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design219 · Apr 14, 2008 , 01:18 PM

Users petition to keep Windows XP - CNN.com

This really makes me chuckle.

Apple should be incorporating the imminent demise of XP into it's advertising.

starman · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:13 PM

Say what you want, but XP is a damn good OS as far as Windows goes. I think MS made the OS TOO good. Now everything is going to be compared to it. Vista sucks and it's going to take a lot for me to ever consider switching to it for my gaming machine. DX10 isn't enough.

Tomchu · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:25 PM

People said the same thing about Windows 2000. Now it's archaic and the installation CD won't even boot on some newer systems. The same thing will happen to XP.

I cryeth. I really hate Vista's annoying UI, and I know that I'll eventually be asked to provide tech support for Vista-"enabled" systems.

Chuckit · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:38 PM

Consider the alternative.

paul w · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:39 PM

Having worked with folks as late '04 who refused to switch from os 9 to os x I believe it.

starman · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:44 PM

Yeah, but the jump to OS X from 9 wasn't the same as XP->Vista. Vista's a piece of sh*t. People that didn't jump from OS 9 probably didn't want to stop using old software or something.

paul w · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:50 PM

No, it was just knee jerk - I know how to use this software and I'm too lazy to learn new stuff. The hardware we were using - g4 powermacs - were more than capable enough.

The point is - OS X 10.2 was a refined, very usable OS at the time, a signifigant upgrade and people still gave it no respect. In comparison Vista has no chance.

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by Tomchu

People said the same thing about Windows 2000.

Windows 2000 was actually a damned good OS itself, - very stable. Many were right to keep it around until XP was up to speed.

Even so, the first XP versions didn't suck ass as bad as Vista sucks out of the gate. The thing is just a hardware killer. To me, compared to XP, it feels like taking brand new hardware and -performance wise- dragging it back in time several years. Until Vista improves, I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to keep XP around.

anthology123 · Apr 14, 2008 , 02:51 PM

Think of Windows Vista as the new "Windows Millenium Edition" It was made to work bad on purpose so the upcoming Windows 2000 system would appear to work so much better. Before Vista hit the shelves, MS has already announced a new OS to replace Vista by 2010 or 2011?

osiris · Apr 14, 2008 , 03:06 PM

I imagine we'll see fewer Windows 7 early adopters as a result of the Vista situation.

I wish those XP fans luck, I hope they get a reprieve.

ghporter · Apr 14, 2008 , 04:09 PM

The simple fact is that Vista is a resource hog that is not "intuitive" for an XP user to pick up and often causes problems because it's not as smooth as it needs to be. Comparatively, XP is lightweight, uses an established UI that is fairly easy to grasp (it ain't that different from OS X's interface), and provides a relatively simple method of managing and using the whole computer. I hope XP DOES stay around for quite a while.

scaught · Apr 14, 2008 , 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by paul w

Having worked with folks as late '04 who refused to switch from os 9 to os x I believe it.

Quark holdovers?

Tomchu · Apr 14, 2008 , 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Consider the alternative.

Linux. Ugh.

*gun to head*

ghporter · Apr 14, 2008 , 06:58 PM

Some Linux distros aren't bad for Windows users. Linspire, for example, is perfect for non-technical people who want to do what they did with Windows. But the "buffet" style Linux distro model just doesn't work for non-technical users. It's still an enthusiast's niche market.

hayesk · Apr 14, 2008 , 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by starman

Say what you want, but XP is a damn good OS as far as Windows goes. I think MS made the OS TOO good.

Really? How come Mac users never said that before Vista came out? I still think XP sucks, just a little less than Vista.

@pplejaxkz · Apr 14, 2008 , 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Tomchu

I cryeth. I really hate Vista's annoying UI, and I know that I'll eventually be asked to provide tech support for Vista-"enabled" systems.

I feel the same way. I hate the UI so much, but I know eventually I will have to provide support for it. So I installed a fresh copy on my Macbook and scrapped it in a day or two. I hate it so much and it was wasting HD space. Yuck

Originally Posted by Tomchu

Linux. Ugh.

*gun to head*

Nothing wrong with Linux now, even for some die hard windows fans. It was my step in the right direction towards freedom.

Originally Posted by ghporter

Some Linux distros aren't bad for Windows users. Linspire, for example, is perfect for non-technical people who want to do what they did with Windows. But the "buffet" style Linux distro model just doesn't work for non-technical users. It's still an enthusiast's niche market.

I used Linspire for a bit and I agree that it was very user friendly. I think a decent amount of Linux Distros are becoming more user friendly. Ubuntu is a real popular one and just came out with a new release I believe. My first distro was Suse. Those were fun times.

--------

But back to the topic, my mother just recently received her Laptop from Dell and has had nothing but problems with Vista. Just like that commercial "Sending a request; Accept or Deny." She even had problems shutting the darn thing down, which was weird. I offered to reformat her HD and place XP back on there.

voodoo · Apr 14, 2008 , 09:41 PM

Vista is the best version of Windows I have ever used. The UI is reminiscent of a mix between Gnome and Mac OS X. A detail I just love is that the ugly Windows mouse-pointer has been replaced with a far more pleasant mouse-pointer.

XP is leaps and bounds faster though, Vista seems to bring all hardware to its knees - much like OS X did back in the day.

Speed issues aside, Vista is plagued by bad or missing drivers. Both these things solve themselves inevitably with time.

The fact is, from the point of view a Mac user, Vista is the far most pleasant Microsith OS yet.

scaught · Apr 14, 2008 , 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by hayesk

Really? How come Mac users never said that before Vista came out? I still think XP sucks, just a little less than Vista.

strawman.

Lateralus · Apr 14, 2008 , 10:49 PM

I personally don't understand the hatred of Vista.

From a UI standpoint, I think Aero is gorgeous. From a reliability standpoint, I have only had a few more issues with Vista than I had with XP. And that's only because XP had received so many shots in the arm by the time Vista was released.

If you're gonna judge Vista by XP, at least do it properly. Compared to how XP was received and how it behaved during the first year after its release, Vista is at least as good if not better.

Sure, Vista isn't everything MS promised it to be. But in this industry, few products ever live up to the expectations set by their designers and by the media.

As for being a resource hog... I threw together my relatively meager PC back in November for $600 and it runs Vista wonderfully. And for something that was built from parts/technologies that had, at the time that I built the machine, already been on the market for a year or longer...

Rumor · Apr 14, 2008 , 10:55 PM

I think one of the biggest reasons people are recoiling from Vista is that is was in development for a very long time (longer than XP by far), and has not shown a terrible improvement over their last OS (XP).

Yes, the first release is generally shaky, but to be in development for that long and still no bring anything that says wow is disappointing.

Max_Doubt_M'Wham · Apr 14, 2008 , 11:24 PM

I used OS 7/8 a lot but decided to swap to XP rather than try to learn the new OS X way (my son had a lot to do with it, what with all of his school friends being on XP). After getting used to XP (and thoroughly enjoying it) I fell head over heels for the white iMac G5 20" model I saw in the window of the local AppleStore. I just new the time was right to cross back over to Macs again and this was a Mac to die for ....

I must admit that I think my time spent using XP sorta paved the way for my being able to deal with 10.4 better than I expected. I think that installing apps the Mac OS X way was the only bit I couldn't get my head around.

Now I consider myself to be equally comfortable using both XP/Mac OS X and from what I've seen of Vista (the Business Edition), I absolutely feel that I could get very used to the GUI based on my time spent on Mac OS X ... weird isn't it ... like a full circle sorta ... except I won't ever stop using Macs again, I'm hooked big time