Web Site Design and Technology Solutions
Vista – To V or not to V?
Since its debut Vista has caused quite a stir in the IT community, but is it right for you? According to Microsoft, the revenue from license sales for the quarter ending in March is $1.67 Billion. Not a bad start, but what do the users who have installed Vista and are using it have to say? According to a recent survey by Information Week, 46% of IT technology pros rate Vista as “falling short of expectations” while only 19% rate Vista as “meeting expectations”
Let’s take a look at some of the key Vista changes.
Security – One of the primary focuses in creating Vista was to improve Microsoft’s security within the operating system. While Vista has accomplished this to a certain extent, (Three critical updates since its release due to security flaws and exploits and counting…) The end result for the user is a re-training to jump through a bunch of irritating hoops to accomplish things that were a simple click away in XP. These new hoops are Microsoft’s way of protecting the Operating System from un-authorized changes.
Enhanced Networking – If you are currently using a home or small business network, the entire process of networking has been simplified. The addition of a new interface, Vista’s Network and Sharing Center, has eased some of the burden. Though the interface at first seems intimidating it has put all of the tools you will need for simple networking in one place. Vista has also added some new tools to aid in diagnosing network issues.
Aero Glass Interface – Looks cool and there are some new features, but it may not be worth the price in extensive performance demands that are placed on your system. The interface is a great leap forward for Microsoft but Mac has been doing it for years and doing it better.
Windows Sidebar and Search – Again, cool but this was the first feature I disabled to help alleviate some of the workload placed on the system from the new interface.
Continual Support – Being the newest of the operating systems, you will get a longer support life but you still have at least two years of mainstream support on XP.
Ready Boost – A nifty new tool that allows you to use a USB device as a sort of RAM. Great tool for an instant low cost performance upgrade.
Hardware Requirements – I would not even consider updating a system more than about a year old. Even if your old system is capable of meeting the hardware requirements plan on at least a new video card and a RAM upgrade. Vista’s minimum requirements are an 800mhz processor and 512MB of RAM. This is pretty optimistic, I would recommend at least 1GB of RAM.
Learning Curve – Vista is quite different than it’s predecessor and has, for some reason moved and or re-named many of the tools you frequently use. Plan on some frustrating hours searching for those familiar tools.
Application Compatibility – Well, more like incompatibility. I don’t care what Microsoft says, the issues with compatibility are great and far reaching. Be ready for a number of issues with your current software. Many will require you to pay for an upgrade or at the bare minimum search for new driver or patches to make the programs work correctly. I have found that even Microsoft products may not install correctly. You will need at least Office XP SP2 level software for correct installation and operation.
Notebook Battery Drain – Due to the increased system demands caused by Vista, you will notice a faster drain on your notebook battery. Of course this will vary from system to system, but stay close to a plug just in case!
Game Performance – The Aero Glass interface which is one of the cornerstones for Vista, puts quite a load on the video card which will affect you gaming performance. Estimates predict a slowdown of about 10-15%.
The Bottom Line? If you are looking at purchasing a new system, it may be worth it, but I would hold off for at least six months and allow the third party software engineers a chance to catch up and write patches and updates for the products. Some manufacturers have said they will not be creating updates and will require you to purchase a new version. So, depending on what software you are currently using you may be in for an upgrade. Check with the specific products web site for details. If you are looking at upgrading your current system, you may still want to wait that 6 months or so but plan on hardware and software upgrades.
If you just can’t stand it and need to know if your system is upgradeable, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade
/upgradeadvisor.mspx download the upgrade advisor and see what it comes
up with for your system.