ID:277359
 
I hvae XP X64 and I want to get vista ultimate (OEM). I just made 280 dollars for helping my neighbor move and am thinking about buying vista. I have a gig of ddr2800 ram a 2.4 ghz core2 and a 7300GS GFX card with 256 ram. Is it worth it? Will DRM prevent me from getting music and programs?
It's just to get Vista. Totally go with something else.

Ubuntu is 100% free and works really well. With a gig of RAM and a graphics card, you can do anything with it -- including running Beryl, which provides eye candy for your desktop that far outshineys Vista's aero theme.

Linspire costs a fraction of what Vista does, and it's made really really simple for Windows people to migrate to. It's packed with tools for Linux beginners and it doesn't dabble at all in DRM. It's a really excellent operating system and a highly competent competitor to Vista.

Save your 280 dollars and spend it on a copy of Cedega (so that you can play Windows games) and Crossover (so you can run other Windows programs natively). Both those programs will run on either Linspire or Ubuntu - and you'll still have plenty of money left over.
I'll have to agree with PirateHead on this one. I'm a Windows fanboy, I know, but Vista just doesn't seem worth your money just yet. If you don't plan on sticking with Windows XP, PirateHead gave some pretty good alternatives. I know that Unbuntu is pretty good from experience, and SuSE is alright. It'll partition your drive for you so you can dual-boot Windows and SuSE.
You can run Vista, but uh, there's not really a point to it yet. You can do everything it can in XP, and XP is time-tested to be decent.

If you want eye-candy, download WindowFX 3.0 for XP or just install Linux with Beryl

~Kujila
In response to Kujila
Kujila wrote:
XP is time-tested to be decent.

That is a total lie! XP computers quickly get swamped with trojans, spyware, and adware. XP is notoriously insecure and updates are few and far between -- a situation that will only get worse now that Microsoft is spending time on Vista rather than XP. You cannot, in all seriousness, say that XP proved itself to be a safe, stable, or decent operating system over its lifespan.
In response to PirateHead
PirateHead wrote:
Kujila wrote:
XP is time-tested to be decent.

That is a total lie! XP computers quickly get swamped with trojans, spyware, and adware. XP is notoriously insecure and updates are few and far between -- a situation that will only get worse now that Microsoft is spending time on Vista rather than XP. You cannot, in all seriousness, say that XP proved itself to be a safe, stable, or decent operating system over its lifespan.

Millenium >>> XP >>> 98 >>> 2000 >>> Vista
In response to Dark Bahamut
98 owned because there were little to no internet access at its birth, so viruses were few and rare.
In response to PirateHead
An alternative to Ubuntu is basically any Linux OS. Fedora Core 6 uses a different engine over Ubuntu, but both are very stable, and completely free. Plus, the install for each is easy even for a Linux newb like I was. Vista isn't worth it, especially right now, there's nothing FOR Vista yet, and to top it off, by the time there is, Linux OSes will be up and competing with Vista, if they arent already. It takes some getting used to, but after alittle bit of time, (took me less than a week to get a basic jist of it) I can do a lot. Plus, its more stable than Vista or XP, because of less viruses and spyware and the like, and its completely free! Of course, there are some problems here and there when switchin to Linux, but they can be figured out on the Linux forums all around. I say go for it! If you dont like it, its never that hard to just switch back.
In response to Dark Bahamut
Dark Bahamut wrote:
Millenium >>> XP >>> 98 >>> 2000 >>> Vista

You can't be serious. ME was the worst version of Windows ever. All the instability of it's 95/98 cousins, with extra problems and other crap added! I should know, I used it for a while. Ugh.

I believe XP is still the best Windows OS available, unless Vista is better; as I haven't experienced Vista first-hand, I'm not in a position to judge it properly. Howver, thus far, second-hand and third-hand reports are not encouraging. So I'm sticking with XP for now.
In response to PirateHead
You get swamped with that crap from going to malicious websites. Microsoft shouldn't have to take care of you. They provide a product and it's your obligation to take care of it.

XP is rated insecure because people really only make malicious programs for Windows. XP does have quite a bit of updates, and I don't see any other OS coming out with updates faster. XP is decent. He did not say it was great or safe and stable. It is decent. I hardly ever seem to have many problems with it.
In response to CaptFalcon33035
CaptFalcon33035 wrote:
You get swamped with that crap from going to malicious websites. Microsoft shouldn't have to take care of you. They provide a product and it's your obligation to take care of it.

Yes, and yet in Windows Vista they're giving you full control over your OS with no restrictions at all, right? They're not doing regular scans of your computer to see if you have "unwanted software" on it, yes?

XP is rated insecure because people really only make malicious programs for Windows.

That's true. Linux and Mac are both vulnerable to the same attacks done on Windows. But no-one bothers to make viruses for those operating systems, because hardly anyone uses them. Boy, let's hope either Microsoft or Apple wins the power struggle. I wouldn't want to see all those poor servers (including BYOND's servers) being attacked by six-year-old script kiddies with nothing better to do than to download "hacking tools" and try to use them on others.
In response to Android Data
Android Data wrote:
Yes, and yet in Windows Vista they're giving you full control over your OS with no restrictions at all, right? They're not doing regular scans of your computer to see if you have "unwanted software" on it, yes?

Because users of Windows want it, and a lot need it. A good deal of Windows users don't know about the viruses and spyware that go around, and they all lack protection, or use popular methods (and crappy) of protection, one of which is something I like to call Norton AntiVirus.

I also doubt they like their technical support lines stuffed up with PC users who have problems which could have been avoided by avoiding malicious websites or downloading porn and warez. Everyone knows that most of those sites spread spyware, and downloading that stuff sometimes contain viruses.


That's true. Linux and Mac are both vulnerable to the same attacks done on Windows. But no-one bothers to make viruses for those operating systems, because hardly anyone uses them. Boy, let's hope either Microsoft or Apple wins the power struggle. I wouldn't want to see all those poor servers (including BYOND's servers) being attacked by six-year-old script kiddies with nothing better to do than to download "hacking tools" and try to use them on others.

So, they aren't vulnerable to all of the same attacks, but they are vulnerable. Regardless, that's why I hope Linux and BSD don't become popular. :D
In response to Dark Bahamut
If you don't know what you're talking about, don't talk. ME was by far the worse Windows-based operating system. I ran it and had to reformat monthly because of internal driver conflicts. 2000 has much more built-in support than 98 (It's 10 years old and outdated, have to face it). Vista would rank much higher if you could ... deal... with it's annoyances. Heh.
In response to Kujila
Kujila wrote:
You can run Vista, but uh, there's not really a point to it yet. You can do everything it can in XP, and XP is time-tested to be decent.

If you want eye-candy, download WindowFX 3.0 for XP or just install Linux with Beryl

~Kujila
Exactly, wait for a year or so to see what it's like. No point getting it now and having to deal with the bugs, and the fact that the newest ipods don't work on it(I'm sure Microsoft did this on purpose with the Zune out now). Right now XP can do everything you'd need it too. Just wait a year or so
In response to FriesOfDoom
Im sticking with XP. I may get vista when it will be worth it.
In response to PirateHead
PirateHead wrote:
Ubuntu is 100% free and works really well.

Really? I've downloaded 5 different installs for it, and have had nothing but trouble. And on that note, the Ubuntu forums aren't really all that helpfull. I've posted only two of my troubles there and they only got one reply. Yet, threads on how do I install/unintall Ubuntu can reach multiple pages.

You can keep your Ubuntu, I'll keep SuSE and Slackware. The only distros that haven't screwed me over, and if they did I got the problem solved quickly.

That is a total lie! XP computers quickly get swamped with trojans, spyware, and adware. XP is notoriously insecure and updates are few and far between.

Really? I've ran and maintained 5 or more computers running Windows XP, and have had no trouble with them at all. Oh, I forgot to mention that the only form of security I have on it is a firewall, software and hardware.

If you're getting swamped with trojans, spyware, adware and viruses then you're doing something wrong. Please note, by wrong I don't mean warez or porn, I mean in general.
In response to Smoko
You've had trouble with Ubuntu? Even my dad can install that thing perfectly, and he doesn't know much of anything about computers. He prefers SuSE over Ubuntu, though.

Of the XP part, I don't know what the big deal is with some people. I hardly ever have any problems with XP. Really, the only time I have problems is when going for pirates serial keys for software because they all contain malicious crap. However, those are really simple things to fix.

Anything else is really my fault, so as harddrive failure. I tend to leave the PC on during thunderstorms and I don't have any of those surge protectors, that work anyway. I've got one backup supply, it's 10 years old and doesn't work. :'(

If you want porn, use Limewire, check file sizes, and only get commercially available stuff. :P
In response to CaptFalcon33035
CaptFalcon33035 wrote:
You've had trouble with Ubuntu? Even my dad can install that thing perfectly, and he doesn't know much of anything about computers.

That's great that your dad can install Ubuntu. I'm happy for him. But I'll kindly ask you too not indirectly call me an idiot when you haven't got the slightest idea of why I'm having troubles.

You see though, the problem isn't with not being able to install Ubuntu, well except for twice, actually make that 3 times. Once the 6.10 live CD would boot up. But once it logged in, the mouse would dissapeare and my system would freeze for 5 seconds, then log me back out.

Another time was with Kubuntu, the alternate installer. It kept reporting corrupt files, yet checking the CD for defects and the MD5 checksum all returned fine.

After downloading the alternate Ubuntu installer, I got it installed. Sure, getting the boot loader working was a pain but it's always like that for me, so I over looked it. But once I booted into the system it would just load and log me out. I could log in with the repair option at GRUB, but after starting X11 it would freeze after loading everything.

However, I did manage to be able to move around inside the GUI. This required adding a new user from the failsafe terminal then logging out and loging back in as them with a GNOME session. I could only use the new user once, and then it started getting logged back out.

With my last try I got Kubuntu 6.06, because it's ment to be the most stable. Well, there were no corrupt packages for no reason like last time I tried Kubuntu. But around the 84% installation mark, it froze. No matter how many times I tried. Once again, the check CD for defects and MD5 checksums all returned fine.

But before anyone asks, yes. My computer is fine there is nothing wrong with it. 2000 has ran fine. XP runs fine, Slackware has ran fine and so has SuSE. It's Ubuntu that is the problem. Not me, not my media or how I burn them.
In response to Smoko
Shame that you've had trouble with Ubuntu. I have also had a few troubles, and have had occasional fits getting support from the IRC channels and forums. However, Ubuntu is still the easiest to set up beginning to end, and it works without a hitch on many computers. Also, though Slackware is probably a better choice in many ways, I would not recommend it to newbies. If getting your desktop to run involves editing files with vi, managing package dependencies by reading documentation and looking at tutorials, and building configuration files by hand, a lot of folks just give up.

I'm also glad to hear that you had such a great experience with Windows. Unfortunately, millions of other users haven't had such a hot time -- and they make it worse for the rest of us by gushing spam out of every orifice.
In response to PirateHead
Get it.

People who have xp think about how much time you use it.....you use it a lot. And people are saying vista is real expensive. Well of course, look how much time they spent and how much time you are going to spend with it :/

I don't know, maybe it isn't worth upgrading now but next year it will be for sure.
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