Text 15680, 290 rader
Skriven 2007-01-26 19:50:42 av mike (1:379/45)
Ärende: Wait! Don't buy Windows Vista!
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From: mike <mike@barkto.com>



http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&article
Id=9009124&pageNumber=1

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January 25, 2007 (Computerworld) Unless you've recently emerged from a coma,
you know the consumer versions of Microsoft's new Vista operating system ship
Tuesday. Over the next few weeks, NBA star LeBron James will try to convince
you to move to Windows Vista as part of Microsoft's massive ad campaign.


This column is not a review of Windows Vista. I'm not here to tell you what's
great about Vista or what's wrong with it.


This article is for those of you who are about to download or purchase Windows
Vista and install it on a PC. I'm here to talk you out of it. Just say no to
LeBron James and Windows Vista -- for now. Here's why.



1. Vista is incomplete


Microsoft is already planning its first service pack and seeking input from
users on what to include. Vista probably won't be truly ready for prime time
until that first service pack version, possibly later this year.

The hardware and software companies that make compatible products for Vista
aren't all ready for the new OS. Many of those companies are scrambling to
complete Vista drivers and updates. Most importantly, not all video and sound
card companies are ready.


Audio and peripheral maker Creative publishes a list detailing the status of
drivers for each of its many products. Most of their Sound Blaster Internal
products already have Vista drivers available. Two of them have only a "beta 2"
version of the drivers. Three of their older products say "No Development
Planned." Most of their cameras and other peripherals have no Vista-specific
drivers available.


On the Advanced Micro Devices site, you can find information about Vista
readiness of ATI graphics cards (AMD and ATI merged last year). Most are
supported by a Catalyst Vista Software Driver, which is "beta," and are plagued
by a long list of published "known issues." It also comes with the following
warning: "ATI does NOT recommend installing these drivers in systems used for
mission critical operations or where productivity of any kind is a concern."


These two companies are on the leading edge of supporting Vista. Their partial
readiness for Vista is symptomatic for the larger companies. Many smaller
peripheral makers simply have no Vista support at all.


At least OEMs, Alienware and Polywell, are aggressively pushing XP over Vista,
because both say graphics and other drivers for Vista aren't quite ready for
prime time.


Software, such as the security suites you may have already paid for, may not
run on Vista, and some require updates that aren't ready yet.


Trend Micro, Panda, CA and Symantec all have announced that they'll ship
updated suites on Tuesday -- just in time for the consumer availability of
Vista.


Microsoft claims McAfee will support Vista, but hasn't said when. The company
itself has not announced Vista support. And some, but not all, ZoneAlarm
products will support Vista by next week. The smaller the company, the longer
it will generally take for them to support Vista.


Gaming on Vista -- and Vista's DirectX 10 graphics support -- is awesome for
gamers. But that's something you'll be able to fully take advantage of only
later. The full gaming potential of DirectX 10 requires three elements -- an
operating system, supporting graphics hardware and supporting games. The
operating system is ready, the graphics hardware is partly ready, and the games
are nowhere. Eventually, Vista will be the ultimate PC gaming platform. But
there's simply no reason for gamers to rush out and buy Vista next week.



2. Vista is expensive


Microsoft offers three versions of Vista to home users in the U.S. -- Home
Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate. You can buy any of these in the upgrade
version with a discount, or the stand-alone version without the discount.


The cheapest way for current Windows XP users to get a legal copy of Vista is
to buy the upgrade version of Home Basic, which is $99. But you don't want the
cheapest version.


First, the upgrade version will require you to keep your Windows XP CD for
years. You do have a Windows XP CD handy, don't you? Second, Home Basic just
won't cut it for most people. It lacks the Aero UI and Media Center
capabilities. Plus, you can't connect Xbox peripherals to Home Basic. For many,
including yours truly, those are the three best reasons to upgrade to Vista in
the first place.


Home Premium ($239 for the full and $159 for the upgrade version) is roughly
equivalent to Windows XP Home. It's for nontechnical, nonpower users who use
their system for lightweight, personal use only. But if you're the kind of
person who currently runs Windows XP Pro at home -- and since you're reading
Computerworld.com, you probably are -- you'll be happiest with Windows Vista
Ultimate. It's got all the fun and goodies of Home Premium, plus the power-user
features in the business version of Vista.


Are you sitting down? The full version of Windows Vista Ultimate costs
$399. If you have an XP CD, and don't mind the hassle, the upgrade
version of Vista Ultimate costs $259. Ouch!


(If you buy the Ultimate Edition, you'll be able to buy additional copies of
Vista Home Premium at a cost of $49.99. For technical users, the ideal scenario
for many will be Ultimate for you and Home Premium for the spouse and kids.)


The cheapest Vista is the copy that comes with a new PC because you get in on
the reseller's steep discount.



3. Vista wants a new PC


To get full value from Vista, you're probably going to want to buy a new,
Vista-optimized PC. Many of the benefits of Vista require hardware your current
PC doesn't have. "ReadyBoost" and "ReadyDrive," for example, require special
hybrid or flash drives. Aero looks awesome, but only if your graphics card
supports Pixel Shader 2.0. You can record high-definition cable TV, but only
with a tuner card designed to take advantage of that Vista feature. You can
enjoy DirectX 10 games, but only with a compatible video card.


Vista's new indexed searching is great, but you'll need extra hard disk space
for the index -- and extra storage for the operating system itself. Don't even
think about running Vista on a system with less than 1GB of RAM; 2 GB is
reasonable and 4GB is the sweet spot. And if you want to really enjoy the Aero
eye candy, you'll want a 20-inch or larger flat-panel LCD display.


Sure, you can buy Vista and install it on an old PC. But that's like
subscribing to HD cable, but not buying an HD TV. You're paying for the HD
experience but not actually experiencing it.



4. Vista is time-consuming


Installing any new operating system is time-consuming. You have to configure
everything, load your data, install your applications and get your peripherals
working. Then, in the case of Vista, you have to figure out where Microsoft
buried all the options, menus and features and get used to the ubiquitous
Search boxes. Anytime you want to do anything in Vista, it seems, the software
asks, "Are you sure?" You'll want to figure out how to turn that off and
customize Vista to get rid of all its annoying "user-friendly" hand-holding
"features."


But buying Vista now, and installing it on old hardware, adds additional,
time-consuming tasks -- possibly an additional day or two. Why? Chances are,
you'll have to hunt down, install and troubleshoot new drivers for your old
peripherals and system components.


You may have heard about Windows Easy Transfer, which moves files and settings
from XP to Vista. But don't get too excited about this. It works only after
you've re-installed all your applications; it doesn't actually move installed
applications, just settings and data.


By waiting, and getting Vista on your next PC, you'll save yourself the pain
and hassle of trying to retrofit your old PC with the new operating system.



5. Windows XP isn't obsolete


Vista adds new benefits and, in the long run, will make computing easier,
faster and a lot more fun. But it doesn't really "solve" any existing problem.
Windows XP -- after years of service patches and strong, industrywide support
-- is a solid, well-understood and highly functional operating system. And it
will continue to be well supported. Microsoft itself has committed to at least
seven more years of XP support, and even plans a Service Pack 3 next year.


Gartner says that by the end of the year, XP will be installed on 77.1% of all
PCs worldwide, and Vista on just 12.3%. That means the industry will make sure
their new products still work great on XP.



6. Vista may be the best reason yet to buy a Mac


That's right. I said it.


Years ago, "switching" from Windows to a Mac was nearly impossible for most
people. We relied entirely on desktop applications, many of which had no
equivalents on the Mac platform. Today, so much of what we do is online -- and
Apple has done such a good job of making the transition easier -- that leaving
Windows and moving to a Mac is perfectly doable for most people. It's a real
choice now, and mostly a matter of preference.


With Windows Vista as the default operating system on any new system you buy,
it makes sense to consider moving to a Mac. After all, Vista will force you to
learn a new operating system anyway, and -- in the short term -- one less
supported than XP. In either case, you'll be using a 3-D interface, widgets and
other goodies.


Apple will start selling the next version of OS X, code-named Leopard, this
spring. The details of this operating system are secret, but it's likely that
it will be spectacular. All may be revealed as soon as next month. If you're
going to buy a new PC this spring, you might as well check out Leopard before
making your choice.


Under what circumstances should you "switch" to a Mac? Apple fans will tell you
that the answer is obvious: If you want your system to crash less, run with
fewer hassles and fewer security breaches, then buy a Mac. But that's the Mac
user's world view.


If you're looking to make that decision from the PC users world view, here's a
more practical checklist.


Consider switching to a Mac if:


You're not into PC gaming.

You don't have any Windows-only applications you'd still like to run without
emulation.

You don't have major PC hardware investment -- such as expensive flat-screen
LCD displays -- to take advantage of.

You don't have non-Mac applications that are required by your employer for
working at home.



Most Windows users won't make that choice, however. For most of us, resistance
is futile -- and unnecessary and undesirable. Windows Vista is a truly great
version of Windows with enormous benefits and will be a lot of fun to use.


LeBron James will tell you that upgrading to Windows Vista is a slam dunk. But
before you upgrade the hard way -- and on the wrong hardware and before the
industry is fully ready to support it -- take a moment and consider: What's the
rush?


More information about Vista:


Making Your Move to Vista: What You Need to Know




Mike Elgan is a technology writer and former editor of Windows Magazine. He can
be reached at mike.elgan@elgan.com or his blog: http://therawfeed.com.

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Lots o'good links in the original article....

 /m

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