When Windows Vista is released at the start of 2007 Millions of people will be running out and buying it but I will not.

sry pal', but i dont think so, many rumours say that if a user want to use the new windows system vertion, he most have a powerful computer, with at least 2 Gb, of memory Ram...

2GB Ram isnt exactly powerful. Plus ive r.. heard that vista has run on a 512MB ram pc.

I think the sentiments about not wanting to upgrade are why Vista is late. Microsoft realizes (not to hackle anyone but) windows XP is a pretty darn good operating system, and people dont want to change. I know that I feel no particular urge to upgrade, and computers are my lively hood. I only upgraded to XP, from 2000, in the last year(And that was only because BF2 required XP). The office that I do tech support in still predominantly uses 2000, because everything already works the way users expect it.

I use my computer to use applications. Browse the web, read and write E-Mail, write software, remote access to help people with tech support, play with my photographs, and occassionally edit a home movie (I use the MS movie maker thingie, cant beat the price!). I dont use it to manage my music collection, which I hear that windows already does expertly. But I do use it as a DVR, which it does expertly. Finally every couple of months I might play a game for a week or two.

Vista doesnt help me (or the other myrad of windows consumers) do anything new, and windows is already very stable. Until there is some reason for me to upgrade (see why I upgraded to XP) I think the take up of Vista will be slow (as it was with XP).

A lot of the discontent I think is people forgetting how computers were just 10 or 15 years ago. Back when windows 3.11 was the operating system, people rebooted with great regularity. When 95 was release, it was a massive improvement in stability. I dont think I have ever seen XP crash (and im tech support) without accidently installing a crappy driver. In my tech support position the users don't even know to try rebooting as a trouble solving technique anymore.

Personally, I think this is a great place to be. The upgrade churn PC users were on for 15 years in the 80's and 90's is over. Now everything just works. A lot of the noise around MS is the haters. They hated MS for so long, they forgot why they hated MS, and just know that they do. (Read a slashdot thread with all the people claiming that XP is unstable, vulnerable???, I think someone in that equation is unstable, but its not windows) I think I saw a Star Trek episode about that once, lol.

Finally, the retail copies of windows are expensive, because MS is negotiating. Go buy a OEM copy from New Egg for a $130, and skip the shiny box. At $130 windows is a great value. Also, just go ahead and ignore whatever the haters say, when has anything of value ever come from a hater?

P.S. I am no windows fan boie, I tech support it just about every day of my life. I better than most know its problems.

Interesting reading...... Which ever way you slice the MS(OS) cake the result is an expensive option.

Vista is likely - although no-one can tell for certain - to be a significant hike in cost to the average user, and as a result many will hold back from an upgrade, as this trail has already demonstrated

The OS itself is significantly more expensive than alternative options, and the cost doesn't stop at buying a "shrink-wrapped" product off the shelf.

The need for more and more powerful hardware

You buy an OEM flavour and then upgrade your system - buy another license please

Limited production tools bundled with the package (Linux is bundled with OpenOffice, just as an example)

Continual attacks from worms, trojans, viri. Necessitating the need for multiple management tools (AV, Reg Cleaners, Spyware Tools, etc..)

Then there are the annoying "backdoor" activities of MS, such as - keylogging activities when using built in MS features.

I could go on, and on, and on................ but many of you will never be convinced that you are wrong just as I am unlikely ever to be convinced you are right. I have been supporting the various Windows OS' - at a corporate level - since 1991. And today I am as unimpressed with it now as I was then. My exposure to a wide variety of OS' over the years (DEC, MVS, VM, Primos, HP-Unix, Linux, OS/2, Mac OS X, and others) has shown me that this OS is little better than a gaming platform.

in my own opinion i think that windows vista shouldnt be much of a concern anyway. I dont want it and I think that microsoft is going to have a lot of trouble selling it. Unless you want 'enhanced media' and a seethrough bar thinggy, then there are options... 'enhanced media': ok you will be able to download windows media player 11 for windows xp/2000, no problem!

see through bar thinggy: download f****** windowblinds and then a vista tranformation pack.

And I also don't see the point of "flip 3d windows" WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I don't

I think a lot of you are forgetting that Microsoft will sell more Vista when it's preinstalled on computers, rather than people going out to buy an upgrade. And if you read some of the features Vista will have, I think it looks really good.

Link

For some of you, the features are useless, and you may not know what some of those new things do. I think a lot of them are really good ideas, and I'm eager to see them in action.

You are right Adamness ............. most of the uptake will be from "new systems" as MS will quickly turn-off the tap for XP installs on new.

As for the features, yes a lot of them are useful, and in OS terms "sexy"(no, I don't need to get out more..... I was not referring to them literally !! ) In excess of 90% of the "new" features, we in the Mac OS X world have been using for some time already, and can only hope - for you MS types - that MS make them work nearly as well as they do under Mac OS X. I saw a neat presentation the other day where BG was making big of the new features in Vista, and someone had overlaid the video/graphics with a tour around a Mac OS X desktop. For example as BG was describing what could be done with MS "new" feature called "gadgets" (widgets to the rest of the world, the video demonstrated amongst others "Fox Sports" - see the link(s) here = Link + Link + Link


MS is now a follower, not a leader

I don't really care who did what first, second, or last. I'm not switching to a Mac anytime soon, but I like having lots of features at my disposal, some of which are part os OSX, some of which will be part of Vista.

I don't work for Microsoft, I don't have any investments with Microsoft, and I don't really care about Microsoft. I don't need bragging rights by having a Mac, but I do need something I can rely on. As long as Microsoft keeps making software that I think is superior, I'll stick with them.

Both MS and Apple develop upon ideas that have been around for a while, so neither is necessarily a leader or follower.

In the end it comes down to user choice and what feels comfortable to use. Vista and OSX may not be for everyone, and people should go with what they feel is right for themselves, rather than be influenced by the thoughts/opinions of others.

nobody mentioned that XP Pro was supposed to be for businesses. Home was meant for users and as long as I've priced it, was always $200 or less. I don't know why MS doesn't offer Office for home users - something inside the pricing stratosphere.

WOW!
WOW!
It sounds almost to good to be true. We are losing alot of things that will require a period of adjustment.

I am conserned about:
1) Firewire being removed and no mention on how B. Gates is getting around his 51 Million Dollar House, know Multiplexor or anything;

2) The problems that "Microsoft is promising to put digital rights management (DRM) embedded into Windows Vista, this takes control of data away from a PC owner and can give it away to any third party" in conjunction with RIAA requirements that you need to have purchased rights for two downloads, one for the system and a second for output to your iPOD. If not you will be charged $3,500.00 for each event and they take your matchine! My view is, if I bought XYZ from the store I can do what ever I want. I can make my own rip's, I can take several movies and make thes into what ever I want because I have purchased the Licence Rights. RIAA, you can kiss my rosey read ass all the way to hell and back;

3) With these concerns why can't we just remove this functionality, I saw no mention of this being required for Multimedia Content or for Windows Media Player 11;

4) Perhaps I should get a router and keep this system now, as it looks like these things are going to make having a good time very difficult with my legacy system that are not concerned with Who, What or Why in Media, it plays, no problem.

If I have something misspelled, oh well, that means I'm not an elephant.

My view is, if I bought XYZ from the store I can do what ever I want. I can make my own rip's, I can take several movies and make thes into what ever I want because I have purchased the Licence Rights. RIAA, you can kiss my rosey read ass all the way to hell and back;

Quaint 'view'...but simply wrong.

You may like to actually READ those 'Licence Rights' you claim to have purchased.

You haven't, and you didn't....

The only downside of Vista, it seems, is the fact that I'll have to buy new parts for my computer to run it

When I see a line of people purchasing Vista, you'll see me in that same line, with a copy of MS-DOS.
Not only that but I am going to ask the cashier if it comes on CD and DVD.

People are thinking they have to replace the computer (that is already running XP) to be able to run Vista. I seriously have to ask: are they *that* thumb-fingered and/or hamhanded that they are unable to properly use a screwdriver? Or did they make a major error when originally buying that computer and went with integrated (onboard) graphics, sound, networking, etc.?

CPU: P4 2.6 or better or Athlon XP/64 3000+ or better (despite what you think, Vista runs just fine on even this old workhorse)
Graphics: AMD/ATI: 9600 Pro/X1300 Pro or better (AGP/PCI/PCIe)
nVidia: GeForce 6xxx series or newer (AGP/PCI/PCIe)
The only reason I am recommending the GeForce 6xxx series as opposed to the FX 5xxx is *driver support*: nVidia's Vista driver doesn't support the FX 5xxx and lower.
RAM: 1 GB or more (If you don't have 1 GB or more in your PC, even if you're running XP, I have to ask *why not*. Upgrading RAM is easily the *easiest* way to breathe new life into a seeming-old PC; what's more, it's still relatively cheap.)

All the above recommendations make perfect sense even if you decide to stick with Windows XP, so you can't keep using *that* excuse forever.