Well he did ask for specifics.

I had more issues with xp than with Vista... I would like to know how to dual boot vista and xp... does anyone know? better yet... how to dual vista and osX ?

http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+dual+boot+vista+and+xp
http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+dual+boot+vista+and+os+x

I think it is funny that anyone expected anything less from M$.
Let's go down the list of M$ disappointments!

3.1
95
98
98se (about as good as it got for stability)
me
2000
xp
xp pro
(not to mention the scandisk/defrag thing)

None of those worked worth a crap out of the box! Each upgrade was put out to try and plug the holes exposed by fifth grade hackers around the world. Each upgrade also sucked up more and more system resources. What's up with all the f-ing reboots?

Oscar, Why on earth would you want to try and manage two versions of windows? Why would you want to run windows if you could run osX?

My absolutely free copy of debian 'etch' has been up and running for over a year now with 99.99% uptime. The only time I reboot is to clean the fans. More servers now run linux than M$. It's only a matter of time before it comes full circle. Aren't you all tired of giving up $200 bucks to M$ everytime they put new lipstick on the pig they call windows?

nope, most of those are all viable points, although a few can't really be pinned just on Vista (such as problems that XP has or had as well).

Your first point is one of them. That also happened with XP a bit when it was new, and it isn't like every single person had that issue. My new computer worked fine the first time I set it up, and it's eve an HP! (I've had notorious issues with everything HP in past experiences). Also, I heard that Leopard had some install issues as well, so it's unfair to say it's solely a Microsoft or Vista problem, even if they have more issues; doesn't help when Windows is more widely used...)

Your second point about it asking if everything you want to do is really what you want to do is one thing that is indeed annoying, but it's less annoying than the infinite amount of little speech bubbles that popped up all the time while using XP. Plus, you can turn that shit off too, it isn't mandatory to have it on. I tried it, works fine.

About having to upgrade hardware, yes, it sucks for a lot of people, but it helps bump everyone to newer technology and in the end is better for everyone. A lot of new software and hardware requires newer, better and more efficient computers, and it's really annoying having to explain to so many customers everyday why they can't use some product because their computer is "ancient" and out of date, therefore incompatible, and they get pissed off. So life goes... Apple computers live on this method, anyway. Don't upgrade your computer, buy a new one!

About the misplaced features, yes, it's annoying, but no OS is perfect, and I definitely like a lot of the new arrangements compared to XP, although the Control Panel is sort of annoying.

The 7 different versions are also stupid, no denying that.

Price is high for them as well. Microsoft spends an assload of money so I guess they have to recoup the cost in the only way they can. If they sold Windows for 129.99 like Leopard they'd own the world.

The bumping to new technology.. well I see that as bumping the consumer to buy more products that do the same thing the previous product did. I think the manufacturers aren't so much selling a newer technology as just trying to unload the same old thing in a new package.

In web design you follow a mantra that you design to the lowest common denominator and you take into account all previous "ancient technology and browsers" and accomodate the user.. it's just considered a nice thing to do to get viewers to see your site. If you exclude a certain segment that aren't up to speed on the latest browsers you will exclude a huge section of the audience because most stats says that people don't upgrade....... they just don't.

the younger generations tend to buy the newer technology and upgrade but it is just not considered good DESIGN to expect your users to dump all the technology they have to use your stuff that is more advanced etc.


BTW I agree that HP has been putting out some crap .. all the HP I have bought up and died the printers, the hardrives.. I quit buying HP.

Well, as far as OSs go, you're more or less correct about the pushing of old stuff wrapped in a prettier package with a couple new nifty things. But I was referring more to hardware, which isn't old stuff at all.

I can get a 1TB HD for 200 bucks at Frys right now. How much did something like that cost a few years ago, and how reliable and/or huge was it? Same with video cards, memory, flash drives, anything. Newer, better, and smaller physical size but larger virtual capacity.

Okay - so here is my VISTA story:

Over 2/3 of a year ago I realized it was time to upgrade my computer. I had finally got XP running very well on my self-tweaked PC. I was happy with it, to a point. I was REALLY TIRED of "security downloads" and "MALICIOUS SOFTWARE" checking and "ARE YOU REALLY REALLY SURE?" type interuptions, but overall I was happy.

(When I left college almost 7 years ago I had made the conscious choice to use a PC. I was planning on doing a LOT of web-work and for that I made the right choice at the time.)

I started doing research on Vista. I liked the IDEAS and I realized that I did NOT trust Mr. Gates to deliver on them. I remembered my "EASY" upgrade from Win98 to XP. I don't hold grudges, but I'm also not an idiot. MS constantly underwhelms me with their ability to make things work right the first time.

Since I was going to be spending a few thousand bucks on upgrading my software (yes, I know - I can get it for free, but I've discussed elsewhere on this site my philosphy of Good Karma and getting my clients to happily NOT rip ME off) I realized if I was ever going to think about going MAC, now would be a good time to look at it.



I started interviewing friends that were using MACs. I told them to turn off their 'CULT' modules and just tell me why they liked their MACs. I liked what I heard... most of all the LACK of shit not working and the LACK of STUPID QUESTIONS every time you wanted to add or delete applications. I said "F*ck it!" and went for it. Got a nice loaded 20" iMac and added in my already owned 21" HP flatscreen and got my CS3 suite and went to town.

The next month was kinda hellish. All new shite for the ReinMan. BIG learning curve for a dude as old as myself But in the end I TOTALLY fell in love with my MAC.

THEN: Vista came out. And I watched the "new MS issues" problems start. I've watched friends wallowing in SECURITY OVER-PROTECTION lock ups and "driver never will be updated for Vista" issues, etc.

Recently I heard that MS is releasing Service Pack 1 for Vista. Where they will make all the things work that didn't work the first time around. Man, that just gives me OODLES of CONFIDENCE in the system.

And, more recently, MAC has released their new LEOPARD OS. Apparently it works just fine. Only costs $140 full package. Adds some really good features. Looks FABULOUS (which, believe it or not DOES matter when one is an artist type doing creative things).

I'm not a MAC "culty" (fully) but I gotta say Bill Gates can suck on my transitors. With the money that MicroSoft is generating they have amost NO excuse for the buggy crap they put out... and then have US pay to Beta-Test it for them.

Okay. I'm done ranting and reminiscing. If you've actually taken the time to read this post, thanks for doing so.

ReinMac

Well rainyman I think mac is the wise choice. I have an imac os 10 and love my mac. It has never given me problems. The worst problem I have had with it is the little rainbow of hell that won't go away but usually it resolves itself, occ I reboot the mac and it goes away to rainbow frozen icon land.

Daughter though was brought up on a pc and is one of those kind of kids that doesn't like change. Strange.. I am the one that likes change.. anyway she loves her old pc with xp windows and it's been in the shop 3 times in the last year, it's a gateway and the last issue was the button for controlling the cursor won't work, I plan to fix that but thought a new pc would be nice since she uses it so much for school and graphics.... then came that VISTA issue. I am taking Tofu's advice and getting the Toshiba XP disk for XP and downgrading because as I said she hates change, won't use the laptop at all so it's useless toy now unless I can fix it. Hubby is NOT tech oriented so it's up to me.

In a perfect world I would go MAC/apple all the way. It is a superior product. I use firefox on the mac and just am so happy with that computer.. I bought an extension usb so I could add portable devices.. you have one slot for a disk and it's sort of cumbersome if you want to burn something while playing music or burn off one disk to another you have only one disk slot.. but for all the great mac work and less security issues it's a small aggravation I can live with.

Uhhhh problem there. The phrase "better and more efficient computers" should be the key. The problem with the software industry (of which I am employed in so I feel I can bitch) is that software is pushing the hardware. It should be vice versa but it's not. Software pushes because programmers are either too busy or too lazy. We don't code the most efficient algorithm when we're under a deadline. Instead we find an algorithm that gets the job done and hope we can make it more efficient later (and "later" almost never happens). So in the end you get a product like Vista that's overbloated and demands higher CPU and RAM in order to run.

Compare Ubuntu with Beryl to Vista on the "eye candy". You'll see that Beryl does the same effects. Yet the Linux/Beryl install works with the "ancient" hardware (1.2GHz processor).

Also there really is no reason for most people to have to buy a new computer this often. The majority of home users use their computer for web browsing, email, play games and maybe to do their home finances. If it weren't for the games then you wouldn't need a 3GHz CPU and 2GB of RAM to do the other 3 things.



Microsoft already owns the world.

I use a Windows OS because I have to for work and Photoshop. I'd use an Apple but I can't sell another kidney to pay for their hardware.

I like GIMP well enough but I simply like Photoshop more. If Adobe ever decides to create and distribute a Linux compatible Photoshop you can bet your butt that I'm moving to Linux on my home PC. For now I dual-boot.

AMEN BROTHER REINMAN!

The pleasure was all mine.

Again, not denying that, but I wasn't really talking about it in the first place. So, on this particular point, I agree with you. I was just replying to that comment about hardware being old, re-packaged stuff, since it's not. I think you two keep misunderstanding me on that issue.



How often is often? We're not going to see another MS OS for a decade now. Anyone that has a ten+ year old computer and expects it to be compatible with the latest soft/hardware needs a reality check.

Anyhow, the average computer user that just uses them for simple tasks doesn't really need to upgrade to a new OS in the first place. I mean, Windows 98 still works perfectly fine for those tasks. Why would they need to upgrade the OS, besides wanting to? I guess that's the point; there is no point upgrading for menial tasks since there is no significant benefit for doing so when there should be. I dunno...

the problem is I don't want to upgrade the OS to vista. I am happy using xp but hardware is designed to blow out after a while ( I think they do that on purpose make it carp so you will have to buy new hardware) and when you buy new hardware like a new laptop you get STUCK with this vista carp and really would it not be nice to pick your platoform and version and then take the pc home? That would be nice but not happening, thus we get this P. O. S. called Vista.

Fair enough on the misunderstanding. Must've been the wording.


Check your timelines.
Listing only the versions that might be found in the home.
1995 - Windows 95 Now Unsupported
1996 - Windows NT Now Unsupported
1998 - Windows 98 Now Unsupported
1999 - Windows 98 SE Now Unsupported
2000 - Windows 2000 Extended Support until July 13, 2010
2000 - Windows Me Now Unsupported
2001 - Windows XP Currently supported for Service Pack 2 only
2006/2007 (retail) Windows Vista Currently supported
2010 or later (planned) Windows 7 (Formerly codenamed Blackcomb, now Vienna)

If (big IF) Microsoft meets their all-important sales and marketing goals then you'll see Vista's replacement in 2010 to 2012. That's 3-5 years and not another decade. The problem comes in with the "Now Unsupported" tag. Microsoft, somewhat rightly, doesn't want to support an OS forever. When the replacement for Vista ships you can bet XP won't be supported very long.



This dropping of support is why people are forced to upgrade as it trickles into their software too. You end up having problems with unsupported software. That's the business side of the issue that I can actually agree on to a point. Lord knows I hate having to support software I wrote 10 years ago.

Bottom line is that Microsoft has become so powerful of a force in computing that businesses feel they have to put up with it. This in turn forces home users to do the same. After all not many people want to use one platform at work and another at home. Yes there are some but they are not the majority.

Plus parents will buy the latest game for their kids only to find that it only runs on the latest two versions of Windows and so the upgrade cycle runs them over like so much information superhighway roadkill.