A message on one of the internet forums a couple of days ago started me thinking. On the face of it the question was a simple one, the poster wanted to know whether to have Windows XP or Windows Vista on their computer. On the face of it this would not seem to be complicated. After all Vista is the new kid on the block, the latest offering from the boys and girls at Redmond and is therefore all singing, all dancing and a must have for anyone who wants to keep up with the techno-Jones next door, right?
Wrong. Vista's arrival has been greeted with all the appreciation of a Carol Singers' convention at the home of Ebeneezer Scrooge! On the technology internet forums it was savaged by posters who took delight in pointing out every flaw and Microsoft provided them with plenty to choose from! From the plethora of different versions to the security system capable of driving the most placid user to incoherent fury, Vista served up a diet of difficulty and frustration. Some two years after it first hit the shelves Vista has failed to inspire users to ditch their old operating systems and grab a copy of the shiny new contender to 'Best OS' title. Which begs the question, why?
In XP, Windows created a stable reliable system, some would add eventually to that sentence, but the fact is that XP has become the venerable old man of Windows and depending on your point of view is either much-loved or tolerated because of its stability and way it can be made to work with most software and peripherals. Vista on the other hand is a bit like the new guy who comes into the office with lots of letters after his name but no actual work experience. Microsoft doubtless had expectations that people would rush out and buy their new offering as they had done since the days of Windows 98, but in creating a stable OS with Windows XP they made a lot of people question why they should bother to invest in the new system. This questioning got louder when it became obvious that Vista would need a much more powerful machine to run than its predecessor. Have a look at the system requirements for Vista to be found on the Microsoft site.
Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate
1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
Windows Aero-capable graphics card
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space (the 15GB of free space provides room for temporary file storage during the install or upgrade.)
For more information about the different editions of Windows Vista, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/default.mspx
Pay special attention to the system memory, although there is a version of Vista which needs less, if you want the 'Aero Glass' feature you need one of the resource heavy versions of the operating system. That means a gigabyte of RAM and either a dedicated graphics card or video off the motherboard and even more RAM plugged into the system. By comparison, its possible to get XP running on 256kb of RAM, albeit sluggishly, however 512kb will do the job perfectly well including any hived off for the video card.
One of the more irritating things for the ordinary user was the release of 'Vista Ready' laptops and desktops, a quick glance at the specifications for these rigs showed that they were ready for Vista in the same way that a morbidly obese 40 year old woman is ready for the London Marathon.
Microsoft don't seem to have much faith in their own product, witness their latest adverts and note which word is missing from the advert? Microsoft seem to be placing their faith in their new operating systems entitled Windows 7 but just how good the new system will be and whether it will see people transferring their allegiance remains to be seen. To make that happen they will need to offer something better than Aero Glass running on better than 1GB machines. Early rumours suggested a lightweight operating system which peaked the interest of myself and others, but since then information has been sketchy and what will come out of the labs at Redmond remains to be seen.
OK, I hear you say, then the choice is easy, we stay with XP, right? Nope, the Microsoft team are having none of that. The intention is to stop selling XP at the end of January. Copies will still be available through retail deals, but any new PC is likely to have Vista installed, whether the specification can handle it or not. To be fair, XP has had two stays of execution already, so a stop date was always in the pipeline but with demand for the OS still high and reports of people wanting to remove Vista and install XP, it remains to be seen whether XP might yet escape the axe and continue on its way as the old man of the OS at least until Windows 7 makes its triumphant arrival on the scene, whenever that might be...
Watch this space...
Links:
Windows 7 website http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/
Windows 7 appears on Pirate Bay http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/02/windows_7_beta_bittorrent/
