Win Vista worthwhile upgrade for home user?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris May
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Chris May

Any opinions on whether Win Vista will be a must-have upgrade or whether it's
mainly XP with some extra eye candy and a few added bells and whistles? From
everything I read about it, there really seems to be nothing that would make
Vista significantly better than XP for the average home user.

ChrisM
 
Chris said:
Any opinions on whether Win Vista will be a must-have upgrade or
whether it's mainly XP with some extra eye candy and a few added
bells and whistles? From everything I read about it, there really
seems to be nothing that would make Vista significantly better than
XP for the average home user.
Click to expand...

I'd reserve any opinion until (at least) they get an actual BETA 2 out at
least (no matter what the build #s say they are - they tell you that it is
*not* beta2 quality before you go get it.)

Speculating about software that is a minimum of 6 months away - maybe more -
is like predicting the weather that far out. You know the weather will be
there - you just don;t know if you will like it and if your friend who lives
in another city will like it either.

"Must Have" is a state of mind. Ask all the people using Windows 9x TODAY
is XP is a "must have". =)
 
Since your sitting on the fence about upgrading I would wait about 3 months
after Vista has been released in it's final retail version.
This will give you a chance to see what the user feedback and product
reviews reveal.

I doubt very much that Microsoft will create a special launch day with lots
of valuable goodies for the people who buy the product on the first day it
becomes available.

JS
 
Any opinions on whether Win Vista will be a must-have upgrade or whether it's
mainly XP with some extra eye candy and a few added bells and whistles? From
everything I read about it, there really seems to be nothing that would make
Vista significantly better than XP for the average home user.

ChrisM
Click to expand...

I would say no - wait for something better. Windows Vista whenever it
arrives is shorn of most of the originally advertised stuff and full
of DRM stuff dictated by Hollywood &The Music Biz Giants.

Who knows how it will do in the real world I reckon 2 years at least
until installing it on anything but a test box. I waited 18 months
till XP settled down and I will probably never install Vista for
myself.

Personally I am keeping 1 XP machine for games and moving the rest to
SuSE linux for everything else.

My Beta Vista installation is a total pain, very pretty but main
problem at present is a ridiculous number of security click throughs
for every little thing. FFS I keep expecting to have to click "OK" to
go to the bathroom. Also the much vaunted sidebar is a pain in the
neck. I could not even contemplate using it in anger in its present
state..

Having said all that MS may yet turn it around and deliver a kick ass
OS but I seriously doubt its going to be much more than a glorified XP
service pack when they rush it out of the door in a last minute panic
next year.

Yawn! I won't be rushing to install it even though I will get a free
copy for the asking.

8-)

Jonah
 
That depends entirely on your specific needs, something you said nothing
about.

As with any upgrade, upgrading simply because it is available is not a good
idea.
You should first determine if the new product has features you need then
determine if all your existing and necessary hardware and software are
compatible.

For the most part, people are better off waiting until a new computer is
needed.
This ensures the computer is better able to handle Windows Vista.
This definitely applies to "the average home user" the same as Windows XP
was 5 years ago.
When Windows XP came out, many jumped into it without verifying adequate
compatibility and some were forcer back to the previous OS.

Lastly, Does your current computer and OS do what it needs?
If not, what in Vista will fix it?
 
Any opinions on whether Win Vista will be a must-have upgrade or whether
it's
mainly XP with some extra eye candy and a few added bells and whistles?
From everything I read about it, there really seems to be nothing that
would make Vista significantly better than XP for the average home user.

ChrisM
Click to expand...

Fista will not be any kind of upgrade, unless of course being forced to
spend more money on new hardware is what one considers an upgrade. If
you're really interested in moving to modern computing, then take a look at
the fine GNU/Linux distros available. Miles ahead of XP or Fista in terms
of innovation, security, stability and power. And it won't require you to
spend more money on new hardware to get it to work either.


--
Microsoft has been unable to cope with Open Source except to complain about
it.

http://tinyurl.com/mpoy2

View Some Common Linux Desktops ...
http://linclips.crocusplains.com/index.php
 
From everything that I have read about Vista so far, there is not really
much that make me think that this will be an essential upgrade for me. There
ARE some nice features, but nothing against which I can say "I really must
have that!"

The one major downside for me when Vista comes out is that XP Home (which I
currently use) will no longer have any updates support other than probably
the critical ones - at least I hope I will still get those. Microsoft have
said that they are dropping support for XP Home at that time and XP Pro
support will disapear shortly after that. I cannot remember the exact dates.

If I am wrong about this, then please let us all know.

Martin
 
Martin said:
From everything that I have read about Vista so far, there is not
really much that make me think that this will be an essential
upgrade for me. There ARE some nice features, but nothing against
which I can say "I really must have that!"

The one major downside for me when Vista comes out is that XP Home
(which I currently use) will no longer have any updates support
other than probably the critical ones - at least I hope I will
still get those. Microsoft have said that they are dropping support
for XP Home at that time and XP Pro support will disapear shortly
after that. I cannot remember the exact dates.
If I am wrong about this, then please let us all know.
Click to expand...


http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect
or
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex

Essentially - your answer is:

"Mainstream support will end two years after the next version of this
product is released. Extended support will end five years after mainstream
support ends."

In other words - the day that Vista is released to manufacturing - you have
two years of mainstream support of the product (Windows XP - all different
flavors.) There is no "exact dates" yet. Not to mention two years is not
exactly "short" - in relation to support for an expired application.
 
Shenan Stanley said:
I'd reserve any opinion until (at least) they get an actual BETA 2
out at least (no matter what the build #s say they are - they tell
you that it is *not* beta2 quality before you go get it.)

Speculating about software that is a minimum of 6 months away - maybe
more - is like predicting the weather that far out. You know the
weather will be there - you just don;t know if you will like it and
if your friend who lives in another city will like it either.

"Must Have" is a state of mind. Ask all the people using Windows 9x
TODAY is XP is a "must have". =)
Click to expand...

If Win Vista will treat USB 2.0 ports better, it would seem to be a logical
choice to skip Win XP about.
---Windows 9x user TODAY.
 
From everything that I have read about Vista so far, there is not really
much that make me think that this will be an essential upgrade for me. There
ARE some nice features, but nothing against which I can say "I really must
have that!"
Click to expand...


My home PC has 1GB RAM (I thought it to be much), but I heared that this is
the minimum requirement for Vista. In that case I won't have enough RAM for
design software, so moving to Vista is out of the word. Further more the
2003 Server fully fits my needs.

PS:
Operating system and programs may offer two different kind of interface
(This is my own opinion and I don't force anyone to accept it):
A. The one I call human interface - makes Your work easy and intuitive and
really fast.
B. The other one I call user friendly interface - This pretends to pe a
really smart one but is uselees. Some part of screen or dialog that just
takes place there, any Are You Really Sure??? question comming again and
again, or anything making You really feel uncomfortable, slowing Your work,
taking Your attention, wasting Your important time until You finally forget:
What was I doing? Ah, I was talking about that nasty bitch called M$ search
companion and related wizards. Basicly the whole XP Home.

We'll see what will come out of the Vista (and which of the two interfaces
they will implement)...

Cheers (-:
 
Martin said:
From everything that I have read about Vista so far, there is not
really much that make me think that this will be an essential
upgrade for me. There ARE some nice features, but nothing against
which I can say "I really must have that!"
Click to expand...
<snipped>

George said:
My home PC has 1GB RAM (I thought it to be much), but I heared that
this is the minimum requirement for Vista. In that case I won't
have enough RAM for design software, so moving to Vista is out of
the word. Further more the 2003 Server fully fits my needs.

PS:
Operating system and programs may offer two different kind of
interface (This is my own opinion and I don't force anyone to
accept it):
A. The one I call human interface - makes Your work easy and
intuitive and really fast.
B. The other one I call user friendly interface - This pretends to
pe a really smart one but is uselees. Some part of screen or dialog
that just takes place there, any Are You Really Sure??? question
comming again and again, or anything making You really feel
uncomfortable, slowing Your work, taking Your attention, wasting
Your important time until You finally forget: What was I doing? Ah,
I was talking about that nasty bitch called M$ search companion and
related wizards. Basicly the whole XP Home.

We'll see what will come out of the Vista (and which of the two
interfaces they will implement)...

Cheers (-:
Click to expand...

Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx

A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at least:
- A modern processor (at least 800MHz1).
- 512 MB of system memory.
- A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.

*notice "at least". Minimum requirements and realistic comfort may differ
greatly.

As for your "two interfaces" --> both are included in XP - you just have to
know how to get rid of "crayola land" to get to "productivity world".
 
Actually Shenan, I cannot remember exactly where I read it, but the article
I read essentially said the same thing but in a slightly different way.
What you said about the 2 and 5 years is true, but that was in the days when
a new OS would appear in a much shorter timescale. As Vista is (and still
is) taking so much longer, the 5 year time frame since the last version of
windows is almost due. It is for this reason that support is going to be
dropped VERY soon after VISTA comes out.
I think that I read this in either the Register or PCMAG web sites.

Martin
 
Martin said:
The one major downside for me when Vista comes out is that XP Home
(which I currently use) will no longer have any updates support
other than probably the critical ones - at least I hope I will
still get those. Microsoft have said that they are dropping
support for XP Home at that time and XP Pro support will disapear
shortly after that. I cannot remember the exact dates.
If I am wrong about this, then please let us all know.
Click to expand...

Shenan said:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect
or
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex

Essentially - your answer is:

"Mainstream support will end two years after the next version of
this product is released. Extended support will end five years
after mainstream support ends."

In other words - the day that Vista is released to manufacturing -
you have two years of mainstream support of the product (Windows
XP - all different flavors.) There is no "exact dates" yet. Not
to mention two years is not exactly "short" - in relation to
support for an expired application.
Click to expand...

Martin said:
Actually Shenan, I cannot remember exactly where I read it, but the
article I read essentially said the same thing but in a slightly
different way. What you said about the 2 and 5 years is true, but
that was in the days when a new OS would appear in a much shorter
timescale. As Vista is (and still is) taking so much longer, the 5
year time frame since the last version of windows is almost due. It
is for this reason that support is going to be dropped VERY soon
after VISTA comes out. I think that I read this in either the Register or
PCMAG web sites.
Click to expand...

Which is why I included the web page and quoted it.
Those are Microsoft's words - not mine. It is fairly clear..

Something you read in an article should be compared with what Microsoft
themselves present on the pages above and below this point in this thread.
Microsoft defines when they discontinue support for their products, no one
else. =)

Windows Vista is the "next version of the product" in this case.

"... Mainstream support will end two years after the next version of this
product is released ..."

So the day Windows Vista is released - you have two years from then. There
is no ambiguity in that.

More information:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx
and
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

(Those are different Microsoft sites than I quoted earlier)

The last one clearly states:

"Microsoft will offer Mainstream support for either a minimum of 5 years
from the date of a product’s general availability, or for 2 years after the
successor product (N+1) is released, whichever is longer."

In that case the 'successor product' would be Windows Vista (For Windows XP
anyway..)

Now - where things get a little gray is support for what "revision" of
Windows XP.. And that even gets clarified on Microsoft web pages. By
revision - I mean "Service Pack Level" - not flavors (like Windows XP Home,
Professional, Tablet, etc..)

a.. Security Hotfix Support for Windows XP with no service packs installed
will be provided through September 30, 2004.
a.. Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) will be supported in accordance with the
Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy until October 10, 2006.
a.. Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) will be supported in accordance with the
Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy until either 12 months after the next
service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle,
whichever comes first.

This web page has a table of the products and their service pack life
cycles:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifesupsps#Windows

Remember - the latter is "service pack support" - not the "product support"
life cycle. While there are overlaps - they are not the same thing.
Windows XP is still supported for two years after the release of Vista to
the public.
 
....and, somewhere in MS's maze of information, they tentatively plan to
release WinXP SP3 in the latter part of 2007.

Tom
 
Chris said:
Any opinions on whether Win Vista will be a must-have upgrade or whether it's
mainly XP with some extra eye candy and a few added bells and whistles?
Click to expand...

Dude! It's going to have 3D icons!

Back in reality, I think the fact that Microsoft are trying to force
people to upgrade by not releasing DX10 for XP should tell you
everything you need to know about how compelling it is. IMHO Microsoft
have really dropped the ball on this one.

Mark
 
Dude! It's going to have 3D icons!

Back in reality, I think the fact that Microsoft are trying to force
people to upgrade by not releasing DX10 for XP should tell you
everything you need to know about how compelling it is. IMHO Microsoft
have really dropped the ball on this one.

Mark
Click to expand...

Seems to me the way to go with the DX10 issue is buy a Xbox 360 and
forget about gaming PCs.

I can see that DX10 will remove a lot of bottlenecks and limiitations
imposed by DX9 but forcing people to upgrade to Vista is ridiculous.

According to the Financial types MSFT is in the process of making huge
mistakes, this issue is just one of them. In the real world people
don't spend thousands on a PC and Hardware / OS upgrades just to play
a game. Only nutters like me spend that kind of money on a gaming rig
and I am not going anywhere near Vista for many reasons.

"Dropped the Ball"

IMO they are on track to destroy a perfectly good Monopoly, never mind
eh!

8-)

Jonah
 
Thanks for all the input. Overall, it seems my initial impression of Vista is
correct: it probably won't benefit me as much as what I'd have to pay for it
will benefit little Billy Gates, especially since WinFS was pulled.

XP in conjunction with programs I currently have installed will really do most
everything I want. But I'll wait until Vista actually comes out and see whether
most first edition adopters go into ecstasy or have to be carted away to the
loony bin.

ChrisM
 
"Microsoft are trying to force..."
No one is trying to force anyone to do anything.


If anyone feels forced, they should evaluate why they feel forced and
determine what happens if they do not...generally no negative consequences
unless that person feels the need for the latest of everything.
But then the fault is with the need for the latest not the latest product or
manufacturer.
 
Thanks for the clarification

Martin


Shenan Stanley said:
Which is why I included the web page and quoted it.
Those are Microsoft's words - not mine. It is fairly clear..

Something you read in an article should be compared with what Microsoft
themselves present on the pages above and below this point in this thread.
Microsoft defines when they discontinue support for their products, no one
else. =)

Windows Vista is the "next version of the product" in this case.

"... Mainstream support will end two years after the next version of this
product is released ..."

So the day Windows Vista is released - you have two years from then.
There is no ambiguity in that.

More information:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx
and
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

(Those are different Microsoft sites than I quoted earlier)

The last one clearly states:

"Microsoft will offer Mainstream support for either a minimum of 5 years
from the date of a product's general availability, or for 2 years after
the successor product (N+1) is released, whichever is longer."

In that case the 'successor product' would be Windows Vista (For Windows
XP anyway..)

Now - where things get a little gray is support for what "revision" of
Windows XP.. And that even gets clarified on Microsoft web pages. By
revision - I mean "Service Pack Level" - not flavors (like Windows XP
Home, Professional, Tablet, etc..)

a.. Security Hotfix Support for Windows XP with no service packs installed
will be provided through September 30, 2004.
a.. Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) will be supported in accordance with
the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy until October 10, 2006.
a.. Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) will be supported in accordance with
the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy until either 12 months after the
next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support
lifecycle, whichever comes first.

This web page has a table of the products and their service pack life
cycles:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifesupsps#Windows

Remember - the latter is "service pack support" - not the "product
support" life cycle. While there are overlaps - they are not the same
thing. Windows XP is still supported for two years after the release of
Vista to the public.
Click to expand...
 
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