Comments on: Will update drive Vista use?

Microsoft is polishing Vista with a long-awaited service pack in hopes of greater adoption among businesses.

[steve merball]

get linux

get linux

[Troll Hard]

I agree 100%

Make the switch, Windows Vista has been horrible so far, and chances are the service pack will create more bugs than it fixes. Vista is the OS/2 Warp of Windows, buggy, crashy, incompatible with legacy apps, overpriced, and bloated.

Here are some helpful Linux distros that you can download and burn CDs or DVDs for free:
http://www.ubuntu.com/
http://fedoraproject.org/
http://www.freespire.org/
http://www.novell.com/products/opensuse/
http://www.gentoo.org/
http://www.slackware.com/

Or try BSD Unix:
http://www.pcbsd.org/
http://www.freebsd.org/
http://www.netbsd.org/
http://www.openbsd.org/

Can't afford a Mac? Run Darwin!
http://developer.apple.com/opensource/index.html
http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/

Support GNUStep to get Mac OSX support in Linux:
http://www.gnustep.org/

[grandmasterdibbler]

Why??????

Why does almost every single post about Windows result in one of the comments being 'Get Linux' or 'Get A Mac' all we get is another ******* flame war.

Do you guys never tire of debating the same thing over and over again, I've been reading this site for over two years now and 90% of OS related stories end up in a OS X vs Windows vs Linux fight one way or another!

[gsmiller88]

I won't want it after 9,000 service packs

I'll just use XP when I have to use Windows..

[guyfromtrinidad]

I guess I'm an innovator

I've been using Vista for a while and have been frustrated many times, but when I switched I knew that Microsoft made the product and damn there would be bugs and glitches and frustrations. Because it is MS and many of these annoyances will be fixed by the service pack(and CNET will then give Vista a glowing report unless the iPhone 2.0 is out at the same time) by mid year 2008 people will begin switching in droves trust me. But what the Gates haters don't seem to realize is that Linux and Apple have a lot to thank MS for.

Vista started the conversation about operating systems and my boss, who would still be running Win 98 if he could is asking me about this Ubuntu thing and what is this Leopard thing the guy in the blue jeans keeps talking about. Suddenly mainstream has figured out that even phones have OS in them. So please as much as you may hate it Vista has to be successful in telling the OS story because the game has changed and they have a fight on their hand.

[JasonCe]

Stop the non-sense linux zealotry. Face the facts.

I hate to see Microsoft-haters post these useless comments like "OMG M$ sux move 2 linux, its super cool!". Please people, don't post about things you have no idea about.

I have been using Vista since Beta2, and although it had some problems in the beginning, Microsoft fixed them, and I had no problems using it at home. Try getting that support with Linux, you will face problems beyond your worst nightmares. People don't realize that most problems are not within Vista but 3rd party apps and drivers, and home routers. Just like what happened in the past, SP1 will fix all the remaining glitches.

[GrandpaN1947]

Bullony

Not within Vista? Vista is loaded to the gills with a DRM infection. It's possible SR1 will turn much of that on as most of it has been lying there latent waiting for the right time.

I guess all the third party games don't play well because they are all made wrong.......all of them!

You don't know crap.

[yacahuma]

Are you on drugs

Are you on drugs: reader comment from yacahuma
Posted on: August 30, 2007, 6:36 AM PDT
Story: Will update drive Vista use?

Linux/Ubuntu is rock solid. The only problem I see with linux is exactly that, 3rd party drivers. If we had those there will be no reason to use MS. That is the only advantage they have. When a manufacturer releases drivers for a printer or a wireless card , it is usually only windows compatible. Then some programmer has to do some reverse engineering to make it work on Linux. Please dont be so stupid as to compare those two. I will bet Linux 100/1 against Windows anyday.

Day to day work will be really easy if manufacturer just release linux drivers.

It is funny that you talk about windows that way. I just stay until 2am because I had a Windows Metldown. You know , when everything stop working because you did not reintall the OS once a year??

I hate windows.

[ColdMast]

Jason CE- Microsoft Banal Drape Victim

Jason CE- Banal Drape Victim of Microsoft's Evangelism Program

Knock Knock Jason, you don't actually own Vista.

SP1 will fix all the remaining glitches.
SP2 will fix all the remaining glitches.
SP3 will fix all the remaining glitches.
SP4 will fix all the remaining glitches.

Oh yeah and I use XP, I'm planning on doing a Multiboot Configuration with XP and Ubuntu {or something or other} and begin migrating to linux {can't be more difficult then using "the ribbon"}.

Compiz Fusion is super cool!

worst nightmares? what: bad third party wireless support and and bad third party graphics drivers?
oh and no games {but you shouldn't be playing games at the office anyways}

People don't realize that most problems are not within Linux but 3rd party apps and drivers, and home routers.

[Renegade Knight]

Facts work both ways.

Vista still doesn't work for me. MS didn't fix it. Their support gave up and refuses to respond. I had seveal issues to resolve. I priortized them and started down the list. They couldnt fix the first and won't give me the time of day.

Vista is pretty, but it sucks.
Linux may have no support, but MS support has not been any better than what I'd have with Linux.

[fred dunn]

Absolutely not...

Although a good deal of corporate roll outs wait for SP1 (historically) Vista is different because it is not ready for prime time in a corporate environment.
Maybe SP2 but I think for a great deal or corporations they are going to stick with XP and skip Vista to see what their Software Assurance will get them for a new OS in Microsoft's promised 3 year interval.
Ok that was a joke, Microsoft can't release an OS in three years as promised under Software Assurance unless it is something like Vista ME.
Software Assurance has become the biggest joke in the industry.

BOTTOM LINE: SKIP VISTA

[yacahuma]

Are you on drugs

Linux/Ubuntu is rock solid. The only problem I see with linux is exactly that, 3rd party drivers. If we had those there will be no reason to use MS. That is the only advantage they have. When a manufacturer releases drivers for a printer or a wireless card , it is usually only windows compatible. Then some programmer has to do some reverse engineering to make it work on Linux. Please dont be so stupid as to compare those two. I will bet Linux 100/1 against Windows anyday.

Day to day work will be really easy if manufacturer just release linux drivers.

It is funny that you talk about windows that way. I just stay until 2am because I had a Windows Metldown. You know , when everything stop working because you did not reintall the OS once a year??

I hate windows.

[thedreaming]

Yes and No

Alot of people I know are dying to switch to vista, just on the bling alone, but they are all waiting for the first service pack. They feel that by that time, most of the initial bugs and performance problems will be worked out.

Most businesses I've been in contact with are NOT in any hurry to switch to vista. They currently run 2000 or XP and see no reason what so ever to switch to an os that offers nothing for them but bling.

[yacahuma]

you want bling?

you want bling , try beryl on ubuntu

and try to keep up..
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7223440296638629363

[t8]

Ooh yeah $300 for bling

I prefer Linux bling coz it's $300 cheaper.

[ittesi259]

Not subtley coercing the change?

Ok you're kidding right? Because there is an SP3 for XP thats not pushing the switch when you say its the last service pack you'll do? Is MS shortening their support cycle? I mean damn. And of course we'll be forced to install it because all apps that come out after will require it regardless of how much it ruins everything. No subtle coercion indeed, its blatant.

[duggerdm]

Exactly.

No subtle coercing? Is the author totally stupid. Local college did not update to Vista. Guess what ,the colleges main course management system WebCT 6.1 doesn't read Vista unless you update to their Vista version. About 20% of the students are now on new computers for the fall running MSVista. College faculty, administration and students are in chaos. Don't know what it will cost the college to upgrade to WebCT Vista - but I did find this quote from another institution on line: One WebCT user, the New Mexico State University, indicates (2003), that the company (WebCT):
". . . is scheduled to discontinue support of its Campus Edition version in December 2006 leaving only the Vista edition of the course management system available and supported." (At that point, NMSU estimates that its annual licensing and running charges will rise from $40,000 to, in the first year of Vista operation, $650,800 US.) The estimated first year cost for a perpetual Vista license at New Mexico State University is $290,400. Additional costs would include an Oracle license, system hardware, and setup time. The annual maintenance cost of the perpetual license will be approximately $48,400. Estimated total first year costs associated with the implementation of a WebCT Vista course management system at NMSU is $602,400." This is not chump change for small institutions. No subtle coercion indeed - some people might call it simple extortion.

[Renegade Knight]

"Frankly, the world wasn't 100 percent ready for Windows Vista,"

Apparently MS is exactly backwards in their thinking. Vista was not ready for the world. Fortunatly with that corporate philosopy MS won't be long in this world.

Acer will buy them, at a 50% premium for 1.90 a share when that time comes. That is if HP doesn't do it first.

[wolivere]

And how many run "Well" under linux?

Simple fact most run well and even great on Vista, unless you happen to have an 8800 series video card. Most people I deal with who have issues, those issues tend to be around that series of cards. Its not as prevelent an issue in XP, but the same issues crop up.

So is it a Vista Issue or an Nvidia issue?

Now I did have trouble hooking up my 8 year old scanner to Vista. I don't use it often I bought it in 1999. Then I was thinking, what is the likely hood that when XP came out that I could take my 8 year scanner and make it work under XP? Eventualy maybe, but for the most part no.

SO there I was with my $490 scanner from 1999 that would not work. So I went online found a better scanner brand new for $90.

The desision to not support vista by some of these companies on there old hard ware is not a "MS" decision, but a direct marketing decision by 3rd party vendors who want you to buy new.

[rcardona2k]

Windows XP for a loooong time

I'm not waiting for Vista SP1, I'm waiting for Windows XP SP3!

Basically I'm skipping Vista altogether. All of my Windows needs are met by VMware Fusion on OS X.

If/when Microsoft learns from ME-Second Edition (aka Vista), I'll adopt it's successor. I hope they get it right by then.

[jlungu]

the world wasn't 100 percent ready for Windows Vista

Ummmm ... I think maybe it was the other way around ??

[rcardona2k]

Bad execution - five years in Internet time??

Absolutely. Kids were born and entered school the whole time Vista was developed. FIVE years is a joke. Vista should have been 'nearly perfect' out of the gate with that much bake time. Instead it shows how poorly Microsoft managed their development processes.

[rogueserver13]

Children, please......

Pick the OS that meets your need. Vista is great--but Linux is also great. They both have highs and lows. If you want to argue about what corporate users need, it is simple--secure access to email, something to create and edit docs/spreadsheets, and an internet browser. That is 98% of the users. For the corporate users outside that model, you pick the OS that supports the apps they need. I have a Novell SLED 10 PC right next to my MS Vista PC--and I love them both.

[Ted Miller]

There is another matter here...

and that is this great faith everyone has in the internet being an extremely stable and highly dependable entity. Personaly I use it a lot, but I do not put complete faith into anything that other people have control over. Period! If for some reason I did not have internet or Microsoft pulled everything off the net or anything of such. I would be screwed. I am sorry, but I do feel very very insecure with anyone controling anything I have. History has taught us again and again and again: Don't trust human control in any fashion. I want my service pack period!!!

[RicRoe]

Why bother with Vista?

My business and home computers will never be replaced with Vista. Windows 2000 was my last Windows O/S purchase, the reasons?

1) Microsoft can't release a new OS that is both secure and bug free. They try to improve security and hackers beat them. They make claims about bug free and there are still issues.

2)New Microsoft O/S are always designed with forcing consumers into buying new equipment every 5 or so years in order to have the latest and greatest O/S. Many consumers fall for this and spend a few thousand dollars every 5 or so years just to keep up. I call these consumers Microsheep.

3)Drivers. Vista has been out for about 15% of its life cycle, and still is not compatible with lots of common system add on's. Is this Microsoft's way of specifying what equipment customers can buy for their computers, or is it simply that Microsoft wants to dictate the market to manufacturers.

4)WGA. Microsoft wants me to repeatedly prove that I am running a legitimate copy of Vista.

Now, I don't mind an initial registration, but being accused of theft (no matter how Microsoft prefers to massage WGA's function) after plunking down a thousand or so dollars for a new machine is not an appealing market strategy.

Microsoft's BIG Brother program requires re verification every time I change, replace, or upgradev hardware. Why does Microsoft care or even need to know if I upgrade to a new DVD drive, change a hard drive etc?

We have all read about the outage this past weekend that impacted what Microsoft called 'a small number of users' and the press claims somewhere in the area of 12,000 users. If you were one of those 12,000, it was no small number to you, but it is a clear indictaion of your value to Microsoft as a customer.

In the future, what to stop Microsoft from using an end of life cycle that includes turning off these same servers and render every Vista OS obsolete?

Enough about Vista, and enough about WGA, it will be the program that drives many to make the jump conversion from Microsoft to Apple or Linux systems as I have decided to do.

When I need to upgrade, it will be with a company that wants and values me as a customer, not one that takes my money and then accuses me of theft.

[Seaspray0]

What would you suggest?

I'm not happy with the WGA and the activation and DRM that has been imbedded into Vista. Nope, not at all. So why is all that stuff there?

1. Piracy: i.e. 99% of all software in china is pirated and the china government doesn't care.
2. Microsoft just wanted to P1$$ me off.

I can guess it's because of piracy. I don't like the DRM/activation/WGA, but I know why it's there. Can you suggest another way to stop the piracy?

[bobby_brady]

First MS says SP1 is no big deal, now they say

this service pack is a milestone. To me, it doesn't look like this service pack contains much. When are we going to get a upgrade to media center?

[RicRoe]

Maybe never?

Perhaps, the reason there is no Media Center is two fold.

First is the current lack of working drivers for Vista, and the apparent lack of concern on the part of Microsoft.

Second, they might be delaying a Media Center for Vista so that they have something 'new' to offer in a few years when they release the next version of windows.

Third, by eliminating a Media Center for this release, they are biding their time to see which next generation DVD format wins the format war...apparently they have no direction on this and are waiting for the market to determine which format comes out on top.

[nmoore6676]

Vista Success

Many providers of business software are not rushing to update so the users are at their own risk if they choose to run on an unsupported platform. Engineering and CNC software is even slower in adopting Vista so I don't see it getting much more use as long as XP is working and the providers don't support it.

[Meerkat71]

No coercion right

The logical choice is that they must continue to support XP then :)

[carpevis]

The move to Vista

My take is that because Vista is already out there, and the world hasn't stopped spinning business-wise because not everyone is using it, the SP1 release will have little to no impact on the speed of adopting Vista. Eventually, everyone who doesn't deliberately adopt another OS will end up with Vista (it's the de facto, default OS in any new computer), so sooner or later, as computers are replaced, Vista will take over. But not because of the SP coming in another 6 months.

[bigpain2007]

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is openly trying to expand, it looks a hell of a lot smoother than it used to. I really like the preview of their dream scene, which allows you to make a 30 second loop of a movie and put it on your desktop, I must say, that's what won me over.

[Meerkat71]

The cover doesn't make the package

Crap dipped in chocolate is still essentially crap, chocolate just make it easier to swallow. ;)