Are You Excited About Windows Vista?

Science & Technology Software
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Ok you Windows users out there (and one of my polls suggest that is most of you), are you exicited about the upcoming Windows Vista? Or do you think that it is not worth what will be for a fair while a really expensive upgrade?

After reading abit about what Microsoft are promising, I for one intend to upgrade as soon as I can. I am happy that Microsoft are trying to implement some truly worthwhile changes to Windows. XP did not really add anything that remarkable, except the need for much more powerful hardware. Some of the more promising features of Vista are:

The fact that application handling is more resilant, but when it fails, there will be more useful error reporting

“Windows Vista built-in diagnostics can proactively detect problems with system components such as hard disks, memory, and networks. Windows Vista notifies you and walks you through the problem resolution”- nice…

Windows Vista can recover from even serious system problems. For example, if the system fails to start, the Startup Repair Tool (StR) attempts to automatically recover the system

Windows Sidebar. This seems really useful according to tests of similar implemataions.

Tabbed IE…finally.

Im not that worried about the inclusion of a much better (more demanding) graphical interface. This is nice, but it means Vista will also demand top-notch hardware.

Go here to read more:

Vista Info

Of course, this is supposed to be a poll..there must have been an error during submission, because it was setup as a poll…opps.

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First, I would recommend against upgrading to Vista right away. Microsoft is notorious for basically extending beta testing past the first release (past experience :stuck_out_tongue: ). Personally I’ll probably wait until after the first service pack comes out before upgrading.

As far as Vista goes though, I can’t wait. The two things I want to see are the WinFS filesystem and the Monad shell. WinFS is supposed to be a radically new filesystem that instead of using files and directories (although it will still have that ability) is just a big database. It’s supposed to make searching through the hard drive really fast, plus it will mean a completely different way of organizing and storing data.

Monad is the new shell that is *really cool*. :smiley: For those of you who are familiar with chaining commands together in Linux with pipes, Monad has a better way of doing something like that. Basically it’s based on .NET and instead of piping text output from one command to the input of another command, it creates .NET-based objects that encapsulates the output into objects and passes it to the other command. I’m not sure about the details of how it works, but it sounds really neat.

The only problem is that I heard WinFS will be delayed past the initial Vista release, and Monad may not even be included at all because of security flaws. I’m not sure if those rumours are true, but those are the two main things I’m looking forward to, so hopefully they will be included.

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Microsoft is notorious for basically extending beta testing past the first release …

The primary reason I don’t have Service Pack 2. I did have it, but my computer went schizophrenic, disabled a bunch of stuff (like the integrated sound card!), hid my partitioned D drive, and generally drove me batty. I’m a decent computer user - responsible and somewhat knowledgable - but I shouldn’t have to know a dozen backdoors into OS settings just to get my CDRW drive to open.

I’m waiting on Vista for a long while. Our IT guy at work is a friend, and he knows WinXP, networking, and all that jazz really well. Whe he trusts Vista to run a massive database of images, invoices, and high-end inventory control software I’ll upgrade.

4

I went to the link on MSN about Windows Vista. It looks like there will be some great features, including the translucent windows, thumbnail switching (Mac has this), and better over all visiability of open windows.

They claim new security updates. But with most microsoft things, this will be great for the first few months, then its hacked, and basically worthless, forcing one to use other ways to protect their PC.

Anyhow, I think it looks promising; however, I agree with the above. Waiting for service packs will be crucial!

5

The primary reason I don’t have Service Pack 2. I did have it, but my computer went schizophrenic, disabled a bunch of stuff (like the integrated sound card!), hid my partitioned D drive, and generally drove me batty. I’m a decent computer user - responsible and somewhat knowledgable - but I shouldn’t have to know a dozen backdoors into OS settings just to get my CDRW drive to open.

Tell me about it. I didn’t even bother upgrading to service pack 2 for a long time because I heard how it messes up your system so bad. But it did fix some serious security flaws, so it’s still important to upgrade. Basically the way I have handled SP2 is to only install it when I’m doing a clean install of Windows and *all* my data is safely on my other computer.

I’m waiting on Vista for a long while. Our IT guy at work is a friend, and he knows WinXP, networking, and all that jazz really well. Whe he trusts Vista to run a massive database of images, invoices, and high-end inventory control software I’ll upgrade.

For storing a massive database and mission-critical things like that, wouldn’t it be better to use a server grade OS like Win2k3? I was under the impression that Vista will be an end-user OS, am I wrong on that?

6

First, I would recommend against upgrading to Vista right away. Microsoft is notorious for basically extending beta testing past the first release (past experience :slight_smile: ). Personally I’ll probably wait until after the first service pack comes out before upgrading.

As far as Vista goes though, I can’t wait. The two things I want to see are the WinFS filesystem and the Monad shell. WinFS is supposed to be a radically new filesystem that instead of using files and directories (although it will still have that ability) is just a big database. It’s supposed to make searching through the hard drive really fast, plus it will mean a completely different way of organizing and storing data.

Monad is the new shell that is *really cool*. :slight_smile: For those of you who are familiar with chaining commands together in Linux with pipes, Monad has a better way of doing something like that. Basically it’s based on .NET and instead of piping text output from one command to the input of another command, it creates .NET-based objects that encapsulates the output into objects and passes it to the other command. I’m not sure about the details of how it works, but it sounds really neat.

The only problem is that I heard WinFS will be delayed past the initial Vista release, and Monad may not even be included at all because of security flaws. I’m not sure if those rumours are true, but those are the two main things I’m looking forward to, so hopefully they will be included.

I am not going to upgrade right away, mainly because I most likely will not be able to afford to do so right away. And because, as you indicate, the earlier releases of Windows are as complete as they could be. I( might even wait until after the first Service Pack comes out… maybe.

Remember that WinFS will indeed not be included in Vista initially, they just could not get it right in time. WinFS will have to be an addon to Vista it would seem (I think this is what they said they would do), not a native part of the OS… which is a shame as I too was looking forward to it. This is what Microsoft themselves have said…sigh.

Still, what with greatly enhanced security, scalable vector graphics and more, it should be good.

Oh, and they still have not got CSS Acid Test 2 working for IE 7 by the way. This is something I am not happy with, and hope they fix by the final release.

I went to the link on MSN about Windows Vista. It looks like there will be some great features, including the translucent windows, thumbnail switching (Mac has this), and better over all visiability of open windows.

They claim new security updates. But with most microsoft things, this will be great for the first few months, then its hacked, and basically worthless, forcing one to use other ways to protect their PC.

Anyhow, I think it looks promising; however, I agree with the above. Waiting for service packs will be crucial!

Great new (and in many cases overdue in my opinion) features indeed.

While you likely about right about the security updates, at least it will be alot more difficult, and there might well be less successful hacks overall. Still, it would be silly to rely solely on Windows security features, Microsoft themselves have been known to admit this. They are a starting point, not a final security solution.

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Oh, and they still have not got CSS Acid Test 2 working for IE 7 by the way. This is something I am not happy with, and hope they fix by the final release.

That’s another thing I don’t like about Microsoft. Conforming to standards isn’t exactly their #1 priority when it comes to developing new software.

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That’s another thing I don’t like about Microsoft. Conforming to standards isn’t exactly their #1 priority when it comes to developing new software.

Indeed, this would of course hardly be the first time they said they would release a product that would confirm to standard X, only to have it fall well short. The Beta of IE7 included in the current Vista Beta does a terrible job of handling CSS…sigh, so much for that it would appear.

It reminds me of how they are trying to push driver developers into developing 64-bit drivers, well they were doing this well before x64 Windows was released, and before 64-bit CPUs were all that popular. Hypocrites! :lol:

9

For storing a massive database and mission-critical things like that, wouldn’t it be better to use a server grade OS like Win2k3? I was under the impression that Vista will be an end-user OS, am I wrong on that?

Judging by a Wall-Street Journal Article Slashdoted awhile ago, Vista will have a lot more in common with Win 2k3, than XP. I think they have the same guy running this project as 2k3. Basically, they are desperately trying to avoid the quality problems that have plagued Windows in the Past, and trying to make a better product than either Mac’s OSX, or the Open-Source Linux. They know they have a big credablity problem, and want Vista to address this. Although parts of the article seem like Report-o-tizing (kinda like what they did in Time with the XBOX360), it seems like they have their heads in the light instead of whatever nether regions they have been accused of them.

(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,SB112743680328349448,00.html?mod=todays_us_page_one is the link to the article, but its only for subscribers to the Journal Now)

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I’ve been using Vista since beta 1 on my laptop. The interface looks nice, but there’s not much else. WinFS and the Sidebar have been dropped, and many of the other features have long been available in other apps.

By the way, I have the IE7 Win XP beta, so it’s not really a Vista feature.

It reminds me of how they are trying to push driver developers into developing 64-bit drivers, well they were doing this well before x64 Windows was released, and before 64-bit CPUs were all that popular. Hypocrites! :worry:

My workstation is running 64-bit XP so I can develop 64-bit .Net apps. 64-bit Windows itself it great, but the driver support is horrible, so I would not say that they pushed 64-bit drivers early enough.

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I’ve been using Vista since beta 1 on my laptop. The interface looks nice, but there’s not much else. WinFS and the Sidebar have been dropped, and many of the other features have long been available in other apps.

By the way, I have the IE7 Win XP beta, so it’s not really a Vista feature.

My workstation is running 64-bit XP so I can develop 64-bit .Net apps. 64-bit Windows itself it great, but the driver support is horrible, so I would not say that they pushed 64-bit drivers early enough.

I have got x674 XP Pro workig on my new system, and it is indeed rather good. But as you say, the driver support is terrrible. I am having abit of trouble with the drivers for my graphics card not installing correctly. This means that I cannot use some of the more advanced software features of my card, like the hardware tuning stuff (VTune or whatever it is called).

I am hoping that the vendors/driver developers will realise that they need to produce more 64-bit drivers, and more reliable ones. That and I am waiting for more x64 software to further take advantage of my 64-bit archietecture.

12

I have got x674 XP Pro workig on my new system, and it is indeed rather good. But as you say, the driver support is terrrible. I am having abit of trouble with the drivers for my graphics card not installing correctly. This means that I cannot use some of the more advanced software features of my card, like the hardware tuning stuff (VTune or whatever it is called).

I am hoping that the vendors/driver developers will realise that they need to produce more 64-bit drivers, and more reliable ones. That and I am waiting for more x64 software to further take advantage of my 64-bit archietecture.

Well I must say, I really don’t like you anymore, Prometheus! I am jealous! :confused:

But I am curious, what type of 64-bit software do you use on that system? Most people don’t need a 64 bit chip at all…

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I have got x674 XP Pro workig on my new system, and it is indeed rather good. But as you say, the driver support is terrrible. I am having abit of trouble with the drivers for my graphics card not installing correctly. This means that I cannot use some of the more advanced software features of my card, like the hardware tuning stuff (VTune or whatever it is called).

I am hoping that the vendors/driver developers will realise that they need to produce more 64-bit drivers, and more reliable ones. That and I am waiting for more x64 software to further take advantage of my 64-bit archietecture.

Are you using an ATI card? In my experience they have buggy drivers even for 32 bit systems. NVidia drivers are far more stable generally, so I’d tend to trust their 64 bit ones over others’.

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Well I must say, I really don’t like you anymore, Prometheus! I am jealous! :confused:

But I am curious, what type of 64-bit software do you use on that system? Most people don’t need a 64 bit chip at all…

Lol.. hey I got the parts fairly cheap (at least by NZ standards, about 900 bucks including x64 XP Pro). I currently have the 64-bit version of Windowblinds, 64-bit VB Express (and I will be getting the other Express programs) and that is about it for now. I have found a few 64-bit programs online recently from reputable sources (including a 64-bit virus scanner) that I will soon get around to downloading (I am on dialup right now and I have higher priority downloads).

The OS itself is alot faster than XP Pro though. OK, most of my apps are 32-bit at the moment, but I like to have the cutting edge tech, the problem is that it wont be so practical at the moment, but this will change. And of course I will be using 64-bit versions of Linux once I decide on which one to install…Probably Suse.

At least I wont have to upgrade for a long while, especially since most of the time I play reasonably undemanding games (on a 128MB graphics card) and abit of programming. And when 64-bit apps become more common I will be ready.

Are you using an ATI card? In my experience they have buggy drivers even for 32 bit systems. NVidia drivers are far more stable generally, so I’d tend to trust their 64 bit ones over others’.

I am in fact, it seemed a good choice at the time (I forgot the fact about the drivers) as it was a decent card for a good price. I needed a card for my system and it was about the most powerful card I figured I would need (not wanting a really low spec card). I have solved most of the driver issues with a current 64-bit driver download, so it fine now except from a few tiny problems with no real impact.