Comments on: Microsoft fights back, but does it have enough ammo?

Microsoft is fighting back and this time, it wants you to know that it's in for a fight. But can all this good Vista PR really solve its problems?

[cant_get_enough_tech]

I don't mind Vista...I happen to like it very much. The only problem with it is it is a little too power-hungry. I have a basic Compaq laptop with 1 GB of RAM (the minimum required for Home Premium, which is on it) and it runs just fine with basic use. The only time it slows down is when I am on skype messaging, on the web, and playing iTunes for long periods of time, or when it is doing system updates.

Bravo! /j

[rdwalton]

Go ahead and bite the Apple and have fun.

[BadLag]

I tried Vista, didn't like it, my XP is working great so I added a Vista skin/Theme....so I am running XP with all the fancy bells and whistles that came with Vista, best of both worlds...guess it doesn't hurt that I have a NVidia 8800 GTX 768MB graphics card as well....LOL

[BTJustice]

I think the time of new operating systems is dying. Instead of making completely new OSes, why not sell upgrades to pre-existing OSes such as XP? I am talking about much more than a Service Pack. Kind of like crappy Vista does with the Easy Upgrade option. Or just keep making XP and selling XP licenses.

[Hellcat]

I think the thing MS needs to do is finish and add WinFS. Vista needs something different other than a new coat of paint over XP, it needs a new technology. Look at the difference between Win 3.1 and 95, and 95 and 98, and 98 and 2000, and 2000 and XP, their were clear differences that made the newer version better than the other. With XP to Vista their really isn't and I think something like WinFS would fix that. It was suppose to be in Vista and it was one of the things IT people were looking forward to and when it didn't show up they kept using XP. If they can't add WinFS into it for some reason they need to add something else that will make IT people, gamers and such go WOW! I admit I use XP and I have a copy of Vista right next to me. Why? because it would take time to upgrade, maybe when I buy a new computer in a couple weeks/months I'll install Vista, but until then its not worth the time. Now if it had a WOW technology that XP doesn't have I'd probably consider it now but it doesn't. Even with XP I turn off the bells and whistles, I have a grey start bar, no wallpaper...etc and I'd probably do the same with Vista, I'd turn off the Aero and such. Why? Because its not giving me any benefit but a nicer coat of paint and I don't care about that, I care about performance and with all the crap turned off I get a little bit of a bump. Until MS does something people are going to keep XP running and thats a fact.

[covolor]

I've been running Vista since its release and I've had no problems what so ever. With SP1 Vista resumes much quicker and load a bit faster. Facts are Vista is the next standard OS on the market that has thousands of coders coding for Microsoft products. Why switch?

1. Security-everyone that own XP complains about security. Vista has had half as many security threats then XP in its first year on the market. HALF!!

2. Built in Search-It is much better then plug-ins that you can download for free. The search feature in windows doesn't use the same search algorithms.

3. Cost of ownership for large enterprise systems is about 256 (about) less then supporting XP.

4. Home users will experience a richer interface with Vista being more media centric then XP.

5. Enterprise IT departments will be able to create ONE image and deploy that image across the enterprise to any equipment regardless of machine hardware. Your images are hardware independent. No more having an image for each model of computer of your network! Thank goodness for that!

I have quite a huge list of why you should switch to Vista. But if you truly crave the next best OS and want to stay relevant with your IT infostructure then you?ll start the transition to Vista. I?ve never meant such a wide audience of people that are resentment to change as the I hate Vista camp.

Lets look at another company that listened to there hardcore fans in the 90?s. Apple, there OS was horrible! Simply horrible and why, because the users didn?t want anything different. This company just about went under until Microsoft bailed them out. And what was one of the first things that they changed the OS! I love the new OS by Apple and hope they keep getting better features and updating there OS, so it doesn?t end up like it did in the 90?s.

So Vista haters, keep hating, while the main stream adapts this new version of the OS. Geesh! Innovations like Vista and Mac OS X are the key to continues improvement for end users! I say its time to kill XP and I would go as far as not offering another update for that old piece of irrelevant technology.

[thelemurking]

DirectX 10 along with 64bit was enough to make me happy. I have no issues with Vista now, it's completely stable, runs smooth and looks great.

I'm very happy with Vista 64. Currently running an AMD X2 6000+ black edition, overclocked, 8gb of ram, WD raptor as my main drive and two 500gb WD 'green' drives. On top of that, I have two 9800gtx's in SLI so games look and incredible on it. Vista runs great on my system, but then again, this really isn't a typical setup. It's not like you can go down to Best Buy and pick up a system like this for home, so those store bought boxes might have some issues... but for me personally, Vista runs like a champ.

[Kev50027]

Vista is faster at starting programs, as it stores them in RAM. It also takes advantage of new technologies like hybrid hard disks and alternate methods of caching to speed up just about everything. Vista is really only slower with games, but it has the latest DX support, which XP doesn't have full support for.

[Hellcat]

I'm not a Vista hater, I think its going in the right direction, but I still think people were put off by the lack of WinFS and other things that MS said Vista would have. I'm running a 2 year old computer so when I upgrade I'll probably go to Vista 64 with 4 gigs of ram. I'm not compelled to upgrade my OS on my old system. I would have liked to see more things added to Vista, and even now if they added WinFS or something you'd see companies willing to switch. Vista may be good for new computer buyers but for people with computers with XP already on it their is no real reason to buy a Vista upgrade and switch.

[redmatrix06]

It appears everyone has forgotten when XP launched. Remember how many complained that XP sucked and a lot of people were happy with Win 98/2000. People complained how XP was unstable, lacked security and had no driver support for legacy stuff and god know about that compatibilty feature it sucked. Until Sp2 came along and made things right. And also the hardware companies came out with better drivers. I remember when I upgraded to XP Pro my driver did not work and then worked when the hardware companies got off their butt and churned them out.

Same thing here. I do agree it Vista sucks for now. I have not tried Vista with SP1 yet. Plan on doing it soon. It is going to be the same mess and lame whining when Windows 7 comes out. How Vista is slightly better and Windows 7 broke everything and has no driver support. People who dont know their history are doomed to repeat it. See you guys on the next post when everyone here complains Vista is better than Windows 7.

[aztec92154]

You arn't the first or the last to repost this response. If I release a new product that doesn't have a user experience that is as good as my last product IT IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO SAY: "Well, this happens every time we release a new product. It sucks for now, but eventually you'll like it." Why you ask? Well because many many business depend on Windows. This is not a game. A lot of money is being lost by small businesses in an already struggling economy by releasing this OS before all the kinks were ironed out.

MS has been building operating systems for a while now, for many different platforms. This is unacceptable. --- FYI, this was written on a Window XP computer with a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 on my desk. Everyone in my company has this, no one has installed Vista.

It's funny that people complain about Vista performance when they load it on to current XP hardware. These are likely the same folks that complained about XP performance when they loaded it on Win2k hardware. Software providers are always releasing new versions that are more and not less resource hungry. They are planning to make use of new HW performance that becomes available in the future. You want new features and faster performance? Get new hardware. I haven't upgraded my PC from XP to Vista but I have loaded Vista on my MacBook Pro and dual boot the machine. Vista (ultimate) seems to run fine there. Will Vista let you do more? Probably, but it's apparently falls short of the desire of users and what Microsoft really wanted. They had to release something. XP was looking really LONG in the tooth compared to OS X and some of the new Linux releases. Even though it is a very good and stable OS, security issues aside, it no longer had the "I really want the latest thing" factor for many users. MS had to do something, especially in light of the hype that surrounded this OS years in the future. Too bad it didn't live up to that hype. Maybe the next go round will be better.

[ferretboy88]

I have many different computers(running-Ubuntu, Fedora, xp,vista) and an Apple computer. Which computer do I use most? The Vista home built pc. I love playing those windows games with the newest and fastest graphics cards. I like Vista and since it was only a $111 dollars to buy a copy if MS switches to windows 7 its no big loss for me. My Apple computer(I hate the term mac it drives me nuts) never gets used and my family hates it. I am so sick of hearing about Apple and Macs. When I bought my first one(macbook) I never thought you had to join a cult to own one.

[SteamChip]

Hello,
Granted XP runs most anything Windows gotten from the Interntet or purchased from fleamarkets or retail stores, but, it is going to be a VISTA world.

As far as most the public is concerned, "Umbatu" is someplace or someone in Africa. For the rest, may they enjoy tinkering and downloading and typing in code in order to run Oblivion and Company of Heroes.

Old hippies and graphic artists, may they find pleasure using Mac to run Photoshop.

Vista is TheAnumberOne state-of-the-art operating system and the best thing to come down the pike in years. It is fine, pretty and cute, marvelous, dazzling, an entirely wow experience. Like with many new product releases there are bound to be a few speed bumps so here are a few things to keep in mind:

? Use only programs tested to be compatible with Vista.
? Use only hardware (printers, scanners, etc) tested to be compatible with Vista.
? If your program is not shown to be Visa compatible, and it doesn?t work, you really didn?t need it anyway.
? If your hardware is not shown to be Visa compatible, and it doesn?t work, you now have a handy doorstop.
? Please be patient about relearning Windows for location of commonly used tasks and system tools. Think of it as an easter egg hunt?FUN!
? Its not really THAT much money to upgrade your computer beyond the stated system requirements of "Vista Ready." Just get more RAM, a faster processor, a new video card, hard drive, motherboard and power supply and Vista will run better.
? UAC is for your own good! Just respond properly to the warning dialogue boxes when doing your various Vista tasks and nothing bad will happen to you.
? Come now, DRM prevents you from inadvertantly doing illegal things on your computer, saving you from fines and prison. And besides, what kind of person would actually admit they tried to record NBC's American Gladiators?
? Though a whole lot cannot be said about it now, Windows 7, to be released sometime in 2010, promises even a more complete and satisfying computer operating system experience!

Windows Vista--reach into your pocket, pull out your wallet and run out. Run out and buy Vista now!!!

[ryanmah]

vista is a great operating system, i use it everyday on my macbook pro. its a must if you have an xbox, and or want to set up a htpc. Its stable, and safe. even with xp sp3 i got a attacks from malware. people, especially windows people, are afraid of change. so you're old ass printer doesn't work, they're like 40 bucks at circuit city. buy a new one. if your computer sucks, turn off aero.
do you remember the transition between os9 and osx, you had to run classic to run half your programs. even then, they ran poorly. it wasn't until os 10.4 that they got rid of classic, and no one complained that they couldn't run corel paint 3.
vista is a step up. people don't understand that there will be growing pains. if you can't figure out these little problems, i doubt your ability to use a computer in the first place.

[compudoc318]

Vista may not be a huge improvement over xp, but it is a step ahead in security, even with xpsp3, which is freezing up some xp machines. I remove viruses all day long for a computer company in a large city, and guess what, only 1 vista machine infected so far and i do 2-3 a day.
That being said, its not much better other than security and in looks. For the complaints about having to upgrade to use it...get over it, so sick of people with 5-10 year old computers complaining about having to upgrade. How cheap are these people, you can get a nice new tower for 200-300 bucks!!!
I also think the ads are more aimed at all the vista haters that have never used vista and just complain to be cool, with an iphone in one hand and starbucks in the other.........sheep.....

[alexacker]

I'm glad I use OS X on a Mac. It's rock solid and fast...

[shawn1cai]

Funny thing is, even though Vista isn't that great, many people who says "Vista sucks" have never tried it.

[bob1xxxx]

Look if m$ was smart in stead spending $$$$ on a ad campain, why dont they get there programers working over time to kill the major bugs in vista (ie hardware/software incompatablity) and adding more user control to turn off un need features that slower older pc to a snails pace. Make vista more funcation to the average user/company, not more hype.

[bubblebathgirl]

Everyone that I know that has tried Vista has said it was a big mistake. Vista slows down your machine and causes lots of annoying behavior. The problem Microsoft has always has is misguided greed, from their 360 to Vista and Zune, they continue to make products that under-perform (in spite of millions spent on marketing).

The solution is simple, more quality, less crap - let your "stellar" products speak for themselves and the community that loves them do the same ... you can't buy what Apple has, you simply have to work hard at it, and most importantly be smart.

Microsoft needs to go back to school.

[Dango517]

Frankly, I'd like to see M$ spend the money on a great big fly swatter and go around crushing those annoying Anti-Microsoft gadfly's. Let's hope. :)

Vista is the best OS Microsoft has made to date. Far better then XP.