I'll probably purchase and install Vista within the next 6 months. Not before or right after Christmas, though.

As a former OS/2 advocate, the market once had real options. Windows or OS/2.  The market chose Windows.

Linux, IMO, is a joke as a desktop OS. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's technologically inferior in almost every sense.  MacOS is a much more viable alternative but I don't like being locked into Apple for hardware and software.

As for Windows Vista, I plan to migrate most of my machines to it when it makes sense to. But the upgrade cost is too high to justify a single mass migration.

It annoys me to no end that Microsoft licenses are per machine rather than per user.  I am the only one who uses 5 different PCs. There's no way I'm going to pay >$1,000 for the priviledge of upgrading to Vista.  So I'll end up getting it only on select machines as needed.

The reasons I want Vista are many.  For one thing, I am hoping Vista-64 is a lot better than XP 64 since I have a PC with 4 gigs of memory.

Lets get back to the original topic please. I'm really was curious of what your plans are for Vista.

Sorry for the off-topic Kona shots, ID, at the time I was thinking similarly to Phoon......

it would be rude to start a thread titled " Let's all make Kona squirm!" Therefore, we must seize each golden opportunity that presents itself to us.

BTW my XP setup is very stable.

As is mine, Kona, but I find Vista RC2 to be equally as stable if not moreso. Also, Vista will search for recommended settings for programs that refuse to install, an advantage XP doesn't have. Granted, some proggies still don't install, but that's only a matter of some 3rd party devs catching up with Vista's coding....and when they do, it's gonna be one heck of an OS with huge potential.

For example Nero Premiun 7 runs faster and more efficiently on Vista than it does in XP, and with my Audigy 4 software also more efficient than in XP, all my media and backup jobs are now done in Vista.....and that's only the beginning. It has been said by some that Vista is just a GUI enhancement of XP, but there are many, many changes/improvements under the hood, so Kona, if you haven't already given Vista a test run, I recommend that you download yourself a copy of RC2 from MS and give it a whirl.

BTW, my wife is running PSP 8, Digital Image Pro, Paint.net and ArtRage 2 on Vista and all are performing very well. In fact, she prefers using them in Vista and says the graphics are much clearer/easier to work with, so you'd be able to get back to skin creation in Vista as well.

There's many complaining about Vista's price tag, and yeah, I'd like it to be somewhat lower, but I'm still gonna purchase it because I feel Vista Ultimate has the greatest potential of any OS ever made and will easily take us into the next decade....and when you add Stardock's suite of apps, given Vista's improved graphics rendering, not only will it be the most versatile, it'll be the most aesthetically pleasing OS as well.

Even though the Windows OSes have a reputation of eating your system ressources like fries, I think the biggest issue with any new OS is application compatibility. At the time, I kept on using mainly Win98/WinME (the lattest brings back painful memories) for months even though WinXP was already on shelves. Simply because of uncompatible apps and games.

So I'll stick with my lattest beta of Vista installed as a secondary OS until I'm sure all my apps are supported.

As for stability, I think this issue was resolved with WinXP. Unless you start installing any available junk on the net.

The market chose Windows.

The market chose Windows for us. As it generaly does.

WinME is compatible with apps? Huh . . learn something new every day.

It annoys me to no end that Microsoft licenses are per machine rather than per user.

I happen to be in an environment which would suffer greatly if that were the case.
We have nearly 1000 users divided into 3 shifts. We have approx 500 workstations. Servers are quite another matter altogether. It makes more sense that it is per machine.

Hey all,

Wow, good laughs for being derailed, rerailed, derailed, etc....

I have one major issue and a couple of minor issues with Vista.

1. HP does not have any FULL driver support for ANY of their printers. I own 2 HP printers.
When my best friend called them to find out if they would have drivers coming out soon, they responded as such; "We are having problems with creating drivers for Vista due to certain conflictions with IE 7." My buddy replied in saying that he is using IE 7 and that he has no problems withhis HP printer with IE 7 using windows XP. So the Question Of The Day is, What is the problem that HP really has?

2. The DRM thing with Media Player 11 is not a big issue considering that there is a million different "players" out there that don't deal with DRM as much.

3. This is not a big issue as more a HUGE ANNOYANCE, UAC of course. The UAC is A HUGE F***ing headache and should have been ditched.

So until number 1 is resolved, I say no way to Vista. Other than these things it's a good O.S.

Speedy

I have one major issue and a couple of minor issues with Vista. 1. HP does not have any FULL driver support for ANY of their printers.

I made enquiries into this very issue as I have a HP 3-in-One and cannot use all of the software on Vista RC2....according to the customer rep I spoke with over the phone HP will have updated software and drivers for the ready for the public release.

BTW, Vista installed the drivers for my HP Photosmart C4180 and I can use all but the HP Director software....but I can call up the document/photo preview pages and print, etc, from there. Okay, it's not full support, as yet, but I'm still able to perform all the required functions using that software which is available and manually via the unit itself.

It has been said by some that Vista is just a GUI enhancement of XP, but there are many, many changes/improvements under the hood, so Kona, if you haven't already given Vista a test run, I recommend that you download yourself a copy of RC2 from MS and give it a whirl.

On this 1 GHz machine? No thanks. XP barely runs decent on this setup.

There's many complaining about Vista's price tag, and yeah, I'd like it to be somewhat lower, but I'm still gonna purchase it because I feel Vista Ultimate has the greatest potential of any OS ever made and will easily take us into the next decade....

Matter of opinion. I've read more blogs and reports lately that state Vista will be the last OS M$ ever makes. Only time will tell.

And by the way the market didn't choose Windows. It was forced upon us by M$ offering cheap cheap prices to PC makers and then in turn they forced it upon us without telling anyone that there IS altenatives out there.

Sorry for the hijack.

 

Matter of opinion. I've read more blogs and reports lately that state Vista will be the last OS M$ ever makes. Only time will tell.

What?

And by the way the market didn't choose Windows. It was forced upon us by M$ offering cheap cheap prices to PC makers and then in turn they forced it upon us without telling anyone that there IS altenatives out there.

Microsoft isn't required to tell anyone else about alternatives.  Anybody can buy a PC and format the drive and put whatever they want on it. 

I'm not going to sit here and post various links. All I said was I have read various sites that say Vista will be the last OS M$ ever makes. I'm sure there is many other sites that have a different view. So be it. I don't believe everything I read.

Your right M$ dosen't have to tell anyone about other OS. But the PC makers should. After all why is it I can't get a Notebook from Dell with no OS installed?

I'm not going to sit here and post various links. All I said was I have read various sites that say Vista will be the last OS M$ ever makes. I'm sure there is many other sites that have a different view. So be it. I don't believe everything I read.

Microsoft is already moving forward with their next operating system, they have said so publicly.  I can go on any anti-MS site and read all kinds of garbage, but it doesn't make it true.

http://news.com.com/Microsoft+looks+beyond+Vista,+sees+Vienna/2100-1016_3-6029241.html

PC makers do not have to tell anyone either.  If a PC maker decides it wants to use Microsoft alone then that's their right. 

All I said was I have read various sites that say

Yes, and you also said that you read that the RIAA was trying to shut down the internet.. https://forums.wincustomize.com/?forumid=144&aid=137796#1069609

On this 1 GHz machine? No thanks. XP barely runs decent on this setup.

Then you have other issues..

After all why is it I can't get a Notebook from Dell with no OS installed?

You can't buy a notebook from most manufacturers without an OS installed.

It was forced upon us by M$

(censored)
As Brad stated earlier,

, the market once had real options. Windows or OS/2. The market chose Windows.

I remember those days very well. MS promoted the hell out of Windows and came out on top, similar to the betamax VHS scenario. betamax was better quality but VHS won out because of heavy promotion.
And so what if it came with your PC. You've always had the option of formatting and installing something else.

Good lord, will you just get away from the "conspiracy theory" sites.

Back on topic Island Dog...
I just obtained my Technet Plus which includes Vista Ultimate and have put it in to heavy testing. What I see so far is that my current A/V solutions (Trend Micro Neat Suite or SAV Corporate ) are not compatible yet. First and foremost I need to rely on a solid, corporate solution for anti-virus. Also I had to jump through SERIOUS hoops to get Admin tools for Server 2003 to work.
I think all of those issues will be resolved in a few months. Will have to see.

I just got Vista RC2 installed on my laptop...my first experience with Vista. My graphics card is integrated, so I don't get to have aero on it. The laptop runs much faster now! I only had one problem with software....AVG! So far, all my other programs work well on it. I haven't put Windowblinds on it yet, though. I sorta like how the OS works...is way different from XP. I'm just gonna take a wait and see attitude, before I make any desicions about getting Vista when it comes out.

Then you have other issues..

What do you mean? I bought what I could afford at that time. No worries.

Good lord, will you just get away from the "conspiracy theory" sites.

Didn't know sites like ZDnet (Not ZDnet itself but credible sites like it) and Linux websites were conspiracy sites.

As far as the RIAA thing I thought it was a good read. I figured I would share. You guys share stuff I find useless as well. I don't make fun of you for it.

So just how does it become unstable?

Install user!   

I've read more blogs and reports lately that state Vista will be the last OS M$ ever makes.

I saw that as well, but it was more suppostion than reality....and certainly not fact..

The article I read was 'supposing', that if Google and other developers were heading in the direction of net based/online apps and OSes, then PERHAPS Microsoft would follow suit to compete in those areas of personal/business computing. However, despite the suggestion that MS may consider more web based software, at no time was there ever a confirmation that Vista WOULD be MS' LAST OS installed via disc to a HD. Furthermore, as ID has already pointed out, MS announced it has begun work on its next PC based OS.

And by the way the market didn't choose Windows.

It most certainly did....it's not like the alternatives were hidden under rocks or locked away in Fort Knox to prevent their use....and Bill Gates certainly didn't go into the coffin building business so he could bury them. The alternatives have always been there for PC manufacturers and consumers alike. It's just that ease of use and convenience became the name of the game....greater interoperability with 3rd party apps, which MS had, not to mention the better of the marketing strategies and a highly saleable product with which people could truly identify....something which cannot be said of Apple/Mac or Linux because neither manufactures or markets in such a way as to appeal to a wider audience, which is something MS does very well.

That's it in a nutshell, Kona....there's no conspiracy going on here. MS were the greater strategists and sought to appeal to the greater audience with functional software and OSes for anyone and everyone building or owning a PC....no more no less.

As for Vista, whether or not it'll run on your 1Ghz machine, it IS the future of Windows for the next few years and you WILL eventually feel the need to upgrade because 3rd party devs are already geared up for it and you'd be left in the PC wilderness if you don't keep pace with what is to become universal technology. Okay your XP's doing all you want it to right now, but as this newer technology evolves, you're gonna find it useful only for soiltaire and your current games, cos browsers, messengers and email clients and the like will be developed for Vista and beyond, no XP backports.

As for Vista, whether or not it'll run on your 1Ghz machine, it IS the future of Windows for the next few years and you WILL eventually feel the need to upgrade because 3rd party devs are already geared up for it and you'd be left in the PC wilderness if you don't keep pace with what is to become universal technology. Okay your XP's doing all you want it to right now, but as this newer technology evolves, you're gonna find it useful only for soiltaire and your current games, cos browsers, messengers and email clients and the like will be developed for Vista and beyond, no XP backports.

I'm NOT upgrading to Vista. XP runs my games just fine. I run old games - stuff that Windows 2000 can run. FF will always run on XP and my email is web based. As far keeping up with newer technology I have Linux for that.

I'm not gonna to get Vista. If I buy a new PC with Vista on it I'm gonna say no to the EULA and either put Linux or XP on it. Then I'm gonna sit back and smile when threads like "I have to buy a new Vista License because MS said mine is pirated (Because when Vista called home things got fouled up. Vista is supposed to call home every 2 months)" or "I can't play any MP3 files because Vista says they are illegal" and stuff to that effect. Why would anyone spend 500+ dollars for a buggy OS that barely runs on most hardware when XP does 90 percent of what Vista will do and is a bit more stable?

I know I'm a little late to this game, but....

Hey Kona! Long time no see! It funny that some things never change...like your uninformed and clueless posts. This is one of the best yet! That's an extremely strong set of statements for someone who's probably never even seen Vista...right? LOL

I, on the other hand, speak (type) from experience. I run it full-time on my main home system, my primary desktop at work, and several other test systems at work. I have been using it for about twelve hours-a-day for the last six months or so. I also will probably deploy it to several hundred systems in my enterprise by the end of the first half of 2007.

...so, I can pretty much say with confidence that your post is a complete and total load of bunk...dripping with FUDI (Fear Uncertainty Doubt Ignorance). You couldn't be more wrong on just about every point you tried to make.

If you were just trying to stir the pot...you got me.

Otherwise, thanks for the laugh. This was a good one!

I know I'm a little late to this game, but....

You made your point just the same. I've been telling Kona pretty much the same for a while now, cos yeah, I've been running Vista for a few months now and find it to be quite safe, secure and stable. Judging from your post, Orion, you're pretty happy with it as well....as are so many who HAVE actually tried it out.

As for the Vista won't play DRM/copy protected music?DVD's, etc....I have a Joss Stone CD that point blank refuses to play in XP using WMP 11 and the same ROM drive as used for Vista, yet that very same disc plays perfectly in WMP 11 in that very same ROM drive when booted into Vista. I also have music files (WMA's MP3's) that were ripped from old audio tapes, which to all accounts and purposes, according to Kona, shouldn't play at all in WMP11 in Vista, but they DO....no problemo.

Guess for some, there just hasn't been a tinfoil hat made that's big enough.

Been running Vista since Beta 2 release. First I had it on my Intel 930 system. Ran great! Then RC1 was released so I installed it on my Core 2 Duo 6800 system. Ran even better. Now I have RTM on the Core 2 Duo 6800 system. Could not be a better or more trouble free OS in my opinion. When it finally hits the retail stores I'll get 3 copies for my three main computers (I'll be leaving 2 others running XP for a while).   

Judging from your post, Orion, you're pretty happy with it as well....as are so many who HAVE actually tried it out.

Yes, quite happy. This OS is this admin's dream. I have had a few problems with it...but it certainly isn't the fault of the OS. I've had to spend a few hours this last week re-coding some inter-process-communication I had been doing because the more limited scope of access a system service has (good). They've also tightened up spawned process security (also good). I spent another couple of hours figuring out that when you force login with a smart card (as we do), you can't spawn a process as another user with a local profile (only net credentials). This was all due to the quick-and-dirty programming I had done. UAC is very interesting, but I do think I will have diminishing returns.  Don't even get me started on how awesome the new Remote Assistance program is.    While these are changes that require me to adapt, they are for the better, and I am better for it.

Some people just fear change.  I never ever want to be looked at like another admin in another org at work...or Kona. They're just now running XP because they're being forced to (no w2k or NT allowed anymore...thank God!). Last year she said that "XP is the worst piece of crap that MS has ever released...worse than 98!". After I asked her how long she has used the OS, how many machines had she deployed it to, or what were her specific gripes and/or problems with it, it wasn't much of a conversation anymore because she stomped off in ignorant anger. She's always being "hacked" at home. She has zero respect from any of her piers, and is pretty much a laughing stock.  With people like this, sometimes it's a wonder to me that we're still not using stone tablets and chisels.

As with 2000 (and SP1, SP2, SP3), and XP (and SP1, SP2), or any other MS product that my division has "early adopted"... I will be the one laughing when Patch Tuesday(tm) rolls around every month, and my security guys don't have anything to do....for a while.

I like to live on the bleeding edge of computer technology...It's very challenging, and very fun. I haven't been burned too bad yet after doing it for 25 years...except for that whole socket 423 thing.

...yawn...

...yawn...

I'm getting sleepy too...waiting for my $1200 keyboard.

No plans to use Vista until a rig breaks badly enough to need replacement.