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 - Exceptional ProductHad some minor problems downloading it. There is a learning-curve invovled with using this. Quite a bit differnet than windows XP. I think I will eventually like it better than Windows XP. Rating:  - Seems like a beta... can't believe Vista already includes a service packMy first comment is, with all the bugs and problems, this seems like a beta product. I did indeed try to install the Premium version of Vista with service pack 1...and it still does not seem to be fully functional. It's not like they rushed this to production - they've had over six years to get the bugs out. I really don't see how Windows can compete with Ubuntu, which is free! This newest version of Windows has some nice perks over other versions, but overall I would strongly suggest either 1.) keeping your previous version of Windows (I'm using XP on one machine, and NT or 2000 on our other machines, which remains the lightest, most functional version of Windows); 2.) installing Ubuntu instead; or 3.) getting a Mac. For us, after looking at all our options, we decided we like Macs but don't want to switch all our software, and they're a little too expensive for us. So we decided to switch most of our computers at work and home to Ubuntu (did I mention it's free!), which is better than Vista in nearly every way, and is working great for us so far. So what are the perks to Vista? For one, the new Internet Explorer 7 is a clear benefit over previous versions. It has much better security (though still not as good as Mozilla Firefox or Mac browsers), and it has more functionality. But you don't need to buy Vista to get it - you can upgrade free online. Also, it has some new gadgets & wizards which are useful, such as transparent layering windows and 3D layout, tablet interface, and others. But this is not enough to impress me - either these things are available already through Ubuntu or Mac OS, or these are things you can download with your other peripherals/accessories (such as the tablet interface). But I quickly run out of nice things to say about Vista. The DRM precautions (digital rights management) are ridiculous - there are way too many issues to mention here, so you'll have to google it to get the full story. My biggest problem with the "rights management", perhaps, is that you cannot reinstall this more than once... even with the disc! Yes, that means if you have a bad install, then you only get one more shot at installing it. That also means if you have to migrate to a new PC or hard drive, you are out of luck! This is a ripoff - absolute nonsense, and I would recommend against this OS for this reason alone. My second biggest problem is that this is a huge, clunky OS which takes an enormous amount of disk space. I have a pretty nice system, but its a couple years old and Vista slows me down to a snails pace. It's ironic, because when we decided to install Ubuntu instead of upgrading our systems (keeping the old hardware), everything ran twice as fast. Microsoft simply doesn't get it. They seem to be adding a whole bunch of features and new stuff instead of making the OS lighter and easier to use. The power management feature is a joke. The operating system is constantly scanning your computer, so you can never fully power down with the computer on. The features contradict themselves, making it a rather inefficient operating system for desktops or laptops. (This, by the way, is an issue many people overlook - since many people & offices leave their computers on 24/7, or at least all day long, this has consequences both for the environment and also for your electric bill) The security features in Vista seem too little, too late. Yes, these features might help, but they pop up for the dumbest reasons (i.e., plugging in a USB drive or an external hard drive - is it warning me that my drive has a virus on it?, or that my drive *may* have a virus on it?, or that someone may be stealing my files? It's not clear). Also, as I said earlier, the new IE7 (bundled here) has clear advantages to the previous versions, but if security is a concern (as it should be - studies show that 90% of computers in the US have some sort of malware or virus on it), then get a Mac or upgrade to Ubuntu instead. vista, for the first time in windows, introduced recording tools (again, better versions come standard in ubuntu or mac), and upgraded their windows media player - and again, made it clunkier instead of lighter. media player, by the way, is a huge security risk. In terms of drivers, I couldn't get either of my printers to work with Vista (Dell Color Laser, and an old ALPS micro dry printer). These took me a LOT of time to set up in XP, and frankly, I gave up trying to get them to work with Vista. The legacy of "plug and pray" continues with Vista. There is a lot more I could say about Vista, but I should probably "bottom line" it for you ... who should get Vista? Well, in all seriousness, I believe the Twixer "Techies" are Microsoft's target audience: If you have an extra couple hundred dollars lying around, if you don't mind buying another copy of Vista if your computer ever crashes, if you don't mind having a slower computer in exchange for lots of gizmos and gadgets, and if you really enjoy tinkering for hours on end, then this might be for you. Rating: - It takes some getting used toWhen Microsoft Office 2007 came out I had said that it was an amazing product but they redesigned it from the ground up so that it takes some getting used to. If you are used to Windows 95-XP be aware that they have done the same thing with this product from an administrative standpoint. The control panel is completely different and even some items on the start button has been rearranged. Sometimes it will take me a few minutes to find something that only took seconds before. An example is 'Add/Remove Software'. The icon in control panel to remove software has been called that for over a decade now but now Microsoft has renamed it. It took me a while to find the new name. However, from a user standpoint, things are pretty much the same with some added eye candy. You can still run programs from your desktop or your quick launch toolbar. The start menu has been updated (which is a change I did like) but it hasn't been such a drastic change that one who is familiar with older start menus will be confused. Users should have little trouble adapting to Vista with the exception of software/OS compatibility issues. What is new is that you are often prompted to continue running software when you first run it. It can get annoying because it prompts you every time. Why it doesn't figure, "Well, the user has ran it three times and nothing bad has come... I guess I can stop prompting now," is beyond me and a huge annoyance. I run some video conversion software on a regular basis and it asks me TWICE every time I run it if I wish to continue. Annoying! My last gripe is the same gripe I have with every Microsoft release.... resource utilization. It seems that every time Microsoft comes out with a new operating system you are ahead to get a new computer. At a minimum I need to increase RAM. The machine I installed this on has been running XP since release and has shown signs of slowing down. I thought a fresh install would speed things up but waited for the Vista release first. After a fresh install I've found my computer to run SLOWER than a bogged down version of XP. Time to buy some more RAM, I guess. There are some good things about Vista. Yes, there have been changes but they haven't all been a bad idea. Some of the changes, like the before-mentioned ones to the start menu, make navigating your system much easier. I haven't found any such changes that make Vista a dealmaker over XP, except from the perspective of the kernal. In the end, Vista is a much more stable and secure product over XP... possibly become stability and security come hand in hand. When security holes are patched from live update, XP gets every patch while most are skipped by Vista. So, there are pluses and minuses. But in the long run Vista will soon be running on the majority of machines so it isn't a matter of if you'll go to Vista it is when. For the home versions, which this one is, I've always suggested you wait for the first service pack before making the jump. Well, here it is. For the office/professional versions I'd suggest waiting for service pack 2 which has yet to come. But then we are talking about a whole other product. Rating: - It works.I have spent my professional career supporting Mac and Windows pretty much equally. For home I have always used Apple hardware and OS at home so I really wanted to try using Boot Camp to turn a mac into a dual boot windows machine. Vista home seemed to be as good a choice as any. I installed it on a low end Macbook with just 1 G memory and it installed uneventfully, and it seems to be running okay, even noticeably faster than beefier, Vista machines I work on. (granted a newer, cleaner install) Now, I can get to that mythical treasure trove of software that is not available on the Mac from home. Although to be truthful, this is pretty much just Snag-it and a few utilities. But is nice to have a windows machine at home for testing website designs on both platforms. I'm always a little concerned about getting a home version over a full enterprise version (a little too reminiscent of Windows Me) but this seems to fine for my uses. I have not supported Vista in a professional environment yet but from what I have seen, Vista seems to be fine. Nothing really to write home about, but after running it for a while here, nothing to really complain about. If I had to say anything critical about it, I would say Windows tries to protect and think for me too much by default. Such as if I opened a folder, than yes I wanted to see the contents, but that can all be changed. I've heard the Vista horror stories, and I believe a lot of them. But from my experience, it has been fine. If you are coming from an older version of Windows, there are a few decent new features but nothing you couldn't live without. Rating: - Better Than I ThoughtSince this is yet another incarnation of the Windows operating system, I was reluctant to try a new Windows OS so early in release. However, since this version of Windows Vista included Service Pack 1 I decided to give it a try after hearing so much about it. Installation was of course as smooth as ever as with other windows operating systems. It seems that they have gotten installation down to a fine art with very little interaction from the user during the process. The opening fanfare has changed and the desktop has a sleeker look with improved functionality. The user has many things at their fingertips without having to go through a myriad of menus and procedures as with Vista's predecessor XP. An expected standard that windows builds into their operating systems are the programs that have become popular that were written by other providers. As usual, Vista has their own version which has been included in the OS. enhanced Virus and Firewall protection are at your fingertips along with an instant search which helps you get what you need when you want it - quickly. Windows touts Vista as being the most secure windows ever on the packaging but it is common knowledge that the original release of Vista has a serious security breach that sent the good folks over at Microsoft scrambling for a patch and an effective way to do damage control. The revised release here appears to be secure and stable One thing that impressed me was the large array of drivers that Vista has. This makes it the ultimate "plug and Play" system. A printer which I had to scrounge a driver for to use with Windows XP IMMEDIATELY worked with Vista without ANY special preparation from me except just telling it to print - Impressive...at least to me. As we all know, further issues will probably arise with this release of Windows but we can be confident that Microsoft will effectively deal with the problem and provide the appropriate updates through their unique update system over the net. In conclusion, Windows has produced a credible successor to its venerable Windows XP operating system. With improved functionality, enhanced desktop and vastly improved plug and play capabilities, this system will further automate everyone's computing experiences
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