Vista is a hog, a finely patched XP box will do nicely. I also run Kubuntu Linux which is a good solid OS. Mac OS is great too!
I used to work for Dell computers in sales, and it's been my experience that both the hardware and software manufacturers push a bunch of shit on us that we don't need, with the implication that you won't even be able to use the old stuff anymore. It's all bullshit. We would typically sell people 10 times the machine they needed. Unless you're a super-advanced user who needs to use brand new high-end software that only works on Vista, you don't need it. AND it needs a TON of memory. So if you want to go cheap, and mostly use your machine for internet access and simple applications like word, excel, and such, you simply don't need Vista. Plus, as others have mentioned, it's got a few bugs still. Best of luck.
I asked the guy that custom builds the pc's we buy at work if he had any experience yet with Vista. "Just in wiping the drives and installing XP after my customers buy Vista with a Dell or other mass-market machine and hate it." As of yet he hasn't sold anyone a Vista machine, but is building all of his boxes with enough resources to run Vista...which makes them blinding fast on XP in an office environment.
TRUE!, We UNinstall vista all the time on all brands of PCs. I've owned a computer sales/service company for 17 years now, and i've seen it over and over again with microsoft. They push operating systems out before they are fully tested, and then fix them later. Some companies are now offering your choice of OS, as I do at my place.. Vista reminds me of the old WINDOWS ME , a memory hog, Does okay on basic machines, but on the higher end PCs like the quad core or dual processor machines its a crapshoot. Reliablility will likely improve with service packs, but i'm beginning to agree with the apple mac folks about microsoft. If you do run it make sure you have at least 1GB of ram.
all i know is regardless what operating system your computer has if your not hooked to broadband your not operating at full potential. hate the cost but night and day difference. try and send pic's with dial-up or even view some on a site it usually locks things up.
BE CAREFUL!!! If you buy a new system with Vista get a money-back guarantee that you can put XP on instead. Some systems do NOT have some drivers for XP and need Vista. Toshiba has few laptops like that. Yes. I am sure. LONG conversation with Toshiba themselves. Grrr One way or another I've been making my living from computers since the early 80's... Macs (even before the new Unix-based Free BSD OS and Intel CPU based Mac systems), PCs (all flavors of Windows, many flavors of Unix, and some OSs most users don't hear of), not to mention larger server-class systems. I've been teachin' folks how to fix, program, network and maintain these things for well over a decade too. ALL of my students who bought new, name brand systems have removed Vista from their systems so they could get their work done without hassles. I personally keep over 200 systems going for my lab plus numerous client systems too. Vista is only used to show students the "new" OS. It might be ok after enough patches are done but not for our college yet. And we aren't a tiny college (13 campuses and multiple satellite sites) so we have some experience. We keep XP Pro and Mac on our production systems. Oh... you need nearly 1 gig to run the os. 2 gigs to play with applications. 4+ if you want to do any real work done. Good luck
Mac is the way to go! Worked on both and won't go back to a PC. Oh, by the way...You can run Windows on a Mac NATIVELY! It is like having both computers in one at the same time. The mac was also voted the best PC to run the windows platform.
I'd be interested to know what distro and what actual apps you were testing. Firefox, Open Office appeared in another reply. It would be of interest as I've been in IT for over the last 10 years and my results usually are the opposite. Just curious... I standardized our desktops at work on OSX, saves me a lot of time and headaches, and this is with technically minded individuals... If your're buying commodity hardware (that means name brand) and do a feature for feature comparison they are no more expensive than the competition, Dell, HP, COmpaq, etc.
I just find this aweful. I find it wrong to run windows based OS on a Mac. OSX is by far more streamlined, stable and safe. If I have a choice I will never go back to a PC for personal use. I use PCs at work for some apps, including our java based Heidelberg stripping software, but for everything else I'm all OSX. We will never be able to completly do away with PCs at work because we need to be able to open anything anyone can send us to print from. They both have their place but the MAC fits me better. I always get my OC shortcuts all bass akwards anymore. LOL.
Definately XP. Not Vista. I'm in the biz and read a bunch of computer magazines - all the columnists agree. NEVER use a new Microsoft operating system until Service Pack 1 (at least).
I'm also in pre-press. You can install both systems on the new macs and just boot up in which ever OS you need at the time and the Windows is not emulated anymore. We just upgraded to 10.5. So far OK.
Thanks to all. Seems like XP is the way to go. I can't believe that a new computer will cost me 1/2 of what a new LCD tv will and I am only looking at a 32" Sony>
Without reading what anyone else has said, personally I would say you should get a Mac with the new leopard OS. You'll have the capacity to run a mac and a windows OS. To answer your question though, most people hate the new Vista system. the majority of major businesses are still running XP pro and will probably continue to do so until Vista is a few years old.
I work in Information Technology so I know a bit about this. Go Mac if you have the cash. If you are upgrading just the old Windows OS on your old PC, go XP because it is not much of a rescource hog compared to Vista. If you are buying a new system, get the Vista Ultimate so you are not scratching your head when you try your DVD movies. Home and Business versions require you to purchase additional software to work the DVD. IMHO, XP is the safest bet. I am using Vista now and I think there are a few more cons than pros. Al
I have a friend that is the computer tech for a local school district. She is pulling Vista & installing XP in all the districts computers. Way too many problems with Vista.
I have Vista on the new desktop at home and have managed to strip it down to the point where it operates fast. Downsides to me are; 1. I moved my mp3 collection along with its license back ups onto the new computer only to find that Vista ignores the license and pushes me out to NAPSTER to buy a new license. I haven't been able to find and disable this function even after stripping out the windows Media player and in install a third party player. 2. It constantly loses track of the fact that I have an up to date antivirus/spyware program and keeps popping up warnings in the systray (area by the clock). 3. It requires a high end duo core processor and way too much RAM if you want to operate anything in a near real time atmosphere. 4. I turn off the auto update stuff and block all outgoing automated processes and when (NOT if) Vista hiccups it tends to default back to auto updates, and all kinds of user assists most of us would prefer to manage ourselves. I have a hardware firewall, a software firewall and Windows refuses to consistantly recognize wither one and prompts me to turn on the Windows firewall which is about loike putting a screen door on your house and removing the screen. I have bought my LAST Microsoft product! By the time I got enough PC assets for it to run halfway decent I coulda bought a MAC! I haven't had an Apple product since I got rid of my Apple III. But I will have as soon as I can justify replacing this monstrosity. I am a Systems Analyst providing network support on a 25,000 user network and have been in the business since the early Novell 3.x era. Windows just isn't a product of choice for me any longer.
I think Apple's fearless leader is out to lunch on politics, his buddy Algore invented the internet you know, but if you want to reduce your computer frustration levels to something approaching tolerable then think OSX. The op system just works, and when I plugged in the disc to update to Leopard, it was totally painless. Imagine that, a computer that just plain works, and doesn't fight back!
Eh.. when it comes to computers, buying the newest, flashiest one is like buying a new car. As soon as you take it home it loses like 10% of it's value, and 3 years later you can buy the same exact thing (in the case of a compuer, brand new) for like 1/3 of the price or less. I bought a new Compaq with XP about a year ago to replace a then 5-year-old Dell with Me, and I just got the cheapest deal Best Buy had before Christmas - the whole works was under $500 - the Dell was like $800 and about the cheapest out there at that time. The Dell still runs and I'm continuing to use it to print stuff up until the ink runs out in the now 10 year old printer. For basic home internet stuff, it's fine. The XP is enough faster I can tell the difference and it seems to crash less. But it has more memory and resources in it, so it can run a lot longer, where the old one would get to the point where it ran out of memory and things would just start to crash and you had to reboot it. The only thing I notice different is I seem to catch a lot more spyware and malware - advertising things - but between AVG anti-virus and Spybot 2.0 I manage to clean most of that junk back off when it turns up. In general with Windows it's good to get a version well after it's introduced, and has a lot of upgrades already in it - it's less frustrating that way. They purposely release this crap knowing it has bugs in it and let customers pay for the priveledge of being the guinea pigs to find them all and fix them. And they never do find 100% of them. And I got that from a friend who spent several years writing software for them, for what that's worth.
I tried running Vista on my Commadore 64 and it just wouldn,t work.....on the other hand I run XP Pro on my most used PC and it has worked slick all along.No need to change up here!
Okay...regardless of which operating system you choose... GET A MAC! Not only do they look sleek but their performance is unparallel! With the new iMacs you can have a Windows operating system put on them...here is an example of an iMac running WindowsXP... Does your PC boot up XP this fast? Face it, Macs are the "Hot Rods" of the computer world! http://youtube.com/watch?v=XZAnfKPOQuE
Get XP. Any new system you buy now should come with a Vista license, so you can upgrade for free once service pack 1 comes out.
Oh, I forgot... My Mac doesn't get virus' As much as I love Macs (started on a MacPlus in '85) I think we have gotten way of topic. The question was about PC os for his existing machine and not about our superior Macs. He asked what time it was and we told him how to build a watch. From what I read sounds like you need to stay with XP. Now in the future when you are looking for a new computer, do your self a favor and visit an Apple store.
I don't like macs..... for what i pay for a system in a mac i can pay half that and get a decent gaming machine. That being said i run ubuntu linux. No i don't recommend it for you stick to winxp get a 500$ box and run the shit out of it instead of blowing 1500$ for a mac of comparable standards. Yes i have ran macs in the past yes i like them also but the price doesn't justify the prettyness of it.
That depends on what Linux you are running. I am running Gentoo linux, which is far faster than windoze, and is free as in speech. It is easy to install a copy of Ubuntu or Kubuntu on any computer, and/or you can just run the Linux system from the CD without doing the install. To go back to the original question, XP is what I would run if someone was holding a gun to my head. I only run XP when I want to remember what it looks like to see the blue screen of death ( computer crash ).
The Jalopy Journal
