Windows Vista

[Kai]

Well, i managed to 'procure' the DVD for Vista Ultimate 64-bit, so i thought i'd bore you all about it

It doesnt take long to install, which is a good thing. And, you can now load RAID drivers from a USB key instead of having to rummage for a working floppy disk, which is another plus.

However, the UI, whilst looking similar enough at the desktop, is a little difficult to get used to, especially if you're coming from XP.

Windows Explorer has changed again, and i'm still trying to work out where all the hidden files are again.

The new Windows sidebar though, is kinda cool, at the moment i have the CPU/Memory meter running, currency converter, clock, weather station and calendar.

It's very 'fluffy' compared to XP, both in terms of looks and also, they're going for the 'lowest common denominator' again. With the driver and application annoyances i'm STILL having - i'm going to say that while shiny on the surface, it doesnt bring anything ultimately new to the table. Take my advice - DONT BOTHER WITH IT. Not for a while at least.

If you do want to see how shiny it is:

http://kai.robinson.free.fr/dropbox/Random%20Photo's/flip3d.jpg

Thats Flip3d.. Shiny, but pointless

 

[1jzdreamer]

Wow, that 3d thing is def. ftw.

 

[JMDigital]

I have it on a new HP laptop. (not the 64bit tho) So far the only problem is no drivers for my fairly new epson scanner. And it does not look like there is going to be drivers. Oh well. Everything else seems to be ok. This laptop I got is ALOT faster then the desktop I had. Plus it does not share memory for video. Got a GForce card built in. The 3D Task switch was fun for a few min, but I still ALT-TAB , but it is cool.

 

[Kai]

I think i may just go back to XP x86-64 tomorrow - it was stable and nice. Vista is all show, no go. And Vista is paging my hard disk like CRAZY - it's annoying the shit outta me.

 

[SupraDerk]

Once directx 10 (Vista only) drops, it'll show it's worth. Well for gaming anyways.

 

[Kai]

Yeah, until that point though, i'm going back to XP 64-bit. This is starting to drive me nuts. Vista was only released i think, to placate investors, seeing as it was put back years from when they said it was going to be released. And they dropped a crapload of features. Only bother with this when they release the SP1 version.

Back in an hour - reinstalling XP 64-bit....oohhhhh XP. I shall never bitch about you again....

 

[Kai]

Wow - i was spot on too. 1 hour and i've got XP 64 back, all the right drivers, even hanging out on mIRC

 

[GrimJack]

I've been using Vista for a couple months now - I can't live without the new search feature anymore.

 

[Kai]

How did you get past the....annoyingness of vista as a whole? and the whole disk paging thing?

 

[spipedong]

You know what's not FTW?

The fact that they decided to not include active directory management tools until the first service pack, which means I have to use virtual PC and run windows XP just to do my job on a daily basis.

Also, fuck you User Account Control.

 

[GrimJack]

Disk paging? I have 4 gigs of ram. I didn't notice any paging...

I didn't notice a whole lot of differences, to be honest - I shut off UAC right away, and windows defender is off... and windows firewall, etc. I'm a competent enough tech to fix problems that I run into without resorting to M$ technology, I figure.

I'd use Linux if it would play my games worth a tinker's damn, I'm not fond of M$.

 

[spipedong]

Well, I guess I should clarify a little. There is a workaround to get the basics (Active Directory Users and Computers) but god help you if you want to touch your exchange server.

 

[Kai]

heh - 1gb memory and it was paging like a bitch. XP64 gives me none of that. Right now, i have the same apps open, and i STILL have 680mb free. And yes, i turned off UAC cause it was annoying as hell.

 

[Jeff Lange]

I've had Vista retail since it came out. I love it as well. I have XP on dual boot, and I've gone back to it twice to play some games that I haven't installed in Vista yet.

I don't think I'll go back to XP. I like Vista a lot.

 

[Evilempire1.3JZ-GTE]

all that paging you said you were having could eat a HD in no time.

 

[drunk_medic]

It's going to take some bad-ass games to make me want to go to Vista. All of my games and apps work fast and well in XP. A new look and interface won't do it - as soon as I got XP, the first thing I did was switch it to "Windows Classic" interface. I like it clean, not flashy.
XP is also the first OS I have paid for since the beginning, whether it was DOS, UNIX, Win2.x/3.xx/9x etc - I've always been working with someone else's copy.

Was that "flip3d" called the Aero interface before launch? Looks decent, sounds like a memory hog. Then again, I hear Vista's recommended specs are not quite as friendly as XP, and I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have to up my hardware just to run a new OS at an acceptable level when everything I need is already running beyond where I need with what I already have.

 

[SupraDerk]

It's going to take some bad-ass games to make me want to go to Vista.

Crysis HD trailer

annnnnnnnnnnnnnd...

Unreal Tournament 3 HD trailer

I don't care so much about Unreal Tournament 3 as I do the Unreal Engine because so many other games (such as the Final Fantasy games after XIII...maybe even including XIII but I'm pretty sure not) will be using it :naughty:

 

[Kai]

Crysis and UT3 are the ONLY things so far that make the move to vista inevitable. I wont like it, but i'll be playing Crysis too often to care, hopefully.

 

[TobyCat]

Your disk paging in VIsta is most likely a background process that indexes your files on disk - so that windows search uses a DB instead of actual disk searching. Same idea as Finder in OSX, and locate in Linux.

I really should get around to trying Vista, as I get it legit and free from school. But I really do hate working under Windows except to play games Once you go Mac/Linux, there isn't much work to be done under Windows (programming at least).

 

[drunk_medic]

Crysis HD trailer

annnnnnnnnnnnnnd...

Unreal Tournament 3 HD trailer

I don't care so much about Unreal Tournament 3 as I do the Unreal Engine because so many other games (such as the Final Fantasy games after XIII...maybe even including XIII but I'm pretty sure not) will be using it :naughty:

Forget that. I have too much time invested in WoW to care about those games, and it's still fun. It's going to take something REALLY special to motivate me to switch, because not only am I going to need to shell out the money for Vista - I am going to want [need] more RAM and a completely new system, built by ME, for performance.
I'm not going to adopt something new just because it looks nice. Hell, some supermodels "look nice", but before you know it, half your wallet has been sucked up their nose.

..and no, I won't switch to another MMORPG, ESPECIALLY not the likes of Final Fantasy, the franchise which has been a major disappointment to me since everything after VII [and I was a player of the very first FF on the NES!]. It's shyed from what it was to total crap. Mention of a new Final Fantasy to quench that MMO thirst garners nothing from me but a raised middle finger.