Why Does Everyone Hate Vista?!

[QuantumPion]

I just went back to XP after using Vista for a couple months. I forgot how clean, responsive, and fast XP is. Vista just seems sluggish by comparison, even on my very high end box. A few other complains I have about Vista are some odd interface design choices they made (e.g. making desktop icons borders too large, so that you can't box-select icons that are next to other icons), as well as compatibility with programs that I've become accustomed to (media player classic, winamp), the lack of good 3d sound support, etc. Vista definitely has potential, but I don't think it is ready for power users' primary OS yet.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: fierydemise
Vista has been very badly misrepresented as simply XP+Aero when really there is a lot of great stuff in Vista, sidebar, super fetch, search, security, etc.

But that assumes you like Dock, err Sidebar. And that you need help with security. And that you lose track of your files.

It seems like a nice OS to buy for your grandma so she can surf safely and not get her PC infected quite so soon.

Or nice for people the like to mess around with weather map applets for the side-dock, or stock tickers, or some other toy applets.

Nothing wrong with all that, I just haven't found anything in Vista that is better for experienced users like me. Extra shininess doesn't count.

Didn't people say the same things about XP over Win2k?

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
I :heart: Vista

Same here. I've been using it since like November and would not go back to XP.

 

[bucwylde23]

I love Vista, works great for me. Only problem is that my system just died so I'm using XP on my laptop till I can get my desktop replaced.

The new desktop i'm getting will have vista pre-installed, so I'll have to sell my upgrade copy of vista if i can. Never even had a chance to activate it.

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

I don't think Vista is great. My experience on two laptops were horrible.

Long load times.
Constant hard drive thrashing after the system was started up.
Cancel or Allow.
My Alcohol 120% program not being compatible.
My Nero Express not being compatible.
Weird standby issues when closing the lid.
Company of Heros ran like crap.

Maybe when the service pack comes out.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: jman19

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: fierydemise
Vista has been very badly misrepresented as simply XP+Aero when really there is a lot of great stuff in Vista, sidebar, super fetch, search, security, etc.

But that assumes you like Dock, err Sidebar. And that you need help with security. And that you lose track of your files.

It seems like a nice OS to buy for your grandma so she can surf safely and not get her PC infected quite so soon.

Or nice for people the like to mess around with weather map applets for the side-dock, or stock tickers, or some other toy applets.

Nothing wrong with all that, I just haven't found anything in Vista that is better for experienced users like me. Extra shininess doesn't count.

Didn't people say the same things about XP over Win2k?

Yes, I did

And when I moved to XP SP1 it was an OK cross-grade but again mostly the shiny not new features that helped me day-to-day.

Win2000 _looks_ dated now, but the NT core is roughly as good as XP except for XP having the edge for preinstalled drivers and a few nice wizards for grandma-PC setup.

XP eventually became the best OS for games, but for the first couple of years after release, dual-booting Win98SE with XP or 2K was a better choice.

 

[lyssword]

I think it's a great operating system. If I was a system builder it's easier to install than xp. Also xp had gone haywire on me many times, when I was installing for friends/sisters. And reinstalling it is a pain. Once you get up and running with xp (stable) then sure, its nice, but I had some troubles with win xp for first few runs. I don't have vista on my comp but I'd prefer working with vista os from a support-type person's point of view. I only installed vista once, but it's much faster to set up

 

[mechBgon]

Win2000 _looks_ dated now, but the NT core is roughly as good as XP except for XP having the edge for preinstalled drivers and a few nice wizards for grandma-PC setup.

Out of curiosity, are you aware that XP SP2 has substantially less attack surface than Win2000 SP4? I'm not talking about the fact it has a firewall, either. And Vista > XP SP2, hands-down.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Win2000 _looks_ dated now, but the NT core is roughly as good as XP except for XP having the edge for preinstalled drivers and a few nice wizards for grandma-PC setup.

Out of curiosity, are you aware that XP SP2 has substantially less attack surface than Win2000 SP4? I'm not talking about the fact it has a firewall, either. And Vista > XP SP2, hands-down.

I'd agree that XP is more secure, and that Vista is even more so. I had to re-write our InstallShield installs at work to cope with UAC blocking some of their actions

My point of view is as a user who would never be careless enough to click on a random exe or zip in an email, despite the lure of Anna K. pics. I see the value of UAC for others, but I've never felt its absence in my own use of a PC.

I'm also organized enough not to lose files, so the only time I use Search in XP is to hunt down a file added by someone else, like an exe in the process list or a win32 header file.

I'm not a Dock or gadget applet fan, so Sidebar doesn't add any value for me either.

All of this is just for my use of an OS. I don't hate XP or Vista, it's just that neither one has offered much (for me) over 2000 except better graphic design for the skin.

 

[mechBgon]

My point of view is as a user who would never be careless enough to click on a random exe or zip in an email, despite the lure of Anna K. pics. I see the value of UAC for others, but I've never felt its absence in my own use of a PC.

Do you ever visit pics.bbzzdd.com? Check out this archived copy, and read the News column: http://web.archive.org/web/20050123023626/http://pics.bbzzdd.com/

Do you ever do Google searches? Adwords hack --> exploit-bearing websites.

Ever go to Asus.com? It was recently hacked, hosting zero-day ANI exploits. Or TheRegister.co.uk with the well-known Bofra incident. Even Microsoft's own sites can get hacked... IEAK page hacked.. Where I used to work, our own non-profit agency's webserving host got hacked (thanks a lot, Interland) and was trying to feed our own computers malware. And of course I had set our browsers to use our site as the homepage. Because I figured it would be safe :roll:

The main point isn't whether you've been exposed to those specific threats, but to show the bigger picture: the bad guys are determined, and they could come at you from a vector you're not expecting. Possibly even one you trust. Not just alluring Zip files with pics of teh sexay. Vista gives people, and clueless newbies especially, a big boost in security. UAC is the most visible aspect of those changes but it goes beyond that.

So I find it a bit aggravating to have people blathering on about how Vista doesn't have anything new. Considering that botnets tripled in size in two weeks earlier this year, I also dispute that there's nothing in Vista that people really need, and that there's nothing wrong with WinXP. It's time to turn the tide on the botmasters, the Spammers, the carders and the phishers, and getting the average folks onto a more secure OS is going to help, whether that means Vista or something else. The realities of the PC market being what they are, that basically means Vista.

 

[thescreensavers]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

My point of view is as a user who would never be careless enough to click on a random exe or zip in an email, despite the lure of Anna K. pics. I see the value of UAC for others, but I've never felt its absence in my own use of a PC.

Do you ever visit pics.bbzzdd.com? Check out this archived copy, and read the News column: http://web.archive.org/web/20050123023626/http://pics.bbzzdd.com/

Do you ever do Google searches? Adwords hack --> exploit-bearing websites.

Ever go to Asus.com? It was recently hacked, hosting zero-day ANI exploits. Or TheRegister.co.uk with the well-known Bofra incident. Even Microsoft's own sites can get hacked... IEAK page hacked.. Where I used to work, our own non-profit agency's webserving host got hacked (thanks a lot, Interland) and was trying to feed our own computers malware. And of course I had set our browsers to use our site as the homepage. Because I figured it would be safe :roll:

The main point isn't whether you've been exposed to those specific threats, but to show the bigger picture: the bad guys are determined, and they could come at you from a vector you're not expecting. Possibly even one you trust. Not just alluring Zip files with pics of teh sexay. Vista gives people, and clueless newbies especially, a big boost in security. UAC is the most visible aspect of those changes but it goes beyond that.

So I find it a bit aggravating to have people blathering on about how Vista doesn't have anything new. Considering that botnets tripled in size in two weeks earlier this year, I also dispute that there's nothing in Vista that people really need, and that there's nothing wrong with WinXP. It's time to turn the tide on the botmasters, the Spammers, the carders and the phishers, and getting the average folks onto a more secure OS is going to help, whether that means Vista or something else. The realities of the PC market being what they are, that basically means Vista.

This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Wow.

Just wow.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Wow.

Just wow.

Truth is you always get people that don't like change,remember when XP arrived and Win2K owners were saying similar things?......the fact is XP is getting old now and has been patched,repatched so many times now its about time we had a new OS to take over.

Another fact about Vista is the security,stability and even driver support is way better then I remember XP in its first year of release.

Sidenote:My brother dropped his laptop which had XP and yes its busted ,he's getting a new laptop with Vista for work and his own personal use,I'll report his findings on Vista later.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Guys... he figured us out!

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Long load times.

Your laptops are crappy.

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Constant hard drive thrashing after the system was started up.

Your laptops are crappy.

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Cancel or Allow.

Turn it off.

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
My Alcohol 120% program not being compatible.

My CD mounting software works in Windows Vista if I recall. I rarely mount CDs, so I can't remember. Heck, even the name of it's eluding me... the one with the red icon and the rotated 'C' like thing.

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
My Nero Express not being compatible.

My friend, you are better off without Nero.

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Weird standby issues when closing the lid.

Cannot comment, I don't have a laptop with Vista on it.

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Company of Heros ran like crap.

Gaming on a laptop... I've never expected it to be good

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
I don't think Vista is great. My experience on two laptops were horrible.

Long load times.
Constant hard drive thrashing after the system was started up.
Cancel or Allow.
My Alcohol 120% program not being compatible.
My Nero Express not being compatible.
Weird standby issues when closing the lid.
Company of Heros ran like crap.

Maybe when the service pack comes out.

1: Long load times,hard drive thrashing,probably due to prefetching etc(which is normal at startup)...and how much ram you have installed,you can disable Windows Defender real time scan and System Restore,in my experience this makes Vista a lot more snappier.


2:Cancel or Allow,nothing wrong with that ,UAC is a security feature which you can disable.


3:Alcohol 120,never used it so can't comment,however I'm sure there be a Vista compatible version at some point.


4:Nero Express works fine in my Nero 7 suite and I'm using Vista x64.


5:Wierd Standby issues when closing lid, could be a few things so can't comment on this one.


6:Company of Heroes performance,this is down to ram and the onboard graphics etc.. of the laptop in question,for gaming you need high performance laptop.


Side note:Try a ReadyBoost 1GB - 2GB device and defrag your HD ,plus the above solutions ,I'm sure you'll find it snappier.

 

[nerp]

People who diss search are missing the point. It's not about finding just files. It's about searching WITHIN the files for contextual information. If you're like me, you have thousands of word documents in a very deep folder tree from a fairly lengthy writing career. Being able to cull information out of years of notes/interviews instantly is wonderful. And don't say "keep better track of your information" because my writing/notes are very nicely organized by week, month and year -- I write for a weekly. It's just that the sheer volume of information on my machines is so great, finding a small nugget of information in that mass of data takes a few seconds as opposed to 20-30 minutes of me browsing through a folder tree hunting for a specific file and THEN hunting WITHIN that file. Screw that. Gimme search.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Kur
Stability > Eye candy

also the fact that DX10 is vista only made me not wanna buy, forcing consumers to buy a new OS AND Card is complete bullshit to be honest.

Vista is far more stable than XP, even at release without any service packs. And performance is better.

As for 'forcing you'... nobody is forcing you to do anything. Do you complain that a newer car may have a better engine than the current car that you have? Or that the jacket you buy this year goes out of season next year and are 'forced' to buy another?

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Are you saying I don't know how to use a computer properly?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Are you saying I don't know how to use a computer properly?

Admit it Smilin, you just like the transparent windows and the convenient slide-out cupholder that also plays CDs when closed.

 

[Tegeril]

*Takes note of Smilin's Video Professor Vista CD sitting in his cup holder*

 

[corkyg]

I happen to like Vista very much. I didn't know it was "hated." Im would say that haters would be a small minority if the price were halved.

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Are you saying I don't know how to use a computer properly?

Admit it Smilin, you just like the transparent windows and the convenient slide-out cupholder that also plays CDs when closed.

It plays CDs??

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Are you saying I don't know how to use a computer properly?

Admit it Smilin, you just like the transparent windows and the convenient slide-out cupholder that also plays CDs when closed.

It plays CDs??

I heard it has DRM so you can't play music or movies any more, and the only games you can play are Hearts and Mine Sweeper.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Sunner
I heard it has DRM so you can't play music or movies any more, and the only games you can play are Hearts and Mine Sweeper.

:laugh:

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
This is true, But I think vista sucks but for people who don't know how to use a computer properly will think it is amazing and it is true more security.

Are you saying I don't know how to use a computer properly?

Admit it Smilin, you just like the transparent windows and the convenient slide-out cupholder that also plays CDs when closed.

It plays CDs??

:laugh:

I heard it has DRM so you can't play music or movies any more, and the only games you can play are Hearts and Mine Sweeper.

Bah, more misinformation The new cupholder Drink Rights Management enforcement in Windows Vista ensures that you aren't trying to refill your Starbucks cup with pirated no-name coffee you got from the coffeemaker in the drink room. I mean, that's just wrong :frown: