I don't normally post in these types of forums or leave comments to articles like this, but one of the comments left here had me laughing and I felt compelled to reply to it. The guy who posted reminds me of one of my friend's dads - thinks he's a computer pro but can't set up a home network without help. He has like 16 computers lying around, 9 of them taken apart with graphics cards and motherboards lying about like he knows what he's doing. It cracks me up every time I stop over there, knowing that this is the same man who didn't know what a cat-5 network cable was. Anyhow, to my point:
When I try to play MY OWN videos shot by my OWN CAMERA, half the time at random Vista refuses to play them, essentially assuming that they must be pirated.
Um ...this seems a bit far fetched. I do all sorts of audio/video work on my Vista machine without any problems. You're screwing something up somewhere. Check documentation for the software that you're using to create these files.
And as far as being intuitive, it took me - in the top .1% of long-term computer professionals - thirty minutes to find the equivalent of the Program Manager...
Really? Seriously? As Microsoft says, WOW...
I would happily switch to Win2KPro on my laptop - or even XP, so I can get online, but Office Depot tells me that this will terminate my warranty from HP, plus the drivers are not there for either XP or Win2KPro.
You needed Office Depot to tell you that? Any "computer professional" would know that a pre-built system acquired from a manufacturer like HP is bound to the OS it comes with and that making a system-wide change like that would void the warranty.
I see some professional developers quite regularly at a monthly party. They are unanimous in condemning Vista, listing incredibly bad wireless, security over the top that constantly prevents them from accessing their own legit files, and a generally sluggish performance, much the same as I have experienced.
What version of Vista are you guys using? If you're using Basic or Home Premium, changing file or directory permissions is a bit trickier because these versions aren't intended for power users, they're intended for mom and dad, grandma and grandpa. But it CAN be done. If you're using Business or Ultimate, changing permissions is identical to the process in Windows XP. Anyway the reason I mention file and directory permissions is because in my year of extensive use of Vista, I have NEVER ONCE encountered a situation where I couldn't access a file. So the only way Vista would prevent a user from accessing a file is if they were trying to change a system file or another user's file, which can still be done by changing permissions. If you're referring to UAC, that can be turned off, easily.
People who complain about system performance in Vista or those who piss and moan about having to upgrade make me laugh. There are a lot of those people out there, too, so that means a lot of entertainment for me. Anyway - hardware is constantly getting better. So is software. It has to. Nobody would be satisfied running 8-bit games on a quad-core x64 system, or running DOS based word processors on that system. My point is that the better software gets, the more power you need to run it. That's just the way it is. So why would anyone expect performance and responsiveness out of an OS that is running on sub-par or old hardware? Especially one that is brand new? That is just absurd. Windows Vista should and will run on any computer that has been built or purchased within the last few years, and yes, in some cases, one might have to upgrade their RAM. Here's the rub - if you want to stay on the software train, you're going to have to upgrade your computer at some point or buy a new system. Phil, that little rant wasn't intended for you, but more for all those whiners out there who think they can use the latest and greatest software without having to upgrade or get a newer computer.
So, my plan: move to Ubuntu and screw MicroSoft. Thanks a bunch for wasting two months of my time.
Did someone hold a gun to your head and force you to try Vista? No ...therefore you wasted your own time if you're not satisfied. By the way, if you migrate to Ubuntu, you're going to deal with the same security pop-ups and hassles as you do in Vista. And that is because Vista is finally doing what OS's like Linux have been doing for years with security.
By the way, I do not proclaim myself to be a computer professional. I am merely a hobbyist and the local computer geek.
-sgaske
