I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I called
them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems pretty crazy
to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?

So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time?  I have heard
nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked.  Are the
rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible?  Is it
time to switch to Linux?

What experiences have people had with Vista?

Rick

On Jun 16, 8:53=A0pm, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell. =A0Today I called
> them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
> after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in! =A0It seems pretty crazy
> to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
> Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
>
> So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time? =A0I have heard
> nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
> have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked. =A0Are the
> rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible? =A0Is it
> time to switch to Linux?
>
> What experiences have people had with Vista?
>
> Rick

Vista is OK performance wise but it is incompatible with older
programs like Visual C++ 6.0.

You do need at least 2 GB of RAM for decent performance.

--
http://www.EventHelix.com/EventStudio
Sequence diagram based embedded systems design tool

rickman wrote:
> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I called
> them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
> after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems pretty crazy
> to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
> Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
> 

http://www.dell.com/dellhasanswers

Quote: "After June 18th you have the option to purchase Windows Vista 
Business or Windows Vista Ultimate with a downgrade service to Windows 
XP Professional."

So it seems not all is lost.


> So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time?  I have heard
> nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
> have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked.  Are the
> rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible?  Is it
> time to switch to Linux?
> 
> What experiences have people had with Vista?
> 

I don't have any because I opted not to use Vista. Heard and read about 
too many incompatibilities WRT legacy software, DOS full-screen and 
such. Also, I've heard of people who bought a stash of XP licenses just 
in case.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

On Jun 17, 1:53=A0am, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell. =A0Today I called
> them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
> after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in! =A0It seems pretty crazy
> to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
> Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
>
> So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time? =A0I have heard
> nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
> have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked. =A0Are the
> rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible? =A0Is it
> time to switch to Linux?
>
> What experiences have people had with Vista?


I do a bit of "computer doctor" on the side for extra dosh. I hate
hate hate hate hate hate when I'm presented with a Vista machine. It's
an absolute hog of an operating system, ridiculously slow and full of
all sorts of "features" that hinder your every attempt to productively
use a computer. A lot of applications that worked perfectly with XP
simply won't work with Vista, even simple applications like Collins
English Dictionary. Plus it's slow, real slow. Plus Control Panel has
been given a disgusting overhaul so that even the most mentally
retarded people can use it, which is detrimental to the power user.

Avoid Vista like the plague. If you can't get XP on the machine, then
just get Vista and then do one of the following:
    1) Pay extra for the super duper version of Vista, because with
the super duper version, Microsoft will give you a free license for
Windows XP if you decide to downgrade.
    2) If you're "honest": Get normal Vista, then go out and buy XP,
wipe the machine and install XP.
    3) If you're "dishonest": Get normal Vista, then download the
corporate version of XP via bittorrent. The corporate version works
with a universal CD key, and works perfectly without restriction.

I got a laptop with Vista on it because the price was right. Two
guesses which of the above options I chose.

As for Linux... well at the moment I've got Kubuntu and Backtrack
installed. Linux is still a long way away from replacing Windows, and
both sadly and frankly, I don't think a free operating system can ever
replace a paid-for one. Don't get me wrong, there's bucketloads of
fantastic free software out there, OpenVPN for example, but when it
comes to a great big operating system, you need to pay the lads.

A friend of mine switched to Mac a couple of years ago and never
looked back. He was a power user of Windows, knew his way around the
system registry, did some programming with the Win32 API, but he still
hasn't looked back even though he had to start from scratch with Mac.

I'd switch to Mac myself but I'm just a bit... eh... set in my ways. I
tried to switch to Linux but I jut got pissed off with the bugs and
lack of functionality and now I've pretty much given it the boot.
There's projects running at the moment where people are trying to get
Mac OS to run on normal IBM-compatible machines that normally run
Windows. I might give it a go at some stage... but for now I'm more
than happy with my heavily customised installation of XP.

rickman wrote:
> 
> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I
> called them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP
> machines after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems
> pretty crazy to me that if XP is still that popular, they would
> stop selling it. Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?

I think I've said this before - get Ubuntu.  Free cd at:

   <http://shipit.ubuntu.com>;

-- 
 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
 [page]: <http://cbfalconer.home.att.net>;
            Try the download section.


** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

EventHelix.com wrote:
> On Jun 16, 8:53 pm, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
>> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I called
>> them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
>> after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems pretty crazy
>> to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
>> Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
>>
>> So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time?  I have heard
>> nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
>> have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked.  Are the
>> rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible?  Is it
>> time to switch to Linux?
>>
>> What experiences have people had with Vista?
>>
>> Rick
> 
> Vista is OK performance wise but it is incompatible with older
> programs like Visual C++ 6.0.
> 

Here's a list that I found:

http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List#Heavy_Problems.2C_Currently_Incompatible



> You do need at least 2 GB of RAM for decent performance.
> 

That's reason number xx why I don't have Vista. It's pathetic to need so 
much RAM.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Tomás Ó hÉilidhe wrote:
> On Jun 17, 1:53 am, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
>> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I called
>> them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
>> after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems pretty crazy
>> to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
>> Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
>>
>> So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time?  I have heard
>> nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
>> have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked.  Are the
>> rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible?  Is it
>> time to switch to Linux?
>>
>> What experiences have people had with Vista?
> 
> 
> I do a bit of "computer doctor" on the side for extra dosh. I hate
> hate hate hate hate hate when I'm presented with a Vista machine. It's
> an absolute hog of an operating system, ridiculously slow and full of
> all sorts of "features" that hinder your every attempt to productively
> use a computer. A lot of applications that worked perfectly with XP
> simply won't work with Vista, even simple applications like Collins
> English Dictionary. Plus it's slow, real slow. Plus Control Panel has
> been given a disgusting overhaul so that even the most mentally
> retarded people can use it, which is detrimental to the power user.
> 
> Avoid Vista like the plague. If you can't get XP on the machine, then
> just get Vista and then do one of the following:
>     1) Pay extra for the super duper version of Vista, because with
> the super duper version, Microsoft will give you a free license for
> Windows XP if you decide to downgrade.
>     2) If you're "honest": Get normal Vista, then go out and buy XP,
> wipe the machine and install XP.
>     3) If you're "dishonest": Get normal Vista, then download the
> corporate version of XP via bittorrent. The corporate version works
> with a universal CD key, and works perfectly without restriction.
> 
> I got a laptop with Vista on it because the price was right. Two
> guesses which of the above options I chose.
> 
> As for Linux... well at the moment I've got Kubuntu and Backtrack
> installed. Linux is still a long way away from replacing Windows, and
> both sadly and frankly, I don't think a free operating system can ever
> replace a paid-for one. Don't get me wrong, there's bucketloads of
> fantastic free software out there, OpenVPN for example, but when it
> comes to a great big operating system, you need to pay the lads.
> 
> A friend of mine switched to Mac a couple of years ago and never
> looked back. He was a power user of Windows, knew his way around the
> system registry, did some programming with the Win32 API, but he still
> hasn't looked back even though he had to start from scratch with Mac.
> 
> I'd switch to Mac myself but I'm just a bit... eh... set in my ways. I
> tried to switch to Linux but I jut got pissed off with the bugs and
> lack of functionality and now I've pretty much given it the boot.
> There's projects running at the moment where people are trying to get
> Mac OS to run on normal IBM-compatible machines that normally run
> Windows. I might give it a go at some stage... but for now I'm more
> than happy with my heavily customised installation of XP.

Linux makes a fine 2nd OS -- I have one on my "traveling" PC, which gets 
used for presentations, email, numerical analysis with Scilab, and 
playing solitaire.

It helps that I do documents on OpenOffice, which works just fine and 
dandy under Linux.

For everything else, I use XP (and I hope that Microsoft feels pressured 
into continuing to maintain it; they've withdrawn it from the market 
twice already to my knowledge, and have been forced to put it back).

Personally, I think that if Microsoft continues to jam Vista down the 
collective throats of the world you'll see a lot more interest in Linux 
and in Mackintosh.  I doubt that they've gotten quite that stupid yet, 
though.

-- 

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

rickman wrote:

> I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
> about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I called
> them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
> after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems pretty crazy
> to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
> Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
> So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time?

Wait 2-3 years till MS will release several service packs for Vista.

>  I have heard
> nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
> have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked.  Are the
> rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible?

1. Vista is incompatible with many older softwares, such as VDSP 4.0, 
for example.

2. Vista is incompatible with many older drivers, such as dllportio. So 
forget about the legacy hardware and the JTAG simulation on the parallel 
port.

3. Vista is slower then XP regardless of the amount of memory. With all 
bells and whistles switched off, the speed of the execution is somewhat 
30% slower on the dual core machine.

> Is it
> time to switch to Linux?

Only if you are enjoying working on computer instead of using a computer 
for work.

> What experiences have people had with Vista?

Vista works, however it doesn't offer any advantages over XP.



Vladimir Vassilevsky
DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant
http://www.abvolt.com

Tomás Ó hÉilidhe wrote:
> Avoid Vista like the plague. If you can't get XP on the machine, then
> just get Vista and then do one of the following:
>     1) Pay extra for the super duper version of Vista, because with
> the super duper version, Microsoft will give you a free license for
> Windows XP if you decide to downgrade.
>     2) If you're "honest": Get normal Vista, then go out and buy XP,
> wipe the machine and install XP.
>     3) If you're "dishonest": Get normal Vista, then download the
> corporate version of XP via bittorrent. The corporate version works
> with a universal CD key, and works perfectly without restriction.

  Not quite.

  I recall some legal cases, where Microsoft was  forced to sell older
OS versions (as a downgrade) to avoid obsoleting perfectly good
hardware, and so adding to the global waste pile.

  In other words, if you have paid for a newer Microsoft OS, you
have a legal right to 'old-grade' (it is NOT really a down-grade:) )
to an equialent OS. You do NOT have to pay Microsoft twice, to get
ONE operating system.

  That is likely also the legal framework, behind the note Joerg found :

Quote: "After June 18th you have the option to purchase Windows Vista 
Business or Windows Vista Ultimate with a downgrade (sic) service to 
Windows XP Professional."

-jg

On Jun 16, 9:07 pm, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
wrote:
> rickman wrote:
> > I have been looking to buy a new computer for a bit and I had just
> > about decided on a Windows XP based system from Dell.  Today I called
> > them and found that not only are they not going to sell XP machines
> > after tomorrow, but the orders are flooding in!  It seems pretty crazy
> > to me that if XP is still that popular, they would stop selling it.
> > Is this something mandated by MicroSoft?
>
> http://www.dell.com/dellhasanswers
>
> Quote: "After June 18th you have the option to purchase Windows Vista
> Business or Windows Vista Ultimate with a downgrade service to Windows
> XP Professional."
>
> So it seems not all is lost.

But that means you have to pay for Vista *and* you have to pay for
XP.   They call this *Vista Bonus*... talk about a marketing scheme!


> > So the question is, is Vista ready for prime time?  I have heard
> > nothing but bad about it and I know that a lot of software vendors
> > have yet to support it... at least the last time I looked.  Are the
> > rumors true of Vista being a PITA or just plain incompatible?  Is it
> > time to switch to Linux?
>
> > What experiences have people had with Vista?
>
> I don't have any because I opted not to use Vista. Heard and read about
> too many incompatibilities WRT legacy software, DOS full-screen and
> such. Also, I've heard of people who bought a stash of XP licenses just
> in case.

I have a problem with paying Microsoft twice for an OS on the same
machine.  This really is putting me off the whole idea of buying a
windows amachine at all.  We'll see if it can actually push me over
the edge to Linux though.

Rick