Author Topic: Windows Vista  (Read 7225 times)

Zack

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Windows Vista
« on: 2006-09-19 09:55:32 »
Hey, I just wanted to find out what if anyone is using the windows vista rc1 and what they think of it?

I started using it, but the current ati catalyst drivers don't allow display panning so I can't use my TV as I have to lower the desktop resolution to 1024*860 which annoys the cr*p outta me.

Also has anyone tried using vista under a laptop? What's the performance like?

Asdayasman13

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #1 on: 2006-09-19 10:09:36 »
Vista has been stripped of all it's previous features, besides the aero interface.  This is a huge disappointment as WinFS looked rather good.

Windows 2003 has been codenamed longhorn...

Kashmir

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #2 on: 2006-09-19 11:20:15 »
I want to try it, but after my recient failure with a dual boot 98se & Xp system. Which i eventually got right after lossing alot of data, it just not something i want to do in the middle of a semister when i dont have backups + no xp re-install cd.

Aaron

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #3 on: 2006-09-19 12:10:38 »
Yeah, I'm in the beta program so I've been able to keep a close eye on it for a while.

It's starting to get into a "releasable" state, although I am very disappointed in the number of cut features.  You'd think five years since the previous Windows release would get us something a little more than a fancy new interface, user account protection (which is actually something I'm very glad to see in Windows, as Linux/OSX have had a similar mechnism forever, although the Windows implementation is a bit annoying), and some new apps.  Although I still think it will be a pretty cool release.

Driver support will get better once it is released (who wants to write drivers for a "moving target"), but even so, I think I might wait a month two after RTM before I upgrade (there are some showstopper apps that don't work for me).

Performance on a laptop (or any machine) simply depends on how nice a machine you have.  I think the amount of RAM will make a big difference (1 GB + would be nice), and the graphics card matters if you want to see the fancy effects.  Although, laptop battery life may be a concern.  I'm not sure if it indexes stuff for the desktop search while you're on battery, but if it does, that would be a drain by keeping your hard drive busy; also, the Aero interface will surely drop the battery life as well.

Jedimark

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #4 on: 2006-09-19 15:57:52 »
Vista RC1 sucks IMO, but then I'm only saying that 'cause it totally screwed up on me.

After installing Vista the first thing I do is disable UAP and then disable the indexing service, then I have relatively useable O/S.
Driver support is coming along... NVidia's latest drivers are pretty nice.

The best thing about Vista is Mahjong Titans, I'm sure it was a Windows game back in the days of 3.1... it's so adictive!

Covarr

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #5 on: 2006-09-19 17:53:08 »
I am angry at Microsoft for removing WinFS, and have no plans to get Vista, as that was the key feature I wanted. I currently use XP Pro, though my next computer will probably be a MacBook Pro.

Zack

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #6 on: 2006-09-19 21:46:58 »
Quote
I think the amount of RAM will make a big difference

Yeah I have heard anything less than 1GB could become an issue. Some people report Vista using ~512mb without loading any applications. My new laptop will only have 512mb so I'll be sticking with XP for now.

Asdayasman13

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #7 on: 2006-09-19 21:53:24 »
I say:  "Sod all of it!"  *pure nostalgia and sensibilty takes hold*

...

*Installs Windows 98*

...

Did I do the right thing?

(It's good to be home...)

Synergy Blades

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #8 on: 2006-09-19 22:04:01 »
Quote
I think the amount of RAM will make a big difference

Yeah I have heard anything less than 1GB could become an issue. Some people report Vista using ~512mb without loading any applications. My new laptop will only have 512mb so I'll be sticking with XP for now.

So why is this acceptable? Am I the only one thinking that yeah, sure, with increasing computing power can come more sophisticated OSes, but using half a gig of RAM for what (IMO) should be as thin a layer as possible between hardware and user, is just ludicrous?

It just surprises me when I hear people saying things along the lines of "well, it looks a bit prettier, uses 512MB RAM to do so... and I'm looking forward to upgrading", since my question is just.. "why", when the memory could (should?) be going into apps that actually need it (3D programs, games...). And to top it off, unless you're going to get it from your friendly neighbourhood torrent site, why would you even shell out the money for such a bloated mini-upgrade?

Otokoshi

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #9 on: 2006-09-19 23:11:16 »
Quote from: Synergy Blades
And to top it off, unless you're going to get it from your friendly neighbourhood torrent site, why would you even shell out the money for such a bloated mini-upgrade?

[legal disclaimer]Qhimm.com and the Qhimm forum does not condone the illegal downloading of software.  :-D [/legal disclaimer]

On a serious note, I do agree this is a small incremental upgrade.  Interface looks nice, I think it will be easier to use for novices.  The way prompts are done get the users attention and more clearly (in my opinion) identify the application in question.  The security prompts are an annoyance, but I would rather go through that than what I have to do when setting up a fresh install of XP.  Firewall, antivirus, immunize spyware, and fly to the net immediately to download an hour worth of updates or my PC will be "taken over."

Vista will eventually woo PC enthusiasts to upgrade.  If you're a gamer, DirectX10 will be hard not to upgrade to.  I'll definitely wait for the first service pack of Vista before the upgrade.  By then many initial bugs and security threats will be squashed.  Also, people will have a good understanding of what hardware runs well on Vista, and of course it will be cheaper the longer you wait.

Quote from: Synergy Blades
So why is this acceptable? Am I the only one thinking that yeah, sure, with increasing computing power can come more sophisticated OSes, but using half a gig of RAM for what (IMO) should be as thin a layer as possible between hardware and user, is just ludicrous?

I think it is ludicrous.  I like a more sophisticated OS like anyone else but it is a drag to have more demanding hardware.  Of course this is all relative.  Just a few years back people didn't see any reason why there would be a need for a hard drive larger than a few hundred megabytes.

Aaron

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #10 on: 2006-09-19 23:37:42 »
About the concerns on memory:
This is true.  While using 512 MB of RAM when idle may seem (and may be) rather silly, it won't be a big deal for very long.  Most people who get Vista will get it on new PCs, and (hopefully) those PCs will be equipped to handle Vista well.  Furthermore, although I haven't tested this as much as I would like since I have yet to load Vista on one of my primary machines, memory management has improved in Vista and hopefully virtual memory management will be reasonable and your computer won't crawl too much even if you approach the amount of RAM you have in memory usage.  Anyway, I remember that about 10 years ago, I got a Windows 95 machine with 16 MB of RAM and it worked just fine, and now people don't mind that Windows XP hangs around 100 MB or so at boot.

As for the price, I dunno.  I get a nice deal on some Microsoft software through my university (otherwise I would definately not be quick to upgrade).  I really wish they would allow you cheap additional licenses if you bought one license (What if I want to load it on my desktop and laptop?  Why do I have to shove out $400+?), or offer some "family pack" similar to Apple, where one copy costs $130 but $200 gets you five licenses.

A lot of the new Vista apps are going to be available for Windows XP as well.  Windows Defender, IE7, Windows Media Player 11, and Windows Desktop Search (3) are all available in beta form for Windows XP.  I'm not sure about DirectX 10, come to think of it I haven't heard anything, but I always kind of assumed there would be an XP release.

[Edit]
Mahjong Titans is a lot like an old Windows game called "Taipei," which came in some Entertainment Pack for Windows (3.1) that a lot of people had.  Some of the other games included were SkiFree, Chip's Challenge, Tetris, and a few card games.  Fun times...  :-P

[Edit 2]
For further reading, gotta love Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_Vista
« Last Edit: 2006-09-20 03:17:31 by Aaron »

Synergy Blades

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #11 on: 2006-09-19 23:46:12 »
Unfortunately DirectX 10 is to be Vista only (last I heard), as is Halo 2, not that I really want to play it (technical reasons, though one has to wonder...) So chances are that'll be enough to make/force many gamers to upgrade.

Kashmir

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #12 on: 2006-09-20 03:55:13 »
Unfortunately DirectX 10 is to be Vista only (last I heard), as is Halo 2, not that I really want to play it (technical reasons, though one has to wonder...) So chances are that'll be enough to make/force many gamers to upgrade.
Yep true,

This is the exact error you get if you dont. word for word.

Could not initialize Direct3D 10. This application requires a Direct3D 10 class device (hardware or reference rasterizer) running on Windows Vista (or later).

Asdayasman13

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #13 on: 2006-09-20 07:36:52 »
Any chance of anyone cracking/emulating that?  How does M$ expect us to run a game like Halo2 with some stupid fancy GUI taking 512MB.

Zack

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #14 on: 2006-09-20 08:40:22 »
Very little chance of cracking/emulationing it, because Direct X is incorporated at the system level.

Asdayasman13

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Re: Windows Vista
« Reply #15 on: 2006-09-20 10:06:39 »
*Smacks head*  Whoops, sorry, I was drunk when that was explained to me...

(It wuz back in the summer of '62)