Windows Vista has certainly had its fair share of naysayers, but the operating system is clearly finding its way onto lots and lots of PCs.
In last week's earnings announcement, Microsoft reported a 25 percent increase in revenue from the unit that sells Windows for notebook and desktop PCs. Granted, some of that bump came from a crackdown in piracy and because more people are opting for "premium" versions of Vista. Still, the company has now managed to sell 88 million copies of the operating system, a significant tally.
"We have a lot of consumer interest and enthusiasm around it," CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with CNET News.com last week.
Vista has picked up momentum in recent months, said Samir Bhavnani, an analyst at Current Analysis West.
"It got off to kind of a rocky start," he said. "There was a very vocal minority of people that were kind of ripping into Vista."
On the corporate side, momentum has been harder to come by. Microsoft finally acknowledged that it won't hit its lofty goal of having Vista in use on twice as many business PCs as were running XP in its first 12 months on the market.
"Yes, there's one or two models you can find someplace in the world of PCs that don't run Windows Vista. But the machines that sell all run Windows Vista."
--Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft
"We think the adoption is pretty much at the rate commensurate with past releases," said Neil Charney, a general manager in Microsoft's Windows Client unit. Charney said that the original goal represented an "enthusiastic assessment" of where Microsoft might be able to get. Analysts at the time said Microsoft's prediction was overly ambitious.
The company said it is seeing some positive signs on the business front, notably a rise in the number of businesses signing long-term deals that cover Windows.
"They wouldn't be signing these agreements if they didn't have the intent to (deploy Vista)," said Mike Nash, vice president of Windows product management.
But while corporations may be planning their Vista move, most large companies that are buying PCs are still immediately reinstalling Windows XP, said IDC analyst Al Gillen.
"That's completely normal behavior," Gillen said, though it has quashed Microsoft's hopes of getting businesses to move more quickly to a new operating system by developing new tools for running compatibility checks and aiding in deployment.
Businesses are "certainly not rushing into it more quickly than they have other Windows (releases)," Gillen said.
Historically, large companies tend to drag their feet on deploying new operating systems, he said, not wanting to be in the leading edge and preferring to wait as bugs and compatibility issues are ironed out. A catalyst for some businesses could be the first service pack update of Vista, due early next year.
Even some consumers and small businesses have been opting for the downgrade path. Dell and other PC makers brought back XP on consumer and small-business machines early in the year, while more recently, some PC makers have made it easier for those buying Vista machines to return to XP.
Ballmer said that while there may be a few PCs still on the market that have XP, it's Vista that consumers are buying.
"Yes, there's one or two models you can find someplace in the world of PCs that don't run Windows Vista," Ballmer said. "But the machines that sell all run Windows Vista."
Still, Microsoft recently bowed to concerns from large PC makers and said they wouldn't have to stop selling XP machines in January, giving them instead until the end of June to sell the operating system.
Quotes: "We have a lot of consumer interest and enthusiasm around it," CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with CNET News.com last week." and Ballmer said that while there may be a few PCs still on the market that have XP, it's Vista that consumers are buying. and "Yes, there's one or two models you can find someplace in the world of PCs that don't run Windows Vista," Ballmer said. "But the machines that sell all run Windows Vista."
What major event occurred in the last quarter? Back to school sales of computers. Balmer says it all, the consumer has no choice when buying retail BUT to buy Vista. ESPECIALLY AT BEST BUY. One of our Analysts was working on a laptop from HP that came preloaded with Vista, they had no choice. His task was to reload it with Windows XP which the user wanted to start with. He came to me and I suggested that before he reloads it to ensure that HP is supporting all of the drivers for XP on their website or just call them and get an XP recovery disk because it would be the simplest and most supported means, as was linked in this article: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.news.com/The-XP-alternative-for-Vista-PCs/2100-1016_3-6209481.html" target="_newWindow">http://www.news.com/The-XP-alternative-for-Vista-PCs/2100-1016_3-6209481.html</a> He called HP and they want $200 for the XP recovery disk for the laptop. Gee do you think MS may be paying HP off to discourage this behaviour, I do. I am a Windows user and have been since Windows was just a shell over DOS and you had to load a third party IP stack to get it IP enabled but Vista is just plain "BLOATWARE". Given enough time and resources ANYBODY can write an OS, ANYBODY. Microsoft had over 5 years to get Vista out with many thousands of people working on it and this is the best they can do? Vista is not a leap ahead of Windows XP, it's barely a step but it requires 4 times the resources and does not deliver 4 times the user experience. Microsoft's attempt at Vista has failed miserably. I am not just an end-user but an IT Analyst that knows the "guts" of these products and has to support them throughout the enterprise. I no longer recommend Windows to any of my consults if they have to get Vista unless they really want to try it. Rather I am suggesting Ubuntu and SUSE Linux (I never in the worl thought I would do this), or an Apple Mac of the Intel variety (not that there is any other choice now but I do not suggest buying legacy "Gx" systems) Apple had just had a great quarter too and not just because of their iPhone and iPods but sold more Macs in any quarter in years. This is not just the "halo" effect but rather people tired of Microsoft's inefficient and bloated product that is still not compatible with a good amount of both software and hardware.
And don't blame the hardware vendors as microsoft was making them follow a moving target toward the critical RC time period when API's and Kernal security changes were preventing Hardware manufacturers from nailing down their drivers.
In summary: Sure Microsoft had a smashing Quarter as the retailers are no longer giving the consumers a choice but to buy Vista.
"In summary: Sure Microsoft had a smashing Quarter as the retailers are no longer giving the consumers a choice but to buy Vista."
How many retailers Microsoft is putting out of business becase they can't sell the hardware? Microsoft is betting that that in comming months a lot of suckers will be buying PC's for christmas for there kiddies to help em do better in school. They snagged a lot of suckers in August and September with the back to school sales that have been going on.
I've got Vista on two machines. Both have issues. I'm now ready to kick the tires on Linux and give Mac a try. Yeah, Vista is a success in the same way that everyone gets a last dance and then the party is over.
Your quote " Given enough time and resources ANYBODY can write an OS, ANYBODY. Microsoft had over 5 years to get Vista out with many thousands of people working on it and this is the best they can do? " You are not making any sense for an IT analyst .with MAC OS and various Linux distributions , and Unix variations, we already have enough OS out there. it's obvious that business community has spoken and chose XP and Vista because it's backward compatible with what they already have. Don't try to re-invent the wheel . If you don't like Vista , switch to another OS or let the industry determine if they can afford to create a new OS . we don't need another OS. windows Vista and XP will be fine , and continue to thrive .
Why on earth would you recommend Ubuntu? I tried that Fiesty Fawn for a week and couldn't wait to get back to Vista. Don't get me wrong Ubuntu has a lot of potential to it but lack of unifed support is lacking. The most frustrating part of Ubuntu was trying to find the extras like Beryl. To get applications to install I often had to go multiple forum and support pages only find the instructions were outdated or just plain wrong.
I have always said that Apple is much worse than Microsoft when it comes predatory practices. Up until recently you could install hardware/software that Apple approved, third party apps were not allowed. It reminds me what the Ford motor company said early on about thier cars "You can have any color you want, so long as it's black". You're saying that Vista is nothing but bloatware? So is Leopard.
Me, too, I've been consulting since CP/M, and have a couple hundred small to medium size companies as clients. Only one has switched to Vista. And in order for them to run their accounting and manufacturing systems, they had to install a Windows'03 terminal server, so that all their Vista clients use RDC.
None of the rest has expressed any interest in Vista except for asking me "Do you know anybody who is switching?" I say "No", and they say "Thanks, good thing Dell still installs XP".
Add me to the "minority". I had no choice on the Dell I bought. But I am able to ditch Vista and load XP in its place. I'm sure Microsoft will still count me as a Vista user, rather than a Vista abuser.
I would like to see the numbers from the 88 million copies sold how many are new PCs and were FORCED upon the consumer without the knowledge that they had a choice to stay with XP. I know of at least 9 cases in my area in the past month of people re-installing XP because they did not like vista or because of hardware/software issues. Yes they can claim 88 million sold but what about the 5,000+ people in Norway who want to go back to XP and want MS to give it to them free as they have done with Corporations. I am sure there are many cases like this that we will not hear about. It should read 88 million sold and 87,992 copies returned or replaced with XP it make for a more likey read.
Tried Vista and hated it so much I bought a Mac. I've never owned a mac before and I would really recommend buying one. I never have problems, It boots really fast, and runs twice as fast as any windows OS I've ever used. I thought I was going to have to do the bootcamp thing but I've yet find a reason to bother.
hey Arrgster. how do u find the macbook you bought? like moving files (especially MS word, excel files) over from XP to OSX? and functionality compares to XP?
The Mac OS and hardware are getting better and better as time goes on and don't think that is not going to pique the interest of software authors. The growing numbers of Macs is going to translate into growing numbers of third party software. But the Mac comes with most everything you need short of specialty software.
"the operating system is clearly finding its way onto lots and lots of PCs. "
The OS is not optional 95% of the time. So of course is will find its way. You mention it like people actually look for vista pc. I am still waiting for a good excuse to install vista.
Vista is going to introduce more users to Linux and the Mac. I haven't found too many Windows admins/freaks that like it at all so when we are asked for advice (which we all know we are) what are we going to recommend?
Everywhere I read in our local newspaper advertisements, except for the Mac, all of the PC's on sale come bundled with Vista. Microsoft made sure that there is going to be an increase in the sales of Vista by brute force. No one in our office wanted that hardware hog of an OS. Of course, Intel, AMD and other chip makers simply love the hardware hogging Vista that is being forced feed to the masses. There will be new demand for more powerful hardware after the fat hog cannot run efficiently on most PC's that they came with.
There is no real demand for that piece of hog. The increase in sales is not because of demand for Vista as most of you have stated. It is because of the sales of new PC's that has been bundled with Vista only.
You can specifically ask for other replacement lower version OS on your new PC, and it is going to cost you more.
But when you buy a PC, Knowing that you are going to reload it then Microsoft not only counts that as "high demand for Vista" but since you have reloaded it then they get less customer support calls for Vista which indicates to those meatheads that Vista needs less upport because it IS the "killer OS".
It still doesn't work. MicroSoft still hasn't fixed the problem. Simple as that.
The company made a Billion more than everone thought they would and they still can't figure out how to get Media Center to work on my laptop.
MicroSoft. Free Tip. At this point I think Removing completely Mecia Center then after the last trace is gone, restoring it, then setting a system restore point before going through the inital set up would do the trick. Then I can set it up, crash, restore, set it up, crash, restore and repeat until it works.
Have had no issues what so ever, I have 2 systems at home both running x64 Vista Ultimate, one is my main machine and the other is a dedicated media center connected to my TV, no issues with drivers (tuner cards, video cards) nothing, a lot more solid then xp media center, I have 2 media extenders again no issues, main machine works like a charm, all programs I have installed run, like DVD ripping programs and codecs, I see no draconian DRM schemes
from where I sit, it just works
now if you are having issues with a new pc and vista, the number one issue that I think people have is crapware, being loaded by the ton onto new pc's and ruining Vista experience (Microsoft please slam oem's for this)
run windows firewall and Eset NOD32 and you will have a non nagging pretty much rock solid security solution
VISTA Virtual Impotent Shortsighted Thinking Anencephalic RIBBON Real Idiocy By Bungling Obnoxious Nitwits (Ribbon has to be designers leftovers from the Ford Edsel Team--certainly not by writers that used a computer for work)
I've was a software engineer just out of college when the original IBM PC was introduced. Now my 18 year old daughter is a freshman in college. I sent her off to college with a new Macbook. She says "it's awesome out of the box." Nothing could have driven more people to Macs than Vista.
That sales growth for the Windows division is from those who got Windows Vista with their new computers, and bought a license for Windows XP to make the computer useable. Microsoft makes double the money by bundling Vista with new computers.
Tell me If I can go to compusa,circuit city,costco or any other computer store and get a new machine without the OS? You CANT. The customer does not have a choice. There is the exception with dell, but even with dell , I am not sure you can get any system with another os. Please dont make it sound like you can go to a store a pickup whatever you want , the choice has been made for you. If you buy a computer it will come with vista.
I know with HP on many (but not all) lines you can order the machine with FreeDos... OK, so technically that is ordering with an OS, but it doesn't cost anything...
...if you buy the pc in components and assemble yourself. If you want to buy a commercial PC that is prebuilt, of coure its going to have an OS installed. And of course there will be limited choices of OS. You have a choice to make. You have to decide if you want to trade the convenience of a commercially prebuilt PC in exchange for the total freedom of choice in options.
Theoretically, if salespeople ASKED people if they wanted Linux, or Windows, consumers would BEGIN to REALIZE that there is actually more than one OS available on a store bought PC! They don't even know.
As for Apple's OSes from a RETAIL outlet other than the Apple Stores, that can't happen because the Mac's stability and ease- of-use is largely due to the engineering integration between the Apple hardware and it's software and so Apple's OSes can't be loaded on a generic PC from Dell, HP, Sony, e_Machines, etc.
Microsoft is making money where they shouldn't. I know I can (in some rare cases as an end-user) purchase a system with FreeDOS or Ubuntu but try and find them at retailers, you won't. MS in conspiracy with major system manufacturers (can you say RICO act?) are depriving end-users choice. The consumer should be able to walk into Best Buy and purchase the system of their choice and then be able to choose a self booting Installation disk of the OS of their choice designed for that system with all drivers and supplemental third party software (not crapware).
Does that sound unreasonable? Choices could range from SUSE Linux for Desktops (SLED), Ubuntu linux, and all of the 'nix distros would come with OpenOffice so the user would be set to start using the machine after the simple install. They should also be able to choose Windows XP or Vista with all drivers and supplemental third party utilities (again, not crapware).
That is practical now and anybody that knows how to insert a cd or DVD into a drive would be able to do this. If they were uneasy about it then the store could offer their "Geek Squad" or what ever they call their support to install it at a cost and everybody makes out OK.
But to say that MS is really having a successful uptake of Vista by the measure of "no choice" reatil systems is a falicy.
If they don't do that then the FTC should step in and make them do it.
You are right to think that many sales claimed by Microsoft for vista are for PC's bundled with Vista which is immediately removed and replaced by XP.
There is no news here in Europe in the coporate World of signigicant moves to Vista. Most companies think it is just a cash genreator not a really new technologywould. Most companies do not see why they should make huge espenditures which do not result in any imporvement in their own bottom line. We like MS to continue to improve XP and soft pedal the rush into Vista which, like Mr Bushes invasion of Iraq, is something that has been done with much sound and fury but has no useful outcome that anyone here can see yet..
I thought i would be a nice dad so bought my daughter a new dell with vista installed,well after 2 days and many phone calls and tears from her and a fresh xp install all is forgiven.The bottom line being most people want a machine that you can start up and actually use.
Vista takes forever to start up and shut down and even lock. With XP I can in one fell swoop hit CNTL-ALT-DEL then ENTER to lock the system. Vista has to think about it for a while. Not to mention UAC and the REAL Administrator account. I don't like being prompted to run something in Elevated privileges I just want it to run. If I am logged on as an administrator then it shouldn;t give me any problem, Vista does.
The problem with business machines is that they are usually low cost, low spec, low graphic clones that could run XP fine. Vista however, to be used to it's full potential requires a much more powerful beast. Once prices for this extra power reduces, ie in about 6 months, then business machines will then be a viable option. I have Vista Ultimate and would not even consider going back to XP. Vista is way way better but then I have a powerful machine to run it on.
Remember Microsoft said at the launch that XP would not be available after a certain date forcing people to intall Vista. Even now they are talking about no longer supporting it dueing next year.
Microsoft is reporting 88 million copies of Vista sold. To whom? I would suspect the majority of those sales are OEM licenses. How many of those machines have actually been sold to end users as opposed to remaining on warehouse shelves? How many of the end-user purchased VISTA machines have been "downgraded" to XP either by the end-users or by the vendors themselves under the "batch downgrade" program Microsoft rolled out to their top 170 vendors in August? And how many Vista machines have the vendors bought back when they could not be made to work? Buried in Microsoft's "happy talk" was an interesting admission that, for the last several months, the "run rate" of new Vista sales has dropped substantially from the previous month's number. In effect,the longer Vista is out, the less people are buying it - not a good sign. And, as a consultant who has been doing this for better than two decades, I can tell you that in my installed base, there is NO upgrade business for Vista and out right hostility to buying the OS on a new machine. Microsoft's sales figures for Vista bear closer examination than they are getting. I would like to see the VENDOR's sales numbers - and their support call numbers for end-user downgrades. Those should give a far more realistic picture of Vista's real market share. Remember, Ford claimed the Edsel was the best-selling new car model in its history because so many units went to dealers - where they sat until they were scrapped.
Amen... I'm sure they count every new PC that has it pre-installed (and which gets crammed down your throat, whether you want it or not) as a "sale"; but, when I buy a new machine next year, the first thing I will do is wipe Vista from the drive and install a copy of XP. I don't need to pay a premium price for a bunch of "features-in-search-of-an-application.".
the phantom warehouses that house Millions of copies of software that have been pre paid for by system builders just so microsoft can show good numbers, do you realize just what a ridiculous a proposition that is. I can see that meeting now:
"Hey Bob, I know you don't need this many copies right now and the price of these will inevitably drop at some point but we are going to need you to buy 20 Million copies and hold on to them for a while. I know it will hurt your bottom line, but it will really help ours! Oh you don't have room in a warehouse? Your just going to have to build a new one to hold our excess inventory. Thanks"
Two years from now the overwhelming majority of people running desktop computers will be running Vista. Not because it is better but because any other choice will necessitate them actually making an educated decision about their operating system.
The consumers here are by definition interested enough in computers to want to learn something about them. Joe Average just doesn't care about all this "mumbo jumbo". He will go into his big box store and sees the majority of software is for Vista and most all the machines available run Vista. The salesman will tell him that the computer he's looking at has the latest and greatest system and he will buy a Vista PC. Those of you old enough, can you say Betamax?
I bought a Dell laptop a few months ago and the only option I had at the time was Vista, so I thought I'd try it. When it arrived the first thing I noticed was that it was running Vista basic. Why even bother? Vista basic has only two things of use that XP didn't. Wireless network management and a side bar. Everything else is a PITA. Since I've gotten the thing I've had to do a system restore on it half a dozen times because of poorly supported software and drivers. I have to set at least two apps to run as administrator because Vista won't give them access to the fonts directory otherwise. I find my frustration level with Vista to be much higher than XP and close to that of Linux. At least with the latter I know it's a learning issue, with Vista it's learning to live with restrictions and crippled software because I didn't pay for the expensive version.
Essentially I've decided to keep one Windows PC for compatibility and games and the rest are going Linux.
I swear the people on this forum post just so they can hear themselves talk. They complain they can't get a PC without an OS, and i'm sure you'd get one without it if you could (yes the Linux story I know -- but the market is 'normal' user focused, not specific niche).
Apple is great, Microsoft is great (sorry if Vista keeps you up at night -- i've had it for months and had not a single issue with it, at all). Perhaps stop wondering why your 14 year old scanner doesn't work and buy a new one.
In the O/S work, sales are numbers, as are users, and as it stands Windows is going to trump all if they like it or not, until Apple gets a bigger foothold.
I like OS X, but i'm not going to post perfect 10s for an OS where the backup system consists of flying through space, or something else along those lines.
All in all, choose what you will, don't whine about what you're probably using as you posted your comment, it doesn't make sense, really.
We will probably be deploying 5000 Vista systems before it over, because I want too? Not only NO but H3LL NO. Why will have to put this bloated excuse of an OS out there? Because the way Microsoft has been keeping their timelines (that's a joke) the support for XP will be over before they release their next OS which from what I hear WILL be a decent OS. Face it, MS also released Windows ME and a lot of people got stuck with it. MS knew after the fact that they had made a mistake. Vista is another Windows ME.
I've tried Vista and found that Mail cannot work with Hotmail as Outlook Express does. As I use it for big e-mails, I cannot use it online. Until this is corrected, I'll stick with XP.
They only reason Vista is selling is because they are shoving it down people's throats! Not to mention that most big companies have PUBLICLY said it is not up to par. Ballmer is trying to pull a Steve Jobs and make a product sound like it will solve world hunger when it is still in beta.
Microsoft and Balmer haven't released retail sales figures, in store purchases by consumers changing their present OS to Vista. They talk about new PC sales with Vista, so is this the only good sales point Vista has? MS just announced it will continue XP sales, which are still over 40%. Does this indicate Vista is a MS non-major OS release soon to be abandoned and forgotten, a clear indication of another poor selling "dog" MS OS release.
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As if I'd bother reading that!
Yeah....I'm bored.
"We have a lot of consumer interest and enthusiasm around it," CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with CNET News.com last week."
and
Ballmer said that while there may be a few PCs still on the market that have XP, it's Vista that consumers are buying.
and
"Yes, there's one or two models you can find someplace in the world of PCs that don't run Windows Vista," Ballmer said. "But the machines that sell all run Windows Vista."
What major event occurred in the last quarter?
Back to school sales of computers.
Balmer says it all, the consumer has no choice when buying retail BUT to buy Vista.
ESPECIALLY AT BEST BUY.
One of our Analysts was working on a laptop from HP that came preloaded with Vista, they had no choice. His task was to reload it with Windows XP which the user wanted to start with. He came to me and I suggested that before he reloads it to ensure that HP is supporting all of the drivers for XP on their website or just call them and get an XP recovery disk because it would be the simplest and most supported means,
as was linked in this article: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.news.com/The-XP-alternative-for-Vista-PCs/2100-1016_3-6209481.html" target="_newWindow">http://www.news.com/The-XP-alternative-for-Vista-PCs/2100-1016_3-6209481.html</a>
He called HP and they want $200 for the XP recovery disk for the laptop.
Gee do you think MS may be paying HP off to discourage this behaviour, I do.
I am a Windows user and have been since Windows was just a shell over DOS and you had to load a third party IP stack to get it IP enabled but Vista is just plain "BLOATWARE". Given enough time and resources ANYBODY can write an OS, ANYBODY. Microsoft had over 5 years to get Vista out with many thousands of people working on it and this is the best they can do?
Vista is not a leap ahead of Windows XP, it's barely a step but it requires 4 times the resources and does not deliver 4 times the user experience.
Microsoft's attempt at Vista has failed miserably. I am not just an end-user but an IT Analyst that knows the "guts" of these products and has to support them throughout the enterprise.
I no longer recommend Windows to any of my consults if they have to get Vista unless they really want to try it. Rather I am suggesting Ubuntu and SUSE Linux (I never in the worl thought I would do this), or an Apple Mac of the Intel variety (not that there is any other choice now but I do not suggest buying legacy "Gx" systems) Apple had just had a great quarter too and not just because of their iPhone and iPods but sold more Macs in any quarter in years. This is not just the "halo" effect but rather people tired of Microsoft's inefficient and bloated product that is still not compatible with a good amount of both software and hardware.
And don't blame the hardware vendors as microsoft was making them follow a moving target toward the critical RC time period when API's and Kernal security changes were preventing Hardware manufacturers from nailing down their drivers.
In summary: Sure Microsoft had a smashing Quarter as the retailers are no longer giving the consumers a choice but to buy Vista.
How many retailers Microsoft is putting out of business becase they can't sell the hardware? Microsoft is betting that that in comming months a lot of suckers will be buying PC's for christmas for there kiddies to help em do better in school. They snagged a lot of suckers in August and September with the back to school sales that have been going on.
You are not making any sense for an IT analyst .with MAC OS and various Linux distributions , and Unix variations, we already have enough OS out there. it's obvious that business community has spoken and chose XP and Vista because it's backward compatible with what they already have. Don't try to re-invent the wheel .
If you don't like Vista , switch to another OS or let the industry determine if they can afford to create a new OS . we don't need another OS.
windows Vista and XP will be fine , and continue to thrive .
Mainly, what distro of Linux to switch to.
I have always said that Apple is much worse than Microsoft when it comes predatory practices. Up until recently you could install hardware/software that Apple approved, third party apps were not allowed. It reminds me what the Ford motor company said early on about thier cars "You can have any color you want, so long as it's black". You're saying that Vista is nothing but bloatware? So is Leopard.
None of the rest has expressed any interest in Vista except for asking me "Do you know anybody who is switching?" I say "No", and they say "Thanks, good thing Dell still installs XP".
Thanks,
Macs are weak.
Linux is a loser.
You will succomb to our mighty force.
We will rule the world.
You cannot win, so join the CROWD
Linux on the desktop is growing more intuitive and user friendly everyday.
The new iMacs are KILLER!
Just to let everyone know I am not a 'nix or mac boy. I have been running and administering Windows for many many years.
The OS is not optional 95% of the time. So of course is will find its way. You mention it like people actually look for vista pc. I am still waiting for a good excuse to install vista.
Vista is going to introduce more users to Linux and the Mac. I haven't found too many Windows admins/freaks that like it at all so when we are asked for advice (which we all know we are) what are we going to recommend?
NOT VISTA!
There is no real demand for that piece of hog. The increase in sales is not because of demand for Vista as most of you have stated. It is because of the sales of new PC's that has been bundled with Vista only.
You can specifically ask for other replacement lower version OS on your new PC, and it is going to cost you more.
The company made a Billion more than everone thought they would and they still can't figure out how to get Media Center to work on my laptop.
MicroSoft. Free Tip. At this point I think Removing completely Mecia Center then after the last trace is gone, restoring it, then setting a system restore point before going through the inital set up would do the trick. Then I can set it up, crash, restore, set it up, crash, restore and repeat until it works.
from where I sit, it just works
now if you are having issues with a new pc and vista, the number one issue that I think people have is crapware, being loaded by the ton onto new pc's and ruining Vista experience (Microsoft please slam oem's for this)
run windows firewall and Eset NOD32 and you will have a non nagging pretty much rock solid security solution
Virtual Impotent Shortsighted Thinking Anencephalic
RIBBON
Real Idiocy By Bungling Obnoxious Nitwits
(Ribbon has to be designers leftovers from the Ford Edsel Team--certainly not by writers that used a computer for work)
or Windows, consumers would BEGIN to REALIZE that there is
actually more than one OS available on a store bought PC! They
don't even know.
As for Apple's OSes from a RETAIL outlet other than the Apple
Stores, that can't happen because the Mac's stability and ease-
of-use is largely due to the engineering integration between the
Apple hardware and it's software and so Apple's OSes can't be
loaded on a generic PC from Dell, HP, Sony, e_Machines, etc.
Microsoft is making money where they shouldn't. I know I can (in some rare cases as an end-user) purchase a system with FreeDOS or Ubuntu but try and find them at retailers, you won't. MS in conspiracy with major system manufacturers (can you say RICO act?) are depriving end-users choice.
The consumer should be able to walk into Best Buy and purchase the system of their choice and then be able to choose a self booting Installation disk of the OS of their choice designed for that system with all drivers and supplemental third party software (not crapware).
Does that sound unreasonable? Choices could range from SUSE Linux for Desktops (SLED), Ubuntu linux, and all of the 'nix distros would come with OpenOffice so the user would be set to start using the machine after the simple install.
They should also be able to choose Windows XP or Vista with all drivers and supplemental third party utilities (again, not crapware).
That is practical now and anybody that knows how to insert a cd or DVD into a drive would be able to do this. If they were uneasy about it then the store could offer their "Geek Squad" or what ever they call their support to install it at a cost and everybody makes out OK.
But to say that MS is really having a successful uptake of Vista by the measure of "no choice" reatil systems is a falicy.
If they don't do that then the FTC should step in and make them do it.
There is no news here in Europe in the coporate World of signigicant moves to Vista. Most companies think it is just a cash genreator not a really new technologywould. Most companies do not see why they should make huge espenditures which do not result in any imporvement in their own bottom line. We like MS to continue to improve XP and soft pedal the rush into Vista which, like Mr Bushes invasion of Iraq, is something that has been done with much sound and fury but has no useful outcome that anyone here can see yet..
Surf more, watch less TV.
Not to mention UAC and the REAL Administrator account. I don't like being prompted to run something in Elevated privileges I just want it to run. If I am logged on as an administrator then it shouldn;t give me any problem, Vista does.
The problem with business machines is that they are usually low cost, low spec, low graphic clones that could run XP fine. Vista however, to be used to it's full potential requires a much more powerful beast. Once prices for this extra power reduces, ie in about 6 months, then business machines will then be a viable option. I have Vista Ultimate and would not even consider going back to XP. Vista is way way better but then I have a powerful machine to run it on.
Its call BLACKMAIL!
Buy our lastest OS or else.
Buried in Microsoft's "happy talk" was an interesting admission that, for the last several months, the "run rate" of new Vista sales has dropped substantially from the previous month's number. In effect,the longer Vista is out, the less people are buying it - not a good sign. And, as a consultant who has been doing this for better than two decades, I can tell you that in my installed base, there is NO upgrade business for Vista and out right hostility to buying the OS on a new machine.
Microsoft's sales figures for Vista bear closer examination than they are getting. I would like to see the VENDOR's sales numbers - and their support call numbers for end-user downgrades. Those should give a far more realistic picture of Vista's real market share.
Remember, Ford claimed the Edsel was the best-selling new car model in its history because so many units went to dealers - where they sat until they were scrapped.
"Hey Bob, I know you don't need this many copies right now and the price of these will inevitably drop at some point but we are going to need you to buy 20 Million copies and hold on to them for a while. I know it will hurt your bottom line, but it will really help ours! Oh you don't have room in a warehouse? Your just going to have to build a new one to hold our excess inventory. Thanks"
Just plain dumb!
The consumers here are by definition interested enough in computers to want to learn something about them. Joe Average just doesn't care about all this "mumbo jumbo". He will go into his big box store and sees the majority of software is for Vista and most all the machines available run Vista. The salesman will tell him that the computer he's looking at has the latest and greatest system and he will buy a Vista PC. Those of you old enough, can you say Betamax?
Essentially I've decided to keep one Windows PC for compatibility and games and the rest are going Linux.
Apple is great, Microsoft is great (sorry if Vista keeps you up at night -- i've had it for months and had not a single issue with it, at all). Perhaps stop wondering why your 14 year old scanner doesn't work and buy a new one.
In the O/S work, sales are numbers, as are users, and as it stands Windows is going to trump all if they like it or not, until Apple gets a bigger foothold.
I like OS X, but i'm not going to post perfect 10s for an OS where the backup system consists of flying through space, or something else along those lines.
All in all, choose what you will, don't whine about what you're probably using as you posted your comment, it doesn't make sense, really.
Why will have to put this bloated excuse of an OS out there? Because the way Microsoft has been keeping their timelines (that's a joke) the support for XP will be over before they release their next OS which from what I hear WILL be a decent OS.
Face it, MS also released Windows ME and a lot of people got stuck with it. MS knew after the fact that they had made a mistake. Vista is another Windows ME.
Until this is corrected, I'll stick with XP.
Ballmer is trying to pull a Steve Jobs and make a product sound like it will solve world hunger when it is still in beta.
And mostly the higher end versions too.