InsideTech

Lucky for you Steve2020 that you havent had a problem becuase sure is hell i have and its not uac i can turn that off and problem solved it is just software compatibilaty and hardware and customer who complain about and that have the hardware for it. for me if vista was just stable it would have been awesome but the masses speak, vista sucks.hopefully the os will be stable so i can move from xp although and also linux is awesome.

I sold my VISTA notebook and went out and got another XP Notebook. See I got off the potty..
I know of full companies that still feel "stuck" with vista with productivity at an all time low. This writer is an Idiot, He needs to head out to the real world.

The Army division I work for rejected Vista because it had 3 times as many security holes as XP.

Vista does not support the variety of games that XP does. Pegoraro is an idiot, just because something is newer, doesn't make it better, he fell into the same trap that a lot of people did, and ran out and bought Vista the moment it hit the shelves thinking, "I MUST have this on my computer if I want to stay ahead of the technology curve!" The same thing happens in the world of cars, a 2009 such n' such isn't always better than the 2008 model. Sometimes it's worse. It's idiots like Pegoraro that keep America's fragile, consumer-based economy running. Rush out and buy the latest thing without thinking it through.

I certainly don't like the majority of the article, alas, the last three paragraphs bear much to consider.

1) The statement regarding third-party add-on developers of Vista as "those dead-enders are uninterested in any new sales to the customers they’ve ditched in this way", only tells me that Pegoraro buys into the well-grounded mindset that marketing and sales are the end-all of software and/or hardware usage. Does he have Microsoft stock?

2) Open Source has quite the variety of flavors for most anyone to enjoy the ease and stability of an operating system AND applications, on most any computing device. And to say Linux "happens to perform many everyday tasks just as well as Windows does"...well, let's be careful of the measuring stick we use. Something more concrete and standard would be more approriate, I think.

3) XP is more than nostalgic. It is steady, and time-proven. Sure, it's flawed, as any man-made computing device or software will be. This also can be said of the newbie, Vista. Its new. But, why do nearly all, and I'm giving considerable leeway to Microsoft and its fans here, Windows versions become released with a plethora of problems, shortcomings and security breaches seemingly built in?

This is just my opinion and I could be wrong.

I run xp with symantec av 10.1. I haven't re-installed my OS in over 4 years and have had no security related issues AT ALL. I'll be honest here, i spend time at some pretty sketchy porn/file sharing sites and never had an issue with spyware or viruses. If I do click on a shady link, symantec picks it up in seconds. The idea that anyone would recommend an XP user to upgrade is proposterous. I have to support Vista at work and you won't belive how annoying it is that they changed the name and location of every setting, option and menu. They completely break the win API code of File, Edit, View Help etc. by hiding them away. It's truly a child's OS. Why would you want to require your users to completely re-learn everything that has made windows great? It's all about the ease at which you can do something. Now with vista, it's like they're trying to give us a mac OS where all the toys and tools are hidden from the kids so you can't get into trouble. I think when you start vista, it should ask you one simple question "Do you know what you want to do today?" Click yes, and you're instantly taken back to XP.

Obtrunco – Try Freespire, all the support none of the cost. If you want an easy Debian build try Ubuntu but be aware that other linux, windows and other OS’s will not recognize debian as easily so store any info on a Fat 12 drive or use an external USB HD preformatted to save yourself grief.
“Just buy a Mac and all of these conversations will be moot” - Until it breaks and you need to have it fixed for $250/hr by one of the few people who support Macs. Actually, I don’t mean to be too down on Macs, I own 5; it is good for what it is intended to do. Not for doing number crunching, writing letters, doing spreadsheets, or gaming, or any other common task outside graphics, which by the way is now dominated by Linux Red Hat. Quark is cumbersome, and the other applications are a pain in the...Well you know. The fundamental difference is Linux and Mac OS’s use the second fork of the datagram to store fronts, memory or other information. This is not true of all Linux distro’s, and not true of Leopard, which emulates this in VM now. Oh, and FYI, I wouldn’t trust anyone who charges much less than 150/hr for Mac support, they are most likely hacks.

One last thing, Once an OS is no longer supported, and has been released from service and is decommissioned it enters the “Open Source” world, i.e., no it cannot be sold by a firsthand vendor, but the up-side is that it can be used without a license! The reason it cannot be sold is not that Microsoft will sue them, Microsoft has bigger fish to fry than a small company, you can purchase an open license on eBay, or better yet subscribe to Microsoft’s tech services (specifically for techs) and they will GIVE you open license versions to try. You can use these for your own personal use, (NOT RESELL) that is unethical, but will allow you to keep as many copies as you can. In addition you can purchase old license copies from EBay as mentioned before for next to nothing. There is always a choice, you just need to know where to look. Visit www.pricewatch.com and look for XP disks, you will be amazed! Since you work in IT, you can subscribe and use as needed! PS: the cost of the service from Microsoft also gets you Office, and all other software copies, for slightly more than the cost of Vista Business. Hopefully Im preaching to the choir with you, I figured I'ld respond to yours as well just to be fair :)

Wow, I really don’t know where to start, there is so much poor information that it is amazing ! First I should establish my creditability, for at this point any comment would simply be an insult to injury without backing of credentials. I am owner and CIO of Arkansas IS, a licensed master engineer, and fluent in all computer OS platforms, languages, and technologies to include mainframe technology, and CSI technologies. I perform forensic evaluations for police departments, courts and other individuals as per request. I am a member of IEEE computer engineering, Certified /Licensed with Oklahoma to perform restrictive and invasive technology surveillance as a master engineer.
Now that the creditability issue has been dealt with let’s start with the first post: Esketchm, aka John, you are obviously a advanced user, and technician. However, your information is basically correct, however your assumption is incorrect. The normal user has issues using a scanner, cannot identify the parts of a computer. I agree Linux as a OS can be a stable system, but in supporting it in the home user world, it is not something that the every-day user can just download. I suggest they pay the $30-$100 dollars for a pre-configured unit. In addition there is a large learning curve and I doubt an individual who can’t tell their monitor from their chasse will be able to easily convert with a distro of that nature. Ubuntu, Freespire or Linspire are their best chances, but are twice as restrictive as Vista. In addition they have issues with many drivers, and are not licensed to play the codec of many of windows media formats. Sound cards and Video cards are also low on the support of these equipment. In principle you are correct, and I agree all things being equal it would be a better solution, however the learning curve is to high for most users. I have been down this path with my company and pulled out due to inability of the end-users to adapt. That being said, if you were a new end-user, starting out fresh (ie older people) it is a perfect solution.