Windows Vista Ultimate Hands On: A Diary

[ninjaquick]

I guess were just exposed to different crowds, most people i know are entusiasts or just stubborn, they love classic.. i honestly dont care what GUI i use. Right now im using aero but Vista's version of classic is so hawt i might use it instead.

 

[torque79]

so Windows XP was limiting the transfer speed of hard drives? I find that hard to believe. were you transferring the same direction on Vista, from let's say C: on hard drive 1 to D: on hard drive 2? perhaps you file transfer in Vista was actually between partitions, rather than physical drives? Unless Vista is hiding part of the file transfer process, I don't see how this is possible. Hard drives have been the bottlenecks to PC performance for a LONG time, I don't see how the OS could make that dramatic a difference. I could see a better file system making an improvement, but it's hard to imagine that far improvement could be possible.

 

[ninjaquick]

No, the operation was IDENTICAL, the files moved and the file system used.. the only variable was the OS..

I did this transfer awhile ago, so my times might be off, but one thing that is very neat about vista is that it shows you the speed of your file transfers, which mine averaged at 50MB/s which, according to my calculations woulda taken bout 8.33 minutes to complete.

I could hardly believe how long took either lol.

 

[Slobogob]

I think we are splitting hairs here. Most readers are surely looking at the piece with a mind to getting a feel of the product right? And I echo the opinion that this piece was less than satisfactory due to the insistance on running the GUI in classic mode.

Another observation is that it would have been more useful to have installed Vista on a "known system" to avoid commentary on features that did not work due to a switch that was not set.

While most readers (I suppose you got that from Gartner, right? ) seem to be quite dissatisfied with the article, which i can understand, this does stem from a general misconception.
No, it´s not splitting hairs if i say this is not a review. Doing a review means stating facts, backing them with proof, quoting your sources and generally having a rather scientific apporoach. The article mentioned in the title has nothing scientific, nothing review like at all. It´s a blog-style diary.
If you read it expecting a review you´ll be disappointed, because it´s not a review. Let me say it once more, just to be clear and make sure that everyone read it: It´s not a review. NOT-A-REVIEW. Nada, zilch, njet review.
It´s nothing more than what a single user thinks about vista while using it. And, oh my, that user doesn´t like the new GUI and switches back to the classic one! Disaster is upon us! The heathens are coming to eat our souls!
What´s next, is someone going to forbid people to wear green shoes or buy chocolate icecream because they don´t like them? It´s an opinion and everyone is entitled to have one. If you don´t share the authors opinion, great! That makes two of us, but it doesn´t matter.
If a user expects a review, clicks on the link, reads the article and at the end wonders why the author rants about the laptop or why there are no performance charts or comparisons with different computers, then that reader should have stopped reading right after the title. Maybe the author should have put a big warning sign next to the article stating "there is no review here, go away". I would´ve felt pretty insulted by being treated like a six year old. But maybe that´s just me.
It´s exactly the opposite that happend. I assume the author expected the audience (that´s us) to see the article as a diary (as written in the title) and not as a review. In turn, this means the audience is treated like grown ups with the mental capacity to outsmart a wet breadroll at least. Yet, a lot of people fail at that. That´s why its not splitting hairs to say its not a review.
I have to agree that i didn´t expect to find a blog on the thg front page, but i knew what i was about to read, since its clearly written all across it, so i´m not really dissappointed. It wasn´t a bad article. Maybe a little odd to see it on the frontpage, but not bad.

PS: I already know that some smartasses will cling to the "but i wanted to see the new GUI in this review" attitude. Well, welcome to the kindergarten. Its inevitable. Heck, it could a variation of Murphy's law. :?

 

[Slobogob]

very disappointing "review" - it was not at all critical or even in depth

It never claimed to be. It´s not even a "review". No.

with security flaws already exposed, massive hardware requirements and the controversy over gifting bloggers high-end laptops, this whitewash of VISTA brings a degree of suspicion to TH, which we have come to know as a reliable source of computer information

Actually it does the opposite. It´s a nice link and interesting read your brought up there. By making this a diary, and not a review (i repeat, NOT A REVIEW) thg steered clear of that pitfall.

ultimately, VISTA boils down to forced migration, not for advanced features or capability, but for sale of yet another OS that does little but perpetuate the Microsoft monoply. thus free laptops to bloggers and rosey projections of 90 million new installations in 2007. how many will be simply because the consumer has no choice, as the OS will be supplied as part of a packaged system?

Want a can of pitty?

planned obsolence at it's finest ...

Agreed! 😀
But that´s the very heart of entertainment.

 

[shuffle2]

This "Diary" proves my suspicions:
1. Windows Vista isn't worth upgrading to from XP
2. There is nothing new that the user would notice (apart from the Aero WM)
Come on people, just admit it.....there is _nothing_ even close to making XP (or mac, or linux, etc) users want to switch to Vista...unless it comes with their new computer, which is probably what will happen.

Seriously, I don't think that consumers should stand for this kind of planned obsolescence, especially when the new product has nothing going for it except the fact that it is new.


I'm sticking with my WinXP and Gentoo dual boot setup....I'm thinking it'll last me many years now.

 

[niz]

How can he do a thorough analysis of Vista if he reverts the OSes interface to classic view, rather than offer thoughts on the new tools/features in the default configuration?

\

I think his point was that the new view sucks so bad that the only way to get to some stuff was by going back to the old view.

I've certanly found in XP that there is stuff in the old view that you can't get to through the new view as easily, if at all.

What started in XP is even worse in Vista, in that the new view now fills up so much otherwise valuable screen space with redundant crap for PC newbies like popups and task lists that its always the first thing I turn off.
The next thing I usually do is to reformat the C: drive and install Linux instead.

 

[ninjaquick]

Dude, he's just scratching the surface.. ive been using it for awhile and ill tell you, It is a huge leap, in features and in performance.

 

[niz]

Dude, he's just scratching the surface.. ive been using it for awhile and ill tell you, It is a huge leap, in features and in performance.

I think you made a typo, heap is spelt with an H.

Also unless you meant a leap backwards, all the reviews and benchmarks I've ever seen have said that games run at least 15% slower on Vista than XP.

 

[Slobogob]

This "Diary" proves my suspicions:
1. Windows Vista isn't worth upgrading to from XP
2. There is nothing new that the user would notice (apart from the Aero WM)
Come on people, just admit it.....there is _nothing_ even close to making XP (or mac, or linux, etc) users want to switch to Vista...unless it comes with their new computer, which is probably what will happen.

Seriously, I don't think that consumers should stand for this kind of planned obsolescence, especially when the new product has nothing going for it except the fact that it is new.


I'm sticking with my WinXP and Gentoo dual boot setup....I'm thinking it'll last me many years now.

A valid argument. A friend of mine still uses windows 2000. The technology is actually quite close to windows xp. The only reason i use xp is, because it´s more comfortable. I don´t doubt MS could´ve patched Win2K to the comfort level of WinXP, but they didn´t do it. Why? My guess is to sell more copies of WinXP. Sounds bad but that´s how the market works and i can´t say that i care. In fact it boils down to "MS made me upgrade" but that´s not necessarily a bad thing. Many corpartions do that, just take a look at how the Floppy drives are phased out or PATA.
If MS would release a new OS every year i´d be pissed, but at the speed MS releases them, it´s not too horrible. Usually my OS outlives 2 or 3 computers before i switch it. I can´t say that for my burning software or my Internet browser (okay, they are a lot cheaper!).
I could always stick with my Suse 10.0 or some older windows version, but i like change, i like to play around, i like to see new things. And most important, i want that comfort of improved software. The moment MS can show me that their new Vista is more comfortable, i´ll switch. If it only were about stability and the ability to work with a computer i would still work with dos or, if wanted cheap and decent looks, some linux distro.

 

[ninjaquick]

okay, um, again, i have bf2 on xp and vista, and i play it on vista cuz it runs better. Sure, if you only have .5-1.5 gb ram you may find you fps will drop (cuz vista idles at round 400-450MB usage), however, the req difference between 98 and xp was also considerable... so its just plain foolish to cry about performance problems if ur computer cant handle it. its like running xp on a pc with 256mb of ram, or on the same pc but with win98. seriously...

 

[valis]

i take screenshots all the time, without actually installing anything!!

if you look on the keyboard, up in the top right, you'll see a button called "print Screen"

press the button.

print screen copies a screencap of the desktop into your clipboard, from there open any program (picture editing, word, paint, whatever) and go to file->edit->paste and VOILA

i can't believe people are starting to forget this lil tidbit of information...

(extra tip, hold down the ALT key when pressing print screen and only the active window will be captured to the clipboard.)

Valis

 

[valis]

a very disappointing "review" - it was not at all critical or even in depth.

i'm still trying to fathom how a tomshardware reviewer apparently doesn't know about "print screen" to do screen caps...

*shakes head*

Valis

 

[Slobogob]

I knew about the "print" key but the combination of "alt+print" is new to me. Anymore of those quite useful tips? 😀

 

[valis]

This "Diary" proves my suspicions:
1. Windows Vista isn't worth upgrading to from XP
2. There is nothing new that the user would notice (apart from the Aero WM)

A valid argument. A friend of mine still uses windows 2000. The technology is actually quite close to windows xp. The only reason i use xp is, because it´s more comfortable.

i've got all my systems at home (7) on windows 2k (or server 2003). it simply works very well and i didn't want to go through the hassle that an xp machine takes to get it to where i like it (which is basically back to the look and feel of 2k)

for me it's more comfortable and of course that's up to each persons preferences. i made the choice to skip winxp since i KNEW that longhorn, as it was known back then, would be out before too long and that would be a whole nother OS switch. (AND cost)

i know i'll move to vista at some point, but if a computer is running well there's no need to change.

Valis
(i still haven't seen anything that would make me want to switch to vista. i know that i'd immediately go to classic interface, the xp system just added MORE clicks to do what i needed done and i'm sure vista would add even more. i haven't got any spyware or viruses (that i didn't KNOW i'd get) in the past 6-7 years, and i dont run any antivirus software, just the hardware firewall on the router. putting it simply, if you KNOW what you're doing you're not going to catch anything.)

 

[valis]

I knew about the "print" key but the combination of "alt+print" is new to me. Anymore of those quite useful tips? 😀

as soon as i think of em i'll pass them along!

but as for right now i think i need another day or two of NYE celebration recovery before i can think any deeper than printscreen... hehehehe.

Valis

 

[Slobogob]

i know i'll move to vista at some point, but if a computer is running well there's no need to change.

Never change a running system. At least that´s what i´ve been taught.

(i still haven't seen anything that would make me want to switch to vista. i know that i'd immediately go to classic interface, the xp system just added MORE clicks to do what i needed done and i'm sure vista would add even more. i haven't got any spyware or viruses (that i didn't KNOW i'd get) in the past 6-7 years, and i dont run any antivirus software, just the hardware firewall on the router. putting it simply, if you KNOW what you're doing you're not going to catch anything.)

It´s the same here. I never had really trouble with windows XP (or 2000 either). For a few years i didn´t even bother with a firewall at all. Two years ago i installed one but nothing else. I expect nothing less of windows Vista, but since i can´t predict the future (that would be handy!) i´ll see how Vista goes for a few months before i try it myself.

 

[Slobogob]

I knew about the "print" key but the combination of "alt+print" is new to me. Anymore of those quite useful tips? 😀

as soon as i think of em i'll pass them along!

but as for right now i think i need another day or two of NYE celebration recovery before i can think any deeper than printscreen... hehehehe.

Valis

The new year started quite exhausting. And i bet it was quite an event (with lots of drinking) for some! :lol:

 

[dean7]

a very disappointing "review" - it was not at all critical or even in depth.

i'm still trying to fathom how a tomshardware reviewer apparently doesn't know about "print screen" to do screen caps...

*shakes head*

ValisYeah, that is something that you assume every tech knows about.

 

[axilon]

a very disappointing "review" - it was not at all critical or even in depth.

i'm still trying to fathom how a tomshardware reviewer apparently doesn't know about "print screen" to do screen caps...

*shakes head*

ValisYeah, that is something that you assume every tech knows about.

I, unfortunately, agree.. but some people have their tried and true programs.

I say we convert this thread to a Mac thread and bring up the flame throwers... that way the thread would be even more meaningless.

I did find it a good read, to get someones opinions of the OS not a run-down or the nitty gritty. Opinions count too, it is why Microsoft sent people the laptops. I was a little discouraged with him claiming it was a 'loaner' laptop, I was under the impression windows GAVE them out to reviewers/bloggers/podcasters with no strings attached... mostly because some people said they would be selling the laptops and donating the money to charity (or other non-sense). I tracked through a few of my news sites but didn't find the page, ill look later on when I feel like it.. or someone can help me 😛

 

[mpjesse]

Nevermind.

 

[Busto963]

If a user expects a review, clicks on the link, reads the article and at the end wonders why the author rants about the laptop or why there are no performance charts or comparisons with different computers, then that reader should have stopped reading right after the title.

At this point, there is not a huge amount of information on experiences with the actual OS, so I kept reading. My hope was to discover more about how the OS actually behaved. I discounted the majority of articles to this point because they were based upon betas. My presumption is that this is the actual version of the OS that will ship.

I am more than familiar with scientific methods and operations analysis - you are still splitting hairs given that this is an article on a computer/tech site.

 

[tokataro]

I agree, and since it is a "diary" with frustrations freely voiced, I can't wait til he encounters all the screwy "virtual" folder issues. I spent maybe a month using vista full-time and for the life of me could never figure out why some things wound up in "virtual store" under my profile while others actually went to program files, where games were TRYING to put them. It seems like some sort of cruel joke against the deskside support community.

 

[WaruiKoohii]

I'm going to point out that Vista has a very nice screen capture utility (I said utility. It's different from the Print Screen button) built in. It's under Accessories, although I don't remember the name at the moment.

 

[Slobogob]

At this point, there is not a huge amount of information on experiences with the actual OS, so I kept reading. My hope was to discover more about how the OS actually behaved. I discounted the majority of articles to this point because they were based upon betas. My presumption is that this is the actual version of the OS that will ship.

I suppose it is the shipping version of vista. I would take everything you read about it with a grain of salt though. Windows XP was okay from the start but only started to work really nice after the servicepacks came out. I suspect this might be the same with vista. While it´s speculative, i sure hope there won´t be a servicepack needed for some time.

I am more than familiar with scientific methods and operations analysis - you are still splitting hairs given that this is an article on a computer/tech site.

I didn´t question your familiarity with the methods. I simply disagree with calling this "splitting hairs". While i agree that it´s odd to see a "blog"-style article on a tech site, it is still not a review. It´s like comparing a political cartoon with the actual political agenda of the government. They have something in common, but one of them is for entertainment, the other one isn´t.