Comments on: Microsoft Back on the Offensive http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/ A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:47:09 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Rarst http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-419797 Rarst Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:27:44 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-419797 @Thinker Yep it's good that Vista have exactly feature you need. But that single feature doesn't make it instantly better than XP overall. :) You made sane choice with clear "because", but plenty of people rationalize using Vista by hyping crappy features like ReadyBoost they didin't even try or read proper info about. @Thinker

Yep it’s good that Vista have exactly feature you need. But that single feature doesn’t make it instantly better than XP overall. :)

You made sane choice with clear “because”, but plenty of people rationalize using Vista by hyping crappy features like ReadyBoost they didin’t even try or read proper info about.

]]> By: Vista vs XP continued http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-419746 Vista vs XP continued Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:38:43 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-419746 [...] Words into replying to some comments made by Rarst on my post yesterday about Microsoft I decided I may as well publish it like so as a new post… that’s what happens [...] [...] Words into replying to some comments made by Rarst on my post yesterday about Microsoft I decided I may as well publish it like so as a new post… that’s what happens [...]

]]> By: Thinker http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-419590 Thinker Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:17:18 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-419590 @Rastr: It all depends how you use your computer. The most annoying thing in XP was that, when I started it I have still to wait some time after seeing desktop for HDD to stop loading stuff. Then I clicked Firefox, my IM program, winamp, torrent and.... I could go for a coffee, because loading all those programs takes more than 1 minute. In Vista? All is instant. Thanks to super prefetching. I'm working as web-master of web based game. I very often start programs. With Vista I can work faster. Not very much, but I feel more comfortable. I was working before with more than 20 XP versions - home, prof, SP1, SP2, SP3, tiny versions, my own versions, big integrated versions with every hack possible. I'm using windows since version 3.0. Vista is best of all. And from all Vista fancy stuff I like only aero, rest is useless for me. @Rastr:
It all depends how you use your computer. The most annoying thing in XP was that, when I started it I have still to wait some time after seeing desktop for HDD to stop loading stuff. Then I clicked Firefox, my IM program, winamp, torrent and…. I could go for a coffee, because loading all those programs takes more than 1 minute. In Vista? All is instant. Thanks to super prefetching.
I’m working as web-master of web based game. I very often start programs. With Vista I can work faster. Not very much, but I feel more comfortable. I was working before with more than 20 XP versions – home, prof, SP1, SP2, SP3, tiny versions, my own versions, big integrated versions with every hack possible. I’m using windows since version 3.0. Vista is best of all. And from all Vista fancy stuff I like only aero, rest is useless for me.

]]> By: Rarst http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-419503 Rarst Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:21:44 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-419503 >Vista starts program faster. It’s a fact that you can’t beat. Just try it. I couldn't care less about startup time. I start my core program once a month and they just keep running. I need system that is realtime fast not one that saves me few seconds on something I do extremely rarely. >Additional things that Vista does are not slowing computer because they done when your computer is in idle state. Yeah, sure. That's why I keep hearing complains that Vista puts priority on internal tasks and freezes user out (especially on relatively underpowered stuff like notebooks). :) It is supposed to work in idle, doesn't mean it always does. And some stuff like DRM crap runs realtime by definition. A little disclaimer - I am not Vista hater for the sake of it. But I am greatly dissapointed with it. It is boring upgrade stuffed with crappy features, slower and with higher system requirements. Not something I want to replace my XP with. >Vista starts program faster. It’s a fact that you can’t beat. Just try it.

I couldn’t care less about startup time. I start my core program once a month and they just keep running. I need system that is realtime fast not one that saves me few seconds on something I do extremely rarely.

>Additional things that Vista does are not slowing computer because they done when your computer is in idle state.

Yeah, sure. That’s why I keep hearing complains that Vista puts priority on internal tasks and freezes user out (especially on relatively underpowered stuff like notebooks). :) It is supposed to work in idle, doesn’t mean it always does. And some stuff like DRM crap runs realtime by definition.

A little disclaimer – I am not Vista hater for the sake of it. But I am greatly dissapointed with it. It is boring upgrade stuffed with crappy features, slower and with higher system requirements. Not something I want to replace my XP with.

]]> By: Thinker http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-419481 Thinker Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:47:23 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-419481 @Rast: Vista starts program faster. It's a fact that you can't beat. Just try it. Additional things that Vista does are not slowing computer because they done when your computer is in idle state. I often see HDD working when I left my room and get back 15mins later. @Rast:
Vista starts program faster. It’s a fact that you can’t beat. Just try it.
Additional things that Vista does are not slowing computer because they done when your computer is in idle state. I often see HDD working when I left my room and get back 15mins later.

]]> By: Rarst http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418787 Rarst Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:50:47 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418787 >The comment about Vista being slower then XP is not true Quoting Microsoft: "Behind the scenes, Windows Vista is doing a lot more on your behalf than Windows XP does. It's indexing your files so you can find them fast, keeping your hard drive organized, saving your work so nothing gets lost, and defending your computer against hackers and phishers." It IS slower. It can't be faster by design. All people saying it is faster are either comparing it to really crappy XP install or are using self-hypnosis. :) >What things do you think haven’t been fixed now after 2 years? Tons of internal DRM crap that slows some critical tasks like file copying to a crawl. Crappy performance on notebooks (on normal notebooks, not upper-class that pack more hardware than average desktop). High system requirements (if it could work on XP-level hardware adoption process could be way more smooth). >extends just about every single feature of XP as well as significantly more Examples, please? Features that sucked in XP and were fixed by Vista. :) I am big fan of specifics. >The comment about Vista being slower then XP is not true

Quoting Microsoft:
“Behind the scenes, Windows Vista is doing a lot more on your behalf than Windows XP does. It’s indexing your files so you can find them fast, keeping your hard drive organized, saving your work so nothing gets lost, and defending your computer against hackers and phishers.”

It IS slower. It can’t be faster by design. All people saying it is faster are either comparing it to really crappy XP install or are using self-hypnosis. :)

>What things do you think haven’t been fixed now after 2 years?
Tons of internal DRM crap that slows some critical tasks like file copying to a crawl.
Crappy performance on notebooks (on normal notebooks, not upper-class that pack more hardware than average desktop).
High system requirements (if it could work on XP-level hardware adoption process could be way more smooth).

>extends just about every single feature of XP as well as significantly more

Examples, please? Features that sucked in XP and were fixed by Vista. :) I am big fan of specifics.

]]> By: joshua http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418739 joshua Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:15:58 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418739 @Thinker, rruben... agreed! @Rast: Yes, the sexier comment is about right, its true Vista is miles better looking then XP but it sounded a bit lame. The comment about Vista being slower then XP is not true, run Vista and XP on the same hardware with fully updated drivers and you'll find Vista running faster and smoother then XP. I have two similarily spec'ed computers one with XP the other with Vista and the XP one feels terrible compared. What things do you think haven't been fixed now after 2 years? Also I fail to see how Vista could be considered a 'boring' release considering it extends just about every single feature of XP as well as significantly more. The Windows Flip feature is the LEAST of the Vista features and I agree, it is useless. @Thinker, rruben… agreed!

@Rast: Yes, the sexier comment is about right, its true Vista is miles better looking then XP but it sounded a bit lame.

The comment about Vista being slower then XP is not true, run Vista and XP on the same hardware with fully updated drivers and you’ll find Vista running faster and smoother then XP. I have two similarily spec’ed computers one with XP the other with Vista and the XP one feels terrible compared.

What things do you think haven’t been fixed now after 2 years?

Also I fail to see how Vista could be considered a ‘boring’ release considering it extends just about every single feature of XP as well as significantly more. The Windows Flip feature is the LEAST of the Vista features and I agree, it is useless.

]]> By: Roman ShaRP http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418576 Roman ShaRP Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:11:08 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418576 Back on offensive? They better back on XP :) Back on offensive?

They better back on XP :)

]]> By: iampriteshdesai http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418400 iampriteshdesai Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:51:25 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418400 I want to try those Vista transparency things. Don't know whether I should get Vista. Compiz on Ubuntu has been way cooler than Vista however Brown sucks. I want to try those Vista transparency things. Don’t know whether I should get Vista. Compiz on Ubuntu has been way cooler than Vista however Brown sucks.

]]> By: Rarst http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418322 Rarst Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:37:09 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418322 Sorry if double comment, something glitches. >Everything works perfect and - what’s important - much faster. Much faster than what? Windows XP is faster than Vista. >Vista is a rather boring version Nice way to put it. :) >Customizing XP had always been fraught with hidden problems. Except for stupid packs that mess with system files it was usually rather smooth for me (got tired of it years ago). Sorry if double comment, something glitches.

>Everything works perfect and – what’s important – much faster.

Much faster than what? Windows XP is faster than Vista.

>Vista is a rather boring version
Nice way to put it. :)

>Customizing XP had always been fraught with hidden problems.

Except for stupid packs that mess with system files it was usually rather smooth for me (got tired of it years ago).

]]> By: rruben http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418301 rruben Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:17:06 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418301 I just like vista, it's much better than xp. And I can say that because I use them both. And of course there are some useless stuff in their like the sidebar which I have turned of and the UAC is turned of. But besides that I really don't want to go back to xp anymore as primary system. XP sucks :-P I just like vista, it’s much better than xp. And I can say that because I use them both. And of course there are some useless stuff in their like the sidebar which I have turned of and the UAC is turned of. But besides that I really don’t want to go back to xp anymore as primary system. XP sucks :-P

]]> By: GR Terrero http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418241 GR Terrero Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:25:27 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418241 As far as Windows goes, Vista is a rather boring version. That Vista flip thingy is the most useless feature imaginable. I always forget that it's there. It just lies low in Quick Launch. So much for the WOW factor. There are third-party apps that put Vista flip to shame. However, customzing Vista has been a blast. Full glass transparencies and theming are a breeze thanks to the guys at CodeGazer and AeroXperience. Customizing XP had always been fraught with hidden problems. As far as Windows goes, Vista is a rather boring version. That Vista flip thingy is the most useless feature imaginable. I always forget that it’s there. It just lies low in Quick Launch. So much for the WOW factor. There are third-party apps that put Vista flip to shame.

However, customzing Vista has been a blast. Full glass transparencies and theming are a breeze thanks to the guys at CodeGazer and AeroXperience. Customizing XP had always been fraught with hidden problems.

]]> By: Rarst http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418217 Rarst Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:06:31 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418217 I stopped reading at "Sexier!" (exact quote). Are they freaking desperate? It's a word Apple fan army may use, not corporate dominating OS. In my opinion Vista has bad reputation for a number of reasons... And they better fix those reasons, not reputation. I stopped reading at “Sexier!” (exact quote). Are they freaking desperate? It’s a word Apple fan army may use, not corporate dominating OS.

In my opinion Vista has bad reputation for a number of reasons… And they better fix those reasons, not reputation.

]]> By: Thinker http://www.ghacks.net/2008/07/23/microsoft-back-on-the-offensive/#comment-418206 Thinker Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:59 +0000 http://www.ghacks.net/?p=5520#comment-418206 Vista is really much better than people on the internet says. I upgraded 2 months ago and I'm really happy. None of proclaimed Vista problems were true for me. Everything works perfect and - what's important - much faster. I'm happy every day when I click an application and I don't have to wait 10-30secs for loading it from disk - application caching is awesome. Vista is really much better than people on the internet says. I upgraded 2 months ago and I’m really happy. None of proclaimed Vista problems were true for me. Everything works perfect and – what’s important – much faster. I’m happy every day when I click an application and I don’t have to wait 10-30secs for loading it from disk – application caching is awesome.

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