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DaRk AnGel : Why Home : November 2006 : Vista On The Horizon…

Vista On The Horizon…

This is for those of you that are not real computer savvy. I am defining YOU as the folks that don't know anything about drivers, or bandwidth, 64 bit processors, dual-core processors - or actually care to know anything about the workings of a computer or its software. , I decided to do some reading. (See I really was not fishing.) I subscribe to many newsletters that I have grown to trust over the years of people that know much more than I do. And I know some stuff, let me tell you! See if you do not know I have worked with computers since 1979. It was my career and I have stayed current with what is and what is not going on in the computer world at a business level as well as a personal level. I was lucky.. I Loved what I did and arose each morning eager to go to work.

The release date to the general public for Windows Vista, the next operating system from Microsoft is scheduled for early next year. OEM's and vendors will get it sooner. With each release I take the time to read a lot about what is changing, and what is not, before deciding when or if I am going to take the plunge into a new operating system. That is what I have been doing for the last 5 hours tonight.

The one thing I can say assuredly about any new Operating System is that it is going to cost more. It is stated that the lines of code that were written for Vista, if placed end to end, would circle the world 7 times. That's a lot of key strokes.

But is it worth it to upgrade? That is the question I ask myself. Is the new Operating System got enough new features and bells and whistles that I cannot live without it?

Unlike Windows XP Vista comes in 5 flavors. Each one changes out some of what you get or don't get. One may be more suitable for business, or for teams of people working on one project. Two of the choices are for business, two for personal use, and the last has everything in it. Prices are being guessed at right now, only MS knows for sure, but the feeling is anywhere from $89 to $450 for whatever version one chooses. XP Home was $99 and XP Pro was $199 when released. There will be upgrade prices as well for current windows owners.

Before I go on, I am told that if you purchase the Home Edition, then decide that it is not enough, you can upgrade. (Of course for a price.)

My Opinions..
The biggest change is internal. And it deals with security. Microsoft is attempting to cure the problem it created at our cost. Mac and Linux have not had the security breaches that Internet Explorer has had. Of course MS has the big red target on their back, but lets face it - Windows was built for ease of use with little regard for security. Mac and Linux had security in mind from day one.

In a way I am a bit resentful that I am trying to be Cajoled into upgrading because of things that should have never occurred. Viruses, Phishing, Spam, Malware, Spyware, Adware, worms, are the real target of Vista. Now I run a firewall, three and three Spyware scanners. I eat up my computers power because I have to think about something that Mac and Linux users rarely do, that someone can access my computer and pretty much put on it what they like, or take off of it what they like, or maliciously destroy the information I need.

Aero is a new look. Good eye candy and little more.

I wish I had found something to be excited about. But I didn't. If I were a gamer I would probably like the 3D upgrades, but that comes at a cost. A video card with 128 MB of memory on the card is required.

They have changed the way the machine can start up and shut down - so it is lightening fast. Seconds for either instead of minutes. To do this they copy the state of the machine as it as when you select shutdown to the hard drive. Ergo the Disk light will still be flashing even after the screen has gone black or blue. Then when the machine is turned back on, everything as it was, is returned to Memory. HMMMM I usually want a fresh slate when I turn mine on. Businesses may find more uses for it.

I could go on and on.. I suggest that if you want more info, or don't trust my judgment you start doing your own look see. I have beta tested past Windows Operating systems but choose not to this time. Vista does not play fair with it being on the same machine as another operating system, it HAS to be the main OS. So to beta test I would have had to wipe my machine clean - or set up a Virtual PC within my PC and - hell I barely have enough time to get to all my email and forum's daily.

Oh and speaking about time. Depending on the speed of your machine, XP could take up to 45 minutes to install. To a reviewer, each agreed - you might as well plan a picnic to go on while waiting for Vista to install.

For me, there is really nothing there. Nothing that I see I need that I do not have now. I guess a lot of it is principal, I don't like paying others to clean up their own messes. I will keep running my Firewall and three scanners for crap that people can dump on my machine. All but the firewall are free.

I confess though to being a Beta Tester for Internet Explorer 7. They moved stuff around and in my opinion did a terrible job of it. It freezes at shutdown. And the big change here is tabbed browsing competing with other browsers that are available.

The one real plus for Vista is that Internet Explorer 7 will run in its own benign little area. One where it can control totally what comes and goes into it and the computer itself. But that again is security. I like the segregated area idea. Browser quarantine on the computer.
Looking in-depth at each flavor, I come away feeling that Vista Home Basic has less functionality than XP Home. Same with XP Pro and Home Premium which was supposed to be comparable. In fact functionality that is available to me now is being taken away, and moved to the Business and Enterprise editions. I think it ridiculous that Aero is not included in the Home package, it is one of the main selling points.

I hope this helps a bit in your decision process.

I will not be upgrading anytime soon.. Except for Internet Explorer as long as it is free.

Ok now back to fishing…