Vista plodding along six months after release (AP/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Chris Pirillo leaned away from his webcam and pointed to his printer/scanner/fax machine, which stopped scanning and faxing after he installed Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows Vista operating system.

"I can't live in Vista if the software that I use in my life for productivity does not work," said Pirillo, in the third minute of a 52-minute video he posted on YouTube.

Nearly six months after it launched, gripes over what doesn't work with Vista continue, eclipsing positive buzz over the program's improved desktop search, graphics and security.
***
Pirillo is geekier than the average user. He runs a network of technology blogs called Lockergnome, and was one of several "Windows enthusiasts" Microsoft asked for Vista feedback early on.

Still, Vista tested even Pirillo's savvy. He fixed the hobbled printer and other problems by installing VMware, a program that lets him run XP within Vista. But when his trial copy expired, he decided the solution was too clunky -- and too expensive.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/16/microsoft.vista.ap/index.html

[damntexdem]

1. The software I use hasn't been adapted for Vista.

And when it finally is, it will be even larger and more unweildy. I look to PC manufacturers/retailers that will still install XP.

[tridim]

2. It's not surprising..

And it's not entirely MS's fault. Consider for a moment how many applications, drivers and hardware are out there for the PC, we're talking about millions of permutations.. Then write an OS that works perfectly with everything. I've found that Vista is about 95% there which IM(programmer)O is very impressive.

That said, I'm still using XP pro 64-bit. I'm not moving to vista full time until it supports all my software. Sony Vegas is the only application that doesn't work very well.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Everyone: Use Ubuntu (a flavor of Linux).

I refused to buy Vista, but I didn't want to pay for a Mac. So I had a computer store put together a hard drive, case, audio and video cards (for $400!). Then I installed Ubuntu on a larger partition and quarantined Microsoft XP on a smaller partition. After a few tweaks, I am officially a Linux fan. The biggest benefit: The software is ALL FREE. Even super high-end stuff like Maya!

Ditch Microsoft forever! Go Linux!

[jackbourassa]

4. Go Apple or Go Home!

nt

[iconoclastic cat]

5. That's silly. nt

[MindPilot]

6. It is unbelievably slow

Even on a brand new high-end machine that's designed for Vista, it is noticeably slower than XP. Just doing basic things like opening configuration dialogs, seems to take forever.

[Xithras]

7. MS learned long ago that the opinions of home users aren't all that important.

People tend to run at home whatever they're most used to, which for most people is whatever they run at work. MS knows that the business world has far too many Windows-centric applications to flee them anytime soon, so they're predicting that Vista will come to dominate as PC replacement cycles rotate the old XP machines out. Once people get used to working with Vista at work, they're far more likely to accept a Vista box at home.

Eventually, once software support for XP dries up, most existing XP users will have to upgrade to something else. Some will probably move to Ubuntu or whatever the Linux flavor of the moment happens to be, others will go Mac, but the vast majority will stick with Windows simply because it's what they're familiar with. Couple in the fact that no HDCP support for Linux is anywhere on the horizon ("What do you mean my computer can't play my new HD content?"), and the majority will not make the switch.

MS isn't really worried about losing a small percentage of the home market to Linux or the Mac. As long as they control the business world, they control 90+% of the money spent on computers every year.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. We'll learn of this nightmare on

or about the 25th when high end gaming machine shows up

Not looking forwards to this... but hubby is a gamer and many games are now comming out for vista exclusively

I already know one of my proggies does not work, and I will have to download things to make it work (like Frame Net 1.1)... lovely, ain't it?

I have never feared an upgrade, or new OS, now I do