Random Poll - Vista or XP

[Mark_Solesbury]

Should I upgrade my Laptop to Vista Ultimate?

XP needs re-installing anyway, should i take the plunge?

[Drift]

I like vista, especaly since SP1 was released and my TIS now works on it  :D

[Thrasher]

Upgrade it to Ubuntu - or another flavour of Linux ;-)

[Mark_Solesbury]

Gotta use Windows for work stuff...

Need to use Adobe suite, and run in store photo kiosks etc on it...

[Saffy]

This recent poll on lifehacker was very telling http://polls.gawker.com/?key==MzN3QTM&voted=1, power users do not want to touch the failure that is Vista and wish MS to continue to support XP.

[Saffy]

Upgrade it to Ubuntu - or another flavour of Linux ;-)

I use nix boxen for specific uses, servers and sand boxes for testing and I simply love stripped down versions. Have *had* to use GUI linux in many different flavors over the years and it has gotten more user friendly and great eye candy no doubt, but as an everyday computer yuck no thanks life is way to short these days. It still has got to go a long way before it becomes a replacement for me. Windows is still the most complete stable desktop OS with an overwhelming wealth of software that is relevant to me, and XP pro has been a dream.

*IF* all my hardware, my various navigation wares and my fav games ran natively under osx or nix' without resulting to running virtual Windows I would consider a switch at least for  my leisure laptop, but they do not. On the otherhand Vista offers me nothing but does promise me problems.

[Saffy]

photo kiosks

Exactly the sort of deployment I would have thought linux would rule supreme at.

[Mark_Solesbury]

photo kiosks

Exactly the sort of deployment I would have thought linux would rule supreme at.

In theory yes, but main players in the market i work in have never heard of it - and as normal, people are scared of things they have never heard of.

The problem also comes with getting device drivers for printers, chip and pin and the like....

[Disco Matt]

Stick with XP, assuming it does all you need it to.

I will never understand this thing about "upgrading" when you don't need to. An OS is only obsolete when it no longer meets your needs, which can be long after the manufacturer (who has something of a vested interest in making you upgrade...) claims it to be.

It is particularly telling that murmurings escaping Micro$oft HQ are along the lines of "Quick, we'll get the next one lined up as Vista has been a disaster". When even they seem to be quietly accepting that it's a bloated resource hog of an OS then it must be bad!

[Sharpshooter]

I have both. And to be honest connot fault either.

Xp has better support (at the moment) But Vista is the way of the future.

Follow your instinct  Wallet. :)

[Mark_Solesbury]

Wallet has nothing to do with it for once - Work will buy it :)

I dont *need* to upgrade, but i need to learn the OS

Right - Decision made.

Duel boot.

[Boddle]

 Not aware of any software that run only in Vista, So XP will run it better due less of resouces used by the OS.

[wormster]

Xp is certainly more stable than Vista,

Its bill gates's way of making $quillion$ of $$ to $alt away in hi$ $wi$$ bank account$, 

by relea$ing $oftwrare rele$e, after $oftware relea$e and charging u$ the privalage to use hi$ operating $y$tem.

Switch to open sourced software like: linux, open office, firefox and vlc media player, C'mon FIGHT the MAN.

[V8MoneyPit]

We have 3 PC's networked together at work. 2 run XP and one runs Vista...... The Vista one is a complete pain. The other 2 run fine. It runs painfully slow in some tasks where the others run fine. We can't get our postcode software to run properly and it is a modern well supported software. The machine Vista is installed on is a perfectly reasonable processor and has plenty of RAM so it shouldn't be an issue.

My wife has Vista on her laptop and it fails to recognise her camcorder. Again the camcorder is barely a year old.

Personally, I wouldn't go near Vista if I had a choice.

[Wireless]

Just put in a PCLOS Live CD and explore Nix, you'll wonder why you never did before.

If you really need to run Windows Applications, use WINEdoors, and install them as Windows Applications under Linux, they will come up in a Windows Desktop and you'll never know the difference.  You can even enable a 3D GUI like they have in Vista, only it'll be working on hardware that Vista says won't support.

Go on, give it a go, you can install it later if you like it, and it'll take just 20 minutes, including Dual Boot with your existing Windows if you want to keep it.

[DEANO3528]

Mmm Vista: WinME, The Sequel!

[wormster]

The Sequel!

$equel, $urley?

[Disco Matt]

I never understood ME at all. It was sheer unadulterated rubbish and a downgrade from 98SE.

[Saffy]

If you really need to run Windows Applications, use WINEdoors, and install them as Windows Applications under Linux, they will come up in a Windows Desktop and you'll never know the difference. 

all goes a bit pete-tong when application under the emulator have to use hardware, serial ports , usb to serial converters. Memorymap for example as something relevant to a lot of mudclub members is classified on the WINE appDB as running under wine with a bronze or silver rating - meaning severe problems. None of the tests include interaction with a GPS!(edit: opps found 1 test working with a geko) Not saying it's not possible just in my experience when you hit snags in linux getting passed them is beyond norm use, takes research and understanding and as far from plug and play as you can possibly get (like I said in previous post life is too short to geek out on linux). I'll come back to linux when it's as finished as XP.

Please insert a valid native linux navigation application on par with memorymap that legally use OS maps <HERE>

[Thrasher]

It'll come ... I mean Tom-Tom is linux based ........ there are some things out there, but obviously nothing commercial at this time, mainly due to the fact that the maps MUST be purchased.

[Wireless]

Well, it costs nothing but time to try PCLOS & WINEdoors with your Windows Application on an old dedicated laptop, but if you already have a system that is working I don't recommend you change for changes sake.

Alternatively you could try a Linux Application instead.

Maps do not need to be purchased, some are open source, and satellite imagery is also available free.

http://roadnav.sourceforge.net/index.php

[Rich325]

Stick with XP as long as possible. Vista on a new computer was a nightmare! All floaty screens and messages you don't want, and graphics all subtle and floaty. XP is more solid to work with. We uninstalled Vista and put XP on the new pc. The shop says lots of people are going back to XP.  :shock:

If you work with numbers, emails and word docs, then XP is the way to stay. It may be that if you work with graphics, then maybe Vista would be good.  :|

Solid information - XP.
Floaty - Vista!

 :roll:

[marjan]

Yep gotta agree with everyone on this. I use XP on here and the wifey has Vista on her laptop - it's a pile of poo  :lol: :lol: :lol: