dies, and the only way to regain functionality was to press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and then click somewhere on the screen that wasn't on the options and then it worked again...but only for a few minutes. So, I recommend purchasing it if: 1) You have 2GB of RAM or MORE (preferrably) 2) You have a hard drive with 15GB to spare merely to the OS. 3) You want something fresh and appealing to the eye. But I would NOT recommend that you run out and purchase it today. Wait, wait, wait, until they get most of those bugs out! It'll be worth the wait. Plus, there still aren't many applications that you currently use that are compatible on Vista yet (for the most part).  QUOTE(Alegis @ Apr 22 2007, 12:36 AM) A couple of comments on your conclusions. Pos: -Network Center is kinda usefull, but it need some tweaks -Power Management is more advanced (usefull for laptops) -the search bar in the start menu is super -the drop-down menus in explorer are much better than having to go a few folders up and the going to the folder you like And by 'useless' you actually mean, features that are there but you don't use. There is a big difference in not using features than proclaiming these to be useless in software. Windows wasn't catered for your needs, but a wide variety and types of users, of course you won't use certain aspects, don't mistake these for unnecessary aspects of the software. You're not the world. Besides, what is 'useless' about it? There is much more to an interface than the color, the skin and the win-tab thing. I don't use the latter either as I have enough space on my 2 screens, the UI however is more consistent and 'flowing' than before. Not just the skin changed, but how the windows interact with each other and the data on the disks. You said yourself: 'the drop-down menus in explorer are much better'. This is in contradiction with the quote, unless you meant that Aero only applies to the skin. Myself, I find it more pleasant to work with. Exactly, you disable it in a few mouse clicks. People who complain about these feature obviously don't know how to configure even a simple thing, and are better off with a mac anyways. Again, how does that make it 'useless'? You're using 3rd-party software? Fine, but the built-in programs obviously work. Since when are services, required for Windows features, a bad thing. Especially very useful ones like indexing and diagnostic services - unless you like waiting a dozen minutes for simple search results or fancy plain guessing what is wrong with your computer. You said yourself: "-the search bar in the start menu is super". Go to start menu, type in services.msc A list of all services will be displayed, how they're being run, and what they do. You'll see not that many are booted at start, you can disable some you don't use. 'Shitload' is exaggerated and also quite stupid, no devices means no features. Very slow? What made you come to that conclusion (I'm curious), think you're a bit paranoid about DRM even though none of your data is modified. No problems here and first time I hear it is that SLOW. Never heard of those programs, but the more popular certainly did. Obviously not every program is compatible with a certain system, and it's going great. Tried running those in compatibility mode? Same, also only need a firewall for outbound. Wonder when zonelabs gets running - nero and other AV like Nod32 have been long compatible. I see aero as only the black looks with all the other fancy crap around it like the Win+tab thingy. The drop down in explorer are absolute not a part of the Aero theme because they still work if Aero is disabled. About the SP2-like questions. They are useless because they don't protect you. After a while, nobody reads the messages anymore and they simply click 'yes'. They are annoying and slow things down. About the services, especialy the diagnostic service, they are useless. Okay, indexing can be nice, but I know where to find my stuff, I almost don't perform a search and the indexing process slows down your pc, whether you want it or not. The diagnostic service is even more usells. I once disabled it, hoping to get a reason why I couldn't connect to a wireless network and it only said what windows had already said before 'you can't establish a connection with this network, try again or connect to another network' ... quite a waste of memory only the repeat itself  WMP11 is slow here, if I open a song, it takes up to 10 seconds before it starts playing, while playing, the music somethings slows down or hangs, even tough my 2 cores aren't loaded by another program. The programs, too bad you haven't heard about them, they are great and free. Netstumbler is a great program for findind wireless networks in the neighbourhood, CdBurnerXP is for burning CDs and DVDs. And no, they don't work in compatibilty mode because both have to access the hardware directly. But yes, I agree, not everything works when you switch from version x to y. @vhortex: I agree with you, I wished there weren't so many version, Home for those who don't know much about windows, Pro for those who know a lot more, and Server with all the advanced features like TPM. I have Home Premium installed, but I miss the Group Edit like in XP Pro  . I'd have to switch to Business or Ultimate for that, but Ultimate is to expensive and Business doesn't have moviemaker or games installed ...
QUOTE(nightfox @ Apr 28 2007, 10:25 PM) IMO, Vista is a lot WORSE than what it should have been... it is a major jump from XP which no one (software & hardware companies) were expecting. I know Apple was saying not to expect iTunes for a while. It's all a big mess in my eyes... so far, I plan on only using Windows XP and Windows 2000. [N]F Problem is that a lot new of games will be Vista-only in 6 months (DX10) xboxrulz
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 Is Vista Worth It? - Is Windows Vista a good buy, or should I wait until I buy a new comput |