What are your first impression of Windows Vista?

lordsmurf · Posted: Sep 02, 2006 21:13

I finally got some time to install the Pre-RC1 MS gave out. I installed mine inside VPC.

My first impression is that I'm using Windows XP SP2, maybe a couple of newer MS extras and a new IE7 (nothing not already available for XP), but with an Apple OS X style GUI. In other words, nothing is new. I don't see any major features that change the nature of computing.

I'm all for pretty, but we can do that already with 3rd-party software. I don't see anything special about the OS itself. It's not like the move to DOS->Win95 was.

Very lackluster.

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yoda313 · POLLSTER Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: the real world

I use YO06

But seriously I haven't tested it yet. I don't want to spend the time dowloading it and I don't want to sacrifice space on my video capture harddrive on an os I'm not going to buy right away.

I'll probably get VISTA when I buy a new computer sometime nextyear or early '08.

EDIT - Are you using the 64bit version on a 64bit processor? That would be a true test of whether or not its worth it - with a 64bit capable app of coure....
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ViRaL1 · HAZMAT Joined: 12 Jan 2004 Location: Making the Rounds

Nothing special. The one thing I did notice that I'd been hoping for are more forgiving options under explorer e.g. if you select all your temp files to delete and it hits one that it can't delete, it allows you to retry or skip it vs. the old way of having to deselect that file and start deleting the remaining files again. I haven't seen if it works with copy / move yet, but something like that would definitely come in handy when trying to backup entire profiles. I have it on my laptop with the graphics holding me back (32MB GeForce4 440 Go) but the rest is decent...
P4 2.53/533
1GB RAM
60GB HDD
DVD-RW

My biggest issue atm is finding compliant apps to see if I can continue to do all the things I was doing with XP.

I voted great but it's more along the line of good, a bit better than blah, but some improvement.
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guns1inger · So Very Tired Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Location: Miskatonic U

On the desktop - not a lot. Yes, it's prettier, although I have had a Vista skin on XP for the better part of a year, so visually it's not a big leap. If you have a widescreen monitor or laptop then the sidebar is nice eye candy, although again, there have been standalone variants of this for XP for sometime as well.

Microsoft have stripped so much out over the last 18 months in order to get it stable that really, the biggest differentiator between XP and Vista is now Aero - if you have the grunt to use it. And for most power users, it is the first thing they will turn off in order to better allocate those resources elsewhere.

The native handling or image and file previews have been improved, and the virtual folders concept has great potential, especially in a shared environment.

But most of the truely worth while extras aren't in the consumer or even business desktop versions, they are in the server versions only.

Hopefully time will show it to be a more stable platform, with improved security and networking, but even that isn't a big leap from XP. I have always found XP to be stable and to network pretty well. Security requires keeping up to date with Windows update, as well as a good firewall, AV and anti-spyware application. While Vista will hopefully be more secure out of the box, those three applications will still be the first I install if I go to Vista.

I agree with Viral1 - better than blah, but not reaching Great status. The desktop is a slight improvement of XP, but not enough to warrant paying for an upgrade. 2000 to Vista = Yes, XP to Vista = maybe.

Longhorn (Vista Server) looks like it will be a worthwhile upgrade to 2003 server, taking a lot of the 2003 R2 improvements and adding a lot more.
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offline · incognito Joined: 05 Jun 2002 Location: Mondo Caine

This is the 1st time I have not been interested enough to test a new candidate beta release of windows. I'll go to the usual tech launches (because I have to) but thats all I'm planning for at the moment. It will be interesting to see the initial level of corporate take-up this time around. No doubt there will be the usual line of "early adopters" lining up at dawn for their copy.

The Apple OS / Intel combo is starting to look real good

guns1inger · So Very Tired Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Location: Miskatonic U

Even Vista doesn't make OS X look appealing. Unfortunately, the School I look after will probably go Vista simply to look progressive to the parents. Instead of looking for a compelling reason to upgrade, I will be looking for a compelling reason not too. And there are a lot of amateur keyboard jockies who can change a hard drive and therefore consider themselves experts who will be towing the Microsoft line of vista leading to the brave new world . . . . . . . . .
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redwudz · Mod Neophyte Joined: 07 Sep 2002 Location: AZ, USA

Considering the suggested retail prices I've seen for Vista, I'll be a XP user for some time to come.

yoda313 · POLLSTER Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: the real world

Wow - 20% don't know what Vista is! I find that suprising. The users on this website are pretty techno-literate........
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SingSing · Member Joined: 30 Apr 2001 Location: U.S.A.

OS basic function is providing a set of hooks for applications to access hardwares, and common user interface.

YodaOS 2006 with SP313 is ahead of linux and OS X as Windows alternative.

Note : For video folks, Window's media codec and media player are always among the worst.

yoda313 · POLLSTER Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: the real world

MeDiCo_BrUjO · Voodoo Child Joined: 21 Mar 2002 Location: Tampa, FL

Any link to download the setup?
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redwudz · Mod Neophyte Joined: 07 Sep 2002 Location: AZ, USA

According to MS concerning the Vista preview program:

gadgetguy · Contestant Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Location: Michigan, USA

edDV · Posted: Sep 03, 2006 16:18

Let me know when they have Vista SP1 out.

More important, let me know when they have XP SP3 out.

MS Vista may someday be as popular as the RCA Vista Series monochrome TV of the 60's.

Here's the manual

BJ_M · Patron Joined: 30 Jul 2002 Location: Canada

nt4 is still fine as far as GUI go , 2k was a bit better ... XP and Vista are just more bloated
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SingSing · Member Joined: 30 Apr 2001 Location: U.S.A.

yoda313 · POLLSTER Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: the real world

Vista is the 64 bit solution. We'll see once there is enough market penetration for 64 bit processors and more importantly 64 bit applications.

The BLURAY-HDDVD factor will most likely be insignificant for now until one of the two wins the war.
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TBoneit · Member Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Location: USA

Well I have installed both the 32bit and 64bit versions for a customer on a dual drive computer with high speed SATA 300 drives ASUS motherboard with 4 gig 1066 DDR2 memory, Intel 3.73 EE CPU and I have to say that I was less than impressed with the Speed of that computer once I replaced the XP Pro SP2 on the C: drive.

Did I mention very fancy Video card too?

Bleh on Vista!

Yoda313 Why call Vista the 64 bit solution as compared to XP 64bit?

I can usually make XP do anything I want. It may take a little research but that's another story. But Vista? Some things seemed changed for the sake of change.

Maybe the realease version will be better at keeping Viruses and Spyware/Malware out but Those authors have been proven to be pretty good at getting their crud into users computers. They seem to be as good at the social engineering aspects as they are at the code they create and making said crud hard to remove without sometimes replacing the Windows installation.

I think I do pretty good cleaning over 85% of the computers with spyware/adware & viruses. I could also be wrong.

Cheers

wulf109 · Member Joined: 02 Jul 2002 Location: United States

Everybody who will buy XP has. Microsoft is just creating another pointless upgrade to get more of our money. It's the Blueray of OS's.

dvdguy4 · Member Joined: 22 Jun 2004 Location: usa

TBoneit · Member Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Location: USA

I remember those RCA Adverts.... I also remember my Aunt bought a RCA Color Television. The first I'd ever seen, The one with the rounded sides on the picture because it had a round picture tube being they were easier to make and setup. Remember the "In Living Color" peacock?
I'll bet we have enough people here that remeber what network did that. My first personal TV set was a RCA, Huge tabletop with a 10" round B&W tube, seperate Sound and Video IF's so the fine tuning had to be accurate.

It is possible that Vista will turn out it the long run to be another Windows ME... ME had just enough changes to be called a new OS and I always believed the real reason for it was to get money from those that have to but the newest OS when it comes out.

caernavon · Member Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Location: Belmont, MA

How about a new poll possibility called "How the heck should I know"?

Sam Ontario · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Location: Ontario, Canada

Its got a lot features you can play around. 2 features that I found useful are: 1. prefectching - when startup, it loads at the background into memory what applications you have done in the past, so its ready when press an icon, i.e. good for the impatients and a lot of memories will help further. 2. you can design the startup page to include different kinds of your computer features and applications.
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Dv8ted2 · The One Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Location: OA

I use YodaOS SP313. I see no reason to change.

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