Vista: what's the point?

As far as I can see, Vista is basically just a prettier user interface and a ton of nanny controls ... is there really any point to upgrading, besides Aero?

I'm personally going to be sticking to XP for as long as possible...

 

I won't upgrade to Vista right away, but will definitely in the coming months (when the product begins to "stabilize").

Vista offers more "graphic" features, better security, a more stabler system and simplified controls for complicated tasks. I say, why not switch to Vista?

 

I wondered this myself.

I'm about to install RC1 on a spare HD to try it out.

XP is stable enough for me, but, there are a few things that bother me.

Searching for files sucks. I just discovered Google Desktop, so, that problem is solved while still using XP.

A few things I liked about OS X. More customizable UI, like, putting folders I use a lot in the dialogs. In Windows it seems like I'm always doing a Save As and then navigating through a ton of folders to get to where I want to go. It's annoying.

Otherwise, yeah, I'm just afraid Vista will be more eye candy and less substance.

When M$ dropped their new search engine thing to counter OS X's spotlight, they really messed up.

 

Have you actually tried Vista?

I been using Vista RC2 since it came out & I use it more than XP media.

I'm mad that it will expired in may


But I will not upgrade until atleast 1 year after the final release.


PS...Don't install RC1 ...it sucks & too buggy.

 

I have a spare HD, I just want to try it out, and I can't seem to get RC2 easily.

 

Just Torrent download RC2, Also RC1 serials work with RC2

 

No, only planning on getting it either thru MSDN or buying my next laptop. I wouldn't purposely upgrade it

 

There is NO REAL REASON to upgrade at the moment. I think for the whole 2007 too. But Vista is better IMO than XP and around Mid 2008 or 09 most of us will most likely be using it.

 

I really love it so far, I think they have done some fairly significant stuff, all the true dorks may be upset, but they have done some serious work, it starts up so bloodu fast, and shutdowns the same. so much simpler to use to do simple tasks lots of little little improvements that ****ing rock. defnitely want to upgrade, and People could probably use the RC2 as their sole OS if they are a pretty basic user, i really like it.

 

but yeah I will probably just wait until I buy a new laptop, and if I build a desktop.

 

Its starts up and shutdowns so bloody fast actually? Or are you talking about how Hibernation as the default shutdown/startup now (just wondering)

 

i will be getting vista, but not right away...maybe around 8-10 months after the release

im really happy with xp right now so i think im good

 

Hehe I'm discovering new ways to customize Windows in ways I never knew before .

Did you know you can change the icons of Documents and stuff? Call me lame, but I just found that out...like a week ago!

 

I won't upgrade till it is absolutely possible, I think Windows 95 would still be around and used if new hardware and direct x versions came around Its just all about the money.

 

Vista RC2 actually boots & shutsdown MUCH faster than any other windows OS. And my Vista now has more on it than my XP media.

I don't think He was talking about any Hibernation.

 

rly? how????? how????

 

Go to like any Folder (Example = "My Received Files"), right click, go to Properties.

Look at the Customize..tab, and at the bottom should be a "Change Icon..." button.

Change, and browse through any images in your entire computer, and replace!

I never knew we could do that .

 

well... i won't be upgrading; but i plan to buy a new computer when windows vista came out, in that sense i won't be upgrading my XP, since IMHO computer build for XP should run XP, if i upgrade to vista i'm afraid of compatibility issue.

Vista is much more than "aero" UI, it has very much different gut than XP, it is better in everyway, i don't know about security and compatibility issue... but i think it is a good idea to wait till at least june before buying a new (vista based) computer... and thats just what i'm gonna do.

 

I most probably wont be upgrading as soon as it comes out, but I will be when programs start relying Vista as default and Windows XP does kind of fall back both in technology and general use.
Does anyone know how many different versions there are? I heard there was 5-6 different versions with different prices and such. Is there much difference between the versions?

 

you guys are just now figuring out how to change ur icons and folders lol come on now lol

 

Are most XP programs compatible with Vista?

 

Unlikely to bother, basically until something comes out that I need to use that requires me to have Vista (and just won't work on XP) and even then I'll probably just be looking at a new machine instead.

 

Not gonna happen. I don't like my software suppliers treating me like a criminal by default. If they treat me like a criminal, I'll act like one. I may pirate a version of Vista, but that's it. XP will work fine for my games, especially now, and I'll just keep using Linux as my primary OS.

 

I beta tested Vista beta2/RC1 and I am really content with my switch over to Ubuntu Linux. Everything I need Linux can give me better, free, with more frequent upgrades and better compatibility.

When I get another notebook next year, I will have Vista on my current one, just for the programs that Wine cannot handle under Linux. I have yet to find programs that I 'really' need for Windows.

 

I'll wait until I need it.

 

Me too. I'll just wait till next September when I'm buying a more mobile laptop and Santa Rosa is out. By then, hopefully M$ will have released a service pack or something.

 

I'll get Vista in my next laptop, but I won't upgrade my Toshiba because it's fine just the way it is.

 

You can't honestly think Microsoft would have sunk so much money and time into an operating system that offers nothing new. That's like asking if there's a difference between Windows 95 and Windows 98 or between 98 and XP. Maybe not quite as drastic since both XP and Vista are built on the Windows NT architecture. There's a fairly comprehensive list of changes/upgrades here but some of the features include:

- A totally rebuilt and much more efficient search feature
- The "Sidebar", essentially Apple's gadgets or the konfabulator
- A bunch of new programs like Windows Mail & Calendar, IE7, WMP11, A backup utility and many, many more
- It should also be a bit safer and better at keeping clear of viruses and spyware
- Better management of hardware

All this comes with trade-offs like more DRM support and being forced to use signed-drivers in the 64-bit version, unfortunately. I'll wind up upgrading probably by the third or fourth automatic update, the release of SP1 or after it's out for roughly 3 months, whichever comes first. By then a BIOS which fully supports Vista on a W3J should be out and I figure the major bugs should be worked out.

~ Brett

 

I dont see any good reason for paying for vista yet.A few seconds faster boot time,WMP11 (i have that for free on XP) ,a better search feature?, firefox works fine,windows mail?(another attempt by MS to own the internet?)plus we get to field test an over priced OS for a year while they work out the bugs as usual .And all of MS attempts at stopping piracy and rules from a company that has repeatedly broke laws themselves and get by with most of it because they have unlimited resorssess to fight it in court.Linux has came a long ways lately, MS is soon going to get a reamin for the reamin they give.Just a few more things in linux to make it easy enough for the everyday user and a few companies to start making games and more programs for it and MS will sink like the titanic,lol.

 

Listen, I use Linux too sometimes. Ubuntu is outstanding. But let's be honest here... certain programs are always (or at least for the near future) going to be for Windows only - i.e. Photoshop (the GIMPs not there yet), Dreamweaver, a program as easy to use and as nice as iTunes, something like Picasa, etc. That having been said, I use programs like Firefox, Gaim, Audacity, VLC, OpenOffice.org so if I suddenly needed to switch, I probably could. But with the vast majority of the world using a certain operating system and the programs and file types which go with it, there's something to be said for using an OS that is so easily compatible with everyone else.

~ Brett

 

There is a "previous editions" program included in Vista that helps you open up most programs designed for Windows XP. Not all of the programs will work, but I'm pretty sure most of the major ones will run fine on Vista. They tested some XP programs on Vista at CNET.com, and it worked fine.

 

Most Programs do install on Vista perfectly. I only had problems with some games like NFS Carbon.

Some very old programs, like MGI Video Wave 3 .....that came with my dell desktop back in 2001........will disable aero effect because it doesn't work with the program. Aero effect will auto turn back on after close of program.
I had only noticed this on programs that are around 4 years or older.

I have more programs on Vista than on XP media.

 

i heard Vista SP1 won't be out till 2008, but with that in mind i think it is safe enough to buy Vista after its been out for 6months+. i know i do

 

Not nothing new, of course - just nothing I need - particularly for the highway-robbery pricetag .. most of the new features you can already get in XP (of course, not basic architectural changes like the new drivers foundation, but all the user-experience ones anyway). Most of the time and money they sunk into it seems to have been for features that got cut, anyway ... WinFS, anyone?

Search: Google Desktop
Sidebar: Also Google Desktop, or Konfabulator like you already mentioned, or ObjectDock ....
New programs: Are any of them better than pre-existing third-party alternatives? (Or not already available on XP anyway, like IE7 or WMP11?)
Virus/Spyware: XP does quite well, if you know how to take care of it.
HW Management: ok, one point for Vista. Maybe.

Ay, there's the rub. DRM support, signed drivers, UAC, more draconian activation measures ... is it all worth it?

I will say one thing: DirectX 10 does look pretty compelling. OTOH, there's no reason for that featureset to be Vista-exclusive, save to force hapless gamers to upgrage.

 

Looking at the costs, upgrading three home machines will be expensive. XP does everything I want. I will probably upgrade one of my machines, but not right away.

 

no.

ta-da!

seriously, though. I'm using Linux on my laptop, so no, obviously. My parents and sister who I am "tech support" for, I won't bother probably at all. The pricing for Home Premium (since home basic is a joke) is about 1/3rd the cost of the computer my sister just got. That computer will likely last her until the CPU turns back into sand.

As for new features, there are quite a few. However, listing things like WMP11 is a joke. wmp11 is pretty much just new DRM routines and a new interface (I think). All the actually cool stuff got cut because despite the five years it has taken and the bazillions of dollars M$ has, they couldn't "giterdun!" WinFS is a great example. All that metadata was supposed to actually make searching useful beyond file names and such. That would have been a cool step. Oh well.

 

Well, if you're hardcore GTK/free software, you can use F-spot...

orrrr, you could use Picasa http://picasa.google.ca/intl/en/linux/

anyway, yes... top-flight graphics and WYSIWYG web dev programs are windows only. one thing I have to wonder, is how many people have actually dropped the $1000 or so for the dreamweaver and PS licenses?

 

I wont......yet.

If I do upgrade to a 64-bit CPU sometime then, most likely I would.

 

I will only because it'll be a free upgrade for me ^^. Got my laptop on Oct 27, meaning free upgrade to Vista. Using Vista RC2 5744 atm, hopefully not the final build, looks good and all but still too many compatibility issues with software.

 

*Shrug* Getting a free copy from college through MSDNAA, so I suppose I'll give it a try. Not planning to get rid of my XP installation any time soon though. (And will probably keep it as my primary OS, even)

Which is why I plan to stay with XP.

Seems most of what Vista offers is an attempt at cramming all sorts of functionality traditionally delivered by 3rd party apps into the core OS.
And I don't think it belongs there. I use a 3rd party app for file compression instead of Windows' crappy zip functionality. I use a 3rd party app for burning CD's and DVD's instead of Windows' crappy burner thingy. I use a 3rd party media player instead of WMP. Same for email client, antivirus, spyware scanning and most other tasks.

So for me, "We've integrated a new browser, a new email client, a better media player and a better search engine + a sidebar into the OS" is, if anything, a big minus. I don't *want* all those things in my OS.
We already know how a wonky network drive or a scratched CD can bring explorer to its knees, and when that happens, half of the OS grinds to a halt. Why? Because XP already tries to do too much that'd be better left to external apps.

 

I know at least Maya has Linux versions. Most film rendering is done on Linux clusters, actually. Actual top-flight graphics is done on UNIX/Linux. Mid-level graphics are done on Windows Web dev programs... IIS + asp is a pain and expensive compared to apache + PHP. Most people use Linux when developing that stuff. WYSIWYG web dev programs are for hacks and amateurs, again, Windows' realm. MS takes the big chunk out of the middle. The real high-end stuff is all done on Linux, though.

And for y'all that think iTunes is great, check out the open-source Amarok. Only on Linux k3b is also a better burning program than anything on Windows. Open source has a lot of things that closed source doesn't, just like the reverse case. Don't forget that.

 

It seems most of the people on this thread are saying they will stick to XP. Hopefully, you guys mean until Vista stabilizes, and not ditching it altogether.

 

No, I mean ditching it altogether. The OS is horribly hostile to it's users, treats people like criminals by default, locks down all media at the behest of the media companies, not for the benefit of the consumers, is a memory hog... there's no good reason to use it. Give me Linux.

 

"Hopefully"? Why is that?
Do you get royalties for every license sold or something?

No, I mean what I said. I have no reason to upgrade. As Pitabred said, I don't particularly like being treated as a criminal for buying software.
I also don't see the point in buying the ultimate in bloatware. I don't *want* bloatware, not even if it carries the Windows name.

There is *one* thing about Vista I'm interested in. DirectX 10 looks nice, but lately I've found myself hoping that future games just switch back to OpenGL which can support the same features under Windows XP. If that happened, I wouldn't have a single reason to upgrade left. As it is, I might be forced to do so in two years or so, when games start really taking advantage of DX10 graphics. But I'm not switching until then.
All other "features" it offers seem to be either a) DRM features that exclusively benefit the recording/movie industry by treating me as a criminal, or b) Bloatware. Features I already get from 3rd-party apps, but where Microsoft thought they'd try to wipe out the competition by integrating it into the OS.

In other words, I'd love to ditch Vista altogether and permanently. I'm just not sure I can get away with it in the long run since I want to be able to run games. But I don't *want* to "upgrade".

 

I'll have to wait until I have some money, and until it's stabile!!

 

Yup .. DX10 is about the only thing that'll force a lot of people to eventually upgrade, and MS knows that, which is why I think hoping for a back-port to XP is just not on the cards.
In the long run, however, getting DX10 is only going to be truly beneficial when you have a fully DX10 capable card, and I'm sure DX10 games will have DX9 paths available for a good while, so for my current notebook there really is no reason.
Next one I buy (in maybe 2 to 3 years..) will probably have Vista on it anyway.

 

I agree, from what ive seen aero looks awsome but they havent really changed anything major which is actually probably a good thing, people dont like new. Although I would love it, I wont be getting it mainly because of its price tag.

Also does anyone know why half the companies including microsoft itself is only offering free upgrades on media centre pc's to people in america?

 

Hopefully!!

 

It's also why I hope OpenGL is going to take off again. Because that *does* introduce all the new features on XP. (And I think this is a pretty clear example of how Microsoft is abusing their market dominance. Because DX has become popular, they use this to force people to buy their other products. There's no reason why we couldn't get geometry shaders and SM4.0 on XP. It's just MS trying to force people to upgrade to Vista. (Yes, I know DX10 carries a bunch of other improvements which aren't possible under Vista. but they're only related to stability, performance and ease of use, and yes, those would be nice to have, but regardless of those, all the new *features* could easily be ported to XP)

 

Yeah, me too. I was just about murderous when I heard OpenGL was going to be a 'second-class citizen' in Vista - at least they had the sense to fix that.