Windows Vista or time to switch?

[PK|Cerro]

With Vista having been finally released, is it actually worth upgrading too? Ignore the fact that loads of programs won't work with Vista (any firewall or AV program will be lucky to function) because Vista is "more secure"... windows firewall - chocolate fireguard anyone? Eventually updates or patches will be released for our fav programs to run on windows once more but is it worth the hassle?

Windows Vista incorporates a lovely DRM - a good way to lock media and prevent you copying anything. Its also possible for MS to start dictating what hardware can run under Vista... Having already used Media Player 11 (and being throughly unimpressed) and seeing IE 7 on my girlfriend's laptop and how locked up it is, I'm not all that keen on a switch to Vista. In fact SP1 is due for release in Feb, it was only launched yesterday! Give it a few months to settle and it might be worth thinking about but if Vista stays so tightly locked and under the control of the MPAA I won't be switching to it (at least until someone "unlocks" it). The only major advantage I can see with Vista is the new DX10 one pro verus many cons?

What do you think? Will you stick to XP? Will you move to Linux or (godforbid) Apple? Or will you be forced to use Vista sooner than you'd like?

[PK|Default PlayR]

Waaaaay too early to get it. Let them iron out the bugs and crap like that...(will add later)

[PK|PopeBuckfastXVI]

The only reason I'd switch to Vista is to use the idle 32 bits of my cpu... lazy fuckers. It probably won't happen though, I still use win2k pro on my laptop...

[PK|Argaf]

I wouldn't touch vista on my home PC - too many compatibility issues with 'older' software, it also requires 15gb of disk space to install fully.

In work we're not going near it for 12-15 months at the minimum, we may play with it but that's all - there is no business benefit to it.

I may put it on my laptop as it is only used for wireless browsing and word, but since it has integrated gfx I won't be able to use aero, which means there's no real point in it.

[PK|Deep Blue]

We've not even finished migrating to XP yet at work

I will run vista when i cannot run XP anymore at home (as i did with win2k)

[PK|Cerro]

Yeah we are in the process of rolling out our new COE which is XP/2003 - takes a year to plan something like that so I can't see many companies jumping on to the Vista bandwagon, well unless they don't care what OS their users use.

I'll use Vista if all the security get ripped out of it. Otherwise I'll just stick with XP and if Vista still sucks when XP comes to end of life i'll consider linux.

[PK|PopeBuckfastXVI]

You can disable UAC in Vista, which is the main security annoyance. I've got to reauthor my app installs to work with it now though, painful...

[PK|Solid_Snake]

The only thing i would get vista for is that you cvan use Dx10 with it.

[PK|Cerro]

The only thing i would get vista for is that you cvan use Dx10 with it.

exactly and thats what the problem is... if anything else used and supported DX10 I would use it. Otherwise we will be forced into using Vista :(

[PK|Lemming]

Ive never switched/upgraded OS's until atleast SP2 is included on the install cd

ive only really seen vista screenshots, and news releases
i have ie7 installed, dont have any major complaints with that

i only just bought a dx9 hardware compatable card, so im in no real hurry to worry about xd10


it will be 2009/2010 b4 im ready to switch i think, and by then there will be vistas successor to think about instead

[PK|Colonel Ames]

I personally will be waiting at least untill they get the first service pack out.
as with work, we haven't long finished migrating to XP............ ME ftw :dorky:

[PK|Cerro]

urgh i hated ME - nothing worked on it! I was just checking benchmarks and XP tends to run things faster than Vista. At least until applications start becoming specially designed for vista. Also some games like Quake 4 won't even install on Vista lol.

SP1 is coming out this month ames... yeah, there is that many bugs in it already. Like the mp3 voicecommand bug - play an mp3 that says "delete folder xyz" and it will do it!

[CeLL-X]

i duno... there alot of bugs but thats the same with every new release. and besides microsoft seem really proud of this one.

[PK|Colonel Ames]

They have to be. if this fails then Microsoft could be going down the pan. thats how much money they've put into it

[PK|Elite]

thank god u still can play css and other games as such straight away... if i was 2 go vista.. it would have to be vista ultimate... btw u dont have 2 get a dx10 card to get vista.. it runs somthing like directx9L which is almost an emulator (or whatever).... the thing i like best is the fact that when installing (only retail (apprently) ) u get the choice if you want 32bit/64bit...

i wouldnt recomend getting the home basic... its hardly got n e thing on it (maybe a way of forcing you to buy a higher version?)

[PK|Cerro]

DX10 is not just for vista its for DX10 games that are coming - its a big jump. DX9 cards will of course be able to run them, just not in all their splendor or if they do, it will be at a reduced framerate.

I would recommend staying 32bit with XP and 64bit with Vista. Reason being, drivers. They have to be created specifically for each platform and few companies bother supporting XP64 and I can't see a whole lot doing 32Bit Vista either.

What bugs me the most is Vista should be replaced in 2 years and then M$ are wanting to come up with a new OS every year! Good way to rip off the customer by forcing them to upgrade every year.

[PK|Soleft]

Used both vista 64 (many problems to run into there) and 32 (not so many problems). The problem with Vista for me is that it can't run old versions of Java. So it can't run java files with old functions within it, also I'll have to alter the code I write. A minor problem for most, a huge problem to me.

[PK|Colonel Ames]

DX10 is not just for vista its for DX10 games that are coming - its a big jump. DX9 cards will of course be able to run them, just not in all their splendor or if they do, it will be at a reduced framerate.

I would recommend staying 32bit with XP and 64bit with Vista. Reason being, drivers. They have to be created specifically for each platform and few companies bother supporting XP64 and I can't see a whole lot doing 32Bit Vista either.

What bugs me the most is Vista should be replaced in 2 years and then M$ are wanting to come up with a new OS every year! Good way to rip off the customer by forcing them to upgrade every year. Its 2 years actually. They are already devolping the next currently codenamed Windows Vienna (as Vista was codenames Longhorn). However Microscam are refusing to talk or even refer to it because they want every one to focus on Vista. they admited that they spent too long on Vista (3 years longer than planned) and deperately need it to be a success or they will loose the billions of $$$ invested into making it.

even if they do manage to stick to a 2 year turnaround from here on, it wont be any different from the jumps from 3.1 to 95 to 98, to ME. All of which where 2 year between eachother. Where ME and and 2000 are concerned they released those within a year of eachother ontop of bringing out Windows Server editions at the same time as 2000 and XP.

Either way if Microsoft want to start bringing out an operating system ever 2 years (and on time) they need Vista to be a massive success...... which to be honest (providing SP1 irons the majority of issues out and compatibility issue are resolved soon) i think it will be. You got to remember, no-body though XP would take off when it came out because of all the issues and because 2000 was so stable.

[PK|Lemming]

The problem with Vista for me is that it can't run old versions of Java.

M$ wont care, they declared Java a dead & defunct codebase ages ago, i dont think Sun make much fuss about java anymore either ..


M$ say "c# ftw" mainly because they dont share licensing issues with other companies, like they did with Java.

[PK|Soleft]

I don't think Java will die because it's a multiplatform language. Mac, Pc, your mobile phone. It's like anything can support it.

[PK|PopeBuckfastXVI]

Java will remain a major language of industry for quite a while.

[PK|Colonel Ames]

Java will have to be updated soon though as half the webpages in existance use it.