Another satisfied Vista user...

[WindyHillsVideo]

I see more and more of these articles these days, and think it's no wonder Microsoft is back-peddling on end-of-life date on XP, and allowing users to downgrade to XP from Vista. From the looks of things, Vista is as bad as Windows ME if not worse. :uhoh:

A Slashdot user posted...

"After weeks of grueling troubleshooting, I've finally had it confirmed by Microsoft Australia and USA — something as small as swapping the video card or updating a device driver can trigger a total Vista deactivation. Put simply, your copy of Windows will stop working with very little notice (three days) and your PC will go into "reduced functionality" mode, where you can't do anything but use the web browser for half an hour."

[ppatton]

and the rest of the story, http://apcmag.com/vista_activation

[kenny0923]

My Mac has a period of "reduced functionality" as well. It's called the Jerry Springer Show. My Mac just refuses to work during that half hour. ;-)

[Hitman Jr]

I've had a laptop with VISTA on it now for 3 months. If I could shove it up tech support's collective rear ends at Gateay, I would. I will not play DVDs because the video card isn't approved. It looses the keyboard fairly regularly (yes it's vista an not the hardware) and getting on a network is an exercise in pulling teeth.

Up yours Bill Gates! And Gateway! My next laptop will be a Mac.

[Doug Puckett]

I've had a laptop with VISTA on it now for 3 months. If I could shove it up tech support's collective rear ends at Gateay, I would. I will not play DVDs because the video card isn't approved. It looses the keyboard fairly regularly (yes it's vista an not the hardware) and getting on a network is an exercise in pulling teeth.

Up yours Bill Gates! And Gateway! My next laptop will be a Mac.

I agree Brian. Vista is the worst nightmare I have ever encountered with a PC. It is unbelievable how difficult it is to simply connect to a network.

It is a sure fire way to turn more people into MAC heads.

[WindyHillsVideo]

and the rest of the story, http://apcmag.com/vista_activation

Oh my God, thanks for that link. If there were any doubts, that more complete explanation, from the actual user, should make it quite clear. The whole "Genuine Windows" bullshit, and activation key nightmares are all the reason anyone should need to steer clear of Vista.

And funny thing is, the pirates have cracked these protections ages ago, and have had keyless activated copies of Vista and run it with less problems than most of the paying customers. What a fustercluck, Vista is. :no:

Michael

[WindyHillsVideo]

I've had a laptop with VISTA on it now for 3 months. If I could shove it up tech support's collective rear ends at Gateay, I would. I will not play DVDs because the video card isn't approved. It looses the keyboard fairly regularly (yes it's vista an not the hardware) and getting on a network is an exercise in pulling teeth.

Up yours Bill Gates! And Gateway! My next laptop will be a Mac.

I posted a link to an article here a few weeks back, and the next "Service Pack" for Vista was in Beta. You should, by now, be able to get someone at Gateway support to send you a copy of this "XP DOWNGRADE" disk/service pack as soon as it becomes available. If I were you, I'd lean on them folks at Gateway support and get them to ship that out to you for free. I bet most, if not all your issues will go away when you install that service pack. At least at that point that laptop should be much more stable and useful running XP.

Michael

[Hitman Jr]

If I were you, I'd lean on them folks at Gateway support and get them to ship that out to you for free. I bet most, if not all your issues will go away when you install that service pack. At least at that point that laptop should be much more stable and useful running XP.

Michael

Lean on them? I've gone through 4 layers of management Gateway and gotten no where. They are not even willing to discuss the service pack you're talking about.

My favorite response was when they gave me the "fix" for the DVD problem. Oh they play now, except the quality of the video is less than that of a vhs tape recorded at slp mode. I was informed I did not know what I was talking about. This was after I had not only informed them that I was a video producer, but pointed them to the technical documents that describe what Vista does to video being fed through an unapproved video card.

At this point, I have this to say:

DO NOT BUY FROM GATEWAY!

They suck oh so bad.

[JC/DV]

...send you a copy of this "XP DOWNGRADE" disk/service pack as soon as it becomes available.
Wouldn't this be an upgrade?:devil-smiley-076:

[joemcmanus]

My next laptop will be a Mac.

I almost fell of my chair after reading this!!

We will keep the kool-aid cold for ya!

[Daniel Runyon]

This whole thing puts me in a REAL fix... I am anti Vista, anti anything but Vegas (which rules out Mac), and Linux is too much trouble. I have zero intentions of going any farther than XP (which I have NO problems with), but I am fearful as to how long I will be able to do that before hardware no longer supports it and I am forced to do SOMETHING.

I would move over to Mac, but they're gonna have to make Win apps work on it so I can use Vegas first, and the dual boot thing wont cut it because by that time I would imagine that XP will no longer work with the hardware.

I think I can squeeze another 5 years out of XP though... maybe by that time Linux will be MUCH more advanced... but then, I thought the same thing 5 years ago, just tried Linux again and some of my most crucial hardware isn't supported (EMU audio interface).

EDIT:

BTW, can you imagine being a customer service rep for Gateway with BjP on the other end... whew! That would have been fun to have a recording of!

[WindyHillsVideo]

This whole thing puts me in a REAL fix... I am anti Vista, anti anything but Vegas (which rules out Mac), and Linux is too much trouble. I have zero intentions of going any farther than XP (which I have NO problems with), but I am fearful as to how long I will be able to do that before hardware no longer supports it and I am forced to do SOMETHING.

I would move over to Mac, but they're gonna have to make Win apps work on it so I can use Vegas first, and the dual boot thing wont cut it because by that time I would imagine that XP will no longer work with the hardware.

I think I can squeeze another 5 years out of XP though... maybe by that time Linux will be MUCH more advanced... but then, I thought the same thing 5 years ago, just tried Linux again and some of my most crucial hardware isn't supported (EMU audio interface).

EDIT:

BTW, can you imagine being a customer service rep for Gateway with BjP on the other end... whew! That would have been fun to have a recording of!

I tried a free Demo of Vegas 7 on one of my PCs and failed to see any overwhelming or compelling reason why it's such a great NLE. That said, I do know there are a number of folks here who routinely turn out very impressive work using it. I just don't get it, and I I really don't see the value added in booting or running Windows on Apple hardware. I expect I never will.

It seems to me that the Windows operating system is showing signs of becoming a hostile and unfriendly environment to be productive and creative in. I mean, even running a virtual machine based on the Windows environment just to run Windows applications seems counter-productive. You editors running on Windows-based hardware certainly seem to be willing to put up with a lot of stupid crap from Redmond. Have you tried OS X lately?


Michael

[Daniel Runyon]

I tried a free Demo of Vegas 7 on one of my PCs and failed to see any overwhelming or compelling reason why it's such a great NLE.

If you would have spent the time to LEARN Vegas, rather than just tinker with it a little, you'd DEFINITELY see the difference, and it would start to make more and more sense to you as you went.

You editors running on Windows-based hardware certainly seem to be willing to put up with a lot of stupid crap from Redmond. Have you tried OS X lately?

I put up with no crap at all, presently. XP is far from a hostile environment for creativity. It's the future I'm worried about, not the present.

[WindyHillsVideo]

If you would have spent the time to LEARN Vegas, rather than just tinker with it a little, you'd DEFINITELY see the difference, and it would start to make more and more sense to you as you went.



I put up with no crap at all, presently. XP is far from a hostile environment for creativity. It's the future I'm worried about, not the present.


Daniel,
You didn't answer my question "Have you used OS X lately"? Never mind, it seems rhetorical at this point anyway. With regard to Windows being a hostile environment to be productive and creative in, I suspect you're in denial. But your fear of the future seems well founded because Redmond has already tried a few times unsuccessfully to yank XP support and force folks to it's Vista OS.

Your self-imposed lock-in to XP for as much as 5 years should not be a problem as long as you're happy and comfortable with Windows running on your current hardware. I suspect your current hardware will reach it's end of life before XP does.

I prefer Final Cut, you Vegas,you dislike and or distrust Apple/OS X, and I'd rather eat dirt than work with media files in Windows. Let's agree to disagree, :icon_cool:

Michael

[Daniel Runyon]

With regard to Windows being a hostile environment to be productive and creative in, I suspect you're in denial.

You are evidently imagining something that isn't there. Do you know of anything within XP that would prevent me from creativity with my machine?

I have:


The ability to edit video and audio with total freedom using Vegas.
The ability to use Vegas as a mutitracking audio recorder, which allows me, all by myself, to record myself playing several instruments or my voice, turning me into a one man band.
A bad ass EMU audio interface that allows me to plug in dang near anything known to man so that it may interface with my computer for recording purposes.
The ability to create DVDs and CDs, or .FLVs, WMVs, QTs, AVIs, whateva of my own creative output.
The ability to create graphics with Photoshop and a Wacom.
The ability to create web sites with Dreamweaver.
The ability to view dang near any format of video (including Quick Time and FLV) using ONE application.
The ability to record and edit VOIP calls for audiocast (I refuse to call em podcasts, as that is named after a single, proprietary device) creation and broadcast.
The ability to have it all stored on over a TB of harddrives inside the case of my computer.I am failing to see where XP is creating a hostile environment to creativity. I do not at all care what you prefer, you are totally free to use Macs or Amigas, but your statement quoted above deserves some elaboration if you're going to make it, because from what I can see it is completely false and rhetoric based, but if I am in some way being held back from creativity by my present OS I would definitely like to know about it so I too can free myself.

[WindyHillsVideo]

Daniel,

In short, I believe Windows is hostile mostly in the form of updates that cause driver and application problems. More so with Vista than XP these days, but when Windows updates cause older and existing hardware and software to stop working, or when replacing your video card, or upgrading a component causes you to have to re-install the OS or applications, I call that a hostile and unfriendly environment to work in. YMMV

In my mind, the underlying OS should just work and stay out of the way. Over the years I've found that more and more, and not just in video applications, that Windows wants to get in my face and won't shut up and let me just get my work done. As I indicated, I realize this is a personal preference and everyone has their own 'threshold of pain' they are willing to deal with. I acknowledge and respect this as reality.

For the record, I own two Windows XP workstations, and four Macs. I'm typing this message from Firefox running on an XP box. I face the situation you and other windows users do. I have no intentions of upgrading either of my XP machines, and end of life for XP running on them turns them into paper weights that will make their way quickly to a recycling center or landfill somewhere.

Kudos to you die-hard Windows-based editors! I think you guys are willing to spend a lot more time dealing with OS issues than I am. More power to ya! :notworthy:

I resent putting 4 gigs in a machine and only being able to see 3 gigs, and I don't relish the idea of having to format and re-install my OS and all my apps to plug in a faster CPU or video board, but then that's just me. Again, these are just a few references to that "Windows threshold of pain".:icon_cool:

Carry on.....

Michael

[Daniel Runyon]

http://it.slashdot.org/it/07/10/27/1838248.shtml

[badmofo2122]

You're reaching Daniel.....

[Daniel Runyon]

You're reaching Daniel.....

Hardly. He dislikes Windows because of updates that break stuff... well, there's an Apple update that's breaking stuff.

[badmofo2122]

Hardly. He dislikes Windows because of updates that break stuff... well, there's an Apple update that's breaking stuff.

I think there's a lot of reasons to hate windows IN ADDITION TO their updates breaking stuff. And you're picking a very isolated incident that has happened to certain people ONCE. Windows is NOTORIOUS for this.

Again, you're stretching......

[joemcmanus]

I've installed it on three machines and haven't had a problem. While searching for desktop wallpaper however I noticed you can actually download a blue screen of death desktop ;)

For those recent switchers who miss their PC this might be helpful in the transition.

[Daniel Runyon]

Again, you're stretching......

I don't think so... Michael just LOVES to post anti-Windows stuff, especially links from /.

Here's a fun one!

http://it.slashdot.org/it/07/10/30/188214.shtml

[WindyHillsVideo]

I don't think so... Michael just LOVES to post anti-Windows stuff, especially links from /.

Here's a fun one!

http://it.slashdot.org/it/07/10/30/188214.shtml

Daniel,

Funny thing is, I have a tendency to agree that Leopard is 'bloatware' and would go so far as to say, I saw this coming. That is why I purchased licenses for Tiger for all the machines in my house before 10.5 was released.

This is not to say I'd ever think Vista was ready for prime time. Where as it's clear and very likely that Leopard needs several patches, Vista needs to be scrapped completely:laughing7:

Michael

[kenny0923]

Amen, brudda! Microshit screwed the pooch with this one. With ME they were able to get something out the door before too many users discovered their OS blew. But I doubt MS has any OS in their back pocket that they can use to clean up this Vista mess.

[Daniel Runyon]

Vista needs to be scrapped completely

And that is definitely a common ground between us!

[Daniel Runyon]

Apple is slowly catching up with Microsoft! (http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/10/31/new.trojan.targets.macs/) :devil-smiley-076:

[kenny0923]

In order to get the trojan a person would have to surf for porn, which most of us would never do, and voluntarily download some unheard of codec. Now I can't imagine why somebody would download some file and install it just because some pop up told you to. Instinctively a person should not not to do this, but i guess if some people were trained and conditioned to do this without thinking, it just might work. But where would we find an operating system that constantly allows pop ups to distract the user? Where would this magical operating system be? I can't imagine.

Dan, Listen if you come across an a operating system that throws up so many pop ups that the user is conditioned to just click on them without reading them properly, you give me a call. Let me give you my cell number so you can reach my anytime day or night. 267-WIN-DOZE

Thank you for your time....and here's to life.

[WindyHillsVideo]

Apple is slowly catching up with Microsoft! (http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/10/31/new.trojan.targets.macs/) :devil-smiley-076:

Intego, a 3rd party software vendor, has been trying now for going on 2 or 3 years to develop and distribute a firewall/anti-virus program for OS X. Truth is, they got caught about a year ago as being involved in deploying a virus themselves into the wild. As I recall they were implicated as clearly trying to create a demand for their product. They kept a low profile for a bit, and now I guess their back at it again.

The built-in firewall and security features of OS X are quite robust, and if you have a properly set-up hardware router/firewall there's really no need for additional software. I can't speak for 10.5 as I've not run it, and I see where a few security defects have been reported in the last few months. Based on their 'checkered past" I wouldn't trust anything coming out of Intego, they're really trying to create a 'niche" where one does not exist. Apple is usually pretty good about fixing bugs, I trust they're going to plug any real holes quickly.

Apple could FIX this problem for the long term by not giving Intego any more development source code.:devil-smiley-076:

Michael