Windows Vista
Оценка, которую разослал сотрудникам колледжный IT-шник, на предмет того, стоит ли ставить Vista. С пользовательской точки зрения, кажется довольно грамотным (замечание про Линукс и Мак ОС можно опустить по вкусу).
From: James Dore
To: new-scr
Microsoft Vista is out.
Today sees the general release of Microsoft's new operating system,
Windows Vista. Microsoft has touted this as their most important
software release for ten years (just like XP was the most important
since Windows 95. And so on.)
Basically:
* Vista is a support and licensing minefield
* Vista's hardware requirements are onerous
* It's not worth the hassle (at the moment - maybe in 18 months time it
will be worthwhile)
* If you have the choice when buying a new computer, choose XP. (If
you really have the choice, choose Mac OS X, or SuSE Linux, or Ubuntu
Linux.)
In more detail:
The University has provided IT Support staff with the version of Vista
that is available to us under their Campus agreement, Windows Vista
Business. This is only one of seven different versions of Vista that are
available, which while giving a good overview of the most likely used
version of VIsta, does not allow me to assess all versions. Some have
more features, some have fewer, but the Business version sits about
halfway between the two.
That said, after a month's assessment, I'm unimpressed. If you are used
to Windows XP, you'll feel at home from the look of the desktop, as the
layout is similar although it has a new look. Until you try to do
something. most of the ways of doing things have changed in subtle ways
that render it frustrating, and seem to have changed for no obvious
reason. And unless you have a more than usually powerful graphics card
and at least 1GB of memory (not hard disk space) you won't be able to
use the brand new user interface called Aero, with it's transparent
windows, and other eye-candy. There's a handy tool you can download to
see if your computer is capable of running Vista, and you can read all
about the usefulness of the tool on The Register's story here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/29/windows_vista_still_not_ready/
So from a usability point of view, Vista is a major 'whatever',
especially on machines already running XP. The user interface of a
computer is a very subjective matter though, personally I don't think
Microsoft have made a good user interface since DOS 6.22, but even if
you think Windows is great, there's not enough in Vista to make it worth
the hassle and cost required to upgrade from XP.
The biggest change in Vista, however, is Microsoft Licensing 2.0.
Windows XP had MS Licensing 1.0 where you got a license key (a
25-character code on a label on your computer) and required 'Activation'
only when you first set it up, and now when you install updates. (That's
what the 'Windows Genuine Advantage' update does).
Under Licensing 2.0, Vista requires activation on setup, and every
seven days. It automatically contacts Microsoft on a weekly schedule to
verify itself. It will function normally for 180 days without being able
to contact Microsoft, but after those 180 days have elapsed, Vista drops
into 'Reduced Functionality Mode'. This is akin to little more than
Windows' 'Safe Mode' at the moment, which is a very very basic
diagnostic mode, where nothing much useful works. Re-activation is
automatic once a reduced-function copy of vista gets an internet
connection, and you get plenty of warning that your machine has not been
able to phone home and validate itself, so it's hardly going to be a
surprise, but it's yet another pop-up nag from your computer. It also
means that versions of questionable legality will not function without
serious intervention (hard-core hacking or reinstallation on a weekly
basis).
MS Licensing 2.0 also has grave implications for the support we as IT
Staff can offer for your machine. Because we only get supplied with
Vista Business under the University's Campus agreement with Microsoft,
unless you have the cd's or dvd's that came with your computer, we can't
do anything meaningful with it, especially when it comes to repairing
Vista itself. The Campus agreement purchased by the University covers
only machines owned by the University and it's Units. It specifically
precludes personally-owned machines, either staff or student. To further
confuse matters, University or College staff have access to another,
different version of Vista (called the Work-at-Home version) but
students are not covered by this either. Not only do IT staff have to
understand the system itself, but it now seems we require legal training
to understand the numerous licensing models as well.
This really affects our ability to fix your machines, as repairing the
Operating System is our primary means of fixing Windows XP at the
moment, and I imagine it will be the same with Vista. This means that if
you buy a machine with Vista, you MUST have system recovery CD's for
your machine. Some manufacturers (hello Dell) are also currently
charging extra for these. However, without them we will not be able to
deal with your machine. Not only do they contain the right copy of vista
and the right license key, they also contain the correct software for
your particular hardware.
The complicated licensing issues surrounding vista make it extremely
unattractive for us as IT Support staff, and I have taken the decision
that we are /not/ going to be using it on College-owned machines
(meaning Admin staff and Computer rooms) as I see no good reasons to
change, and plenty of good reasons not to. We will support Vista as far
as we can, but the discs supplied with your computer are vital to this,
so if you don't have them, it is unlikely we will be able to help you.
Keep them safe, but keep them with your computer.
I would therefore advise you that, if you have the choice when buying a
new PC, you choose XP instead of vista - unless you have very specific
reasons for choosing Vista (the 'media centre' versions, for instance).
Compared to Vista (and even last year I never thought i'd be saying
this) XP is lighterweight, faster, less complicated, and easier to use.
That's comparing a supertanker with a tanker, but there you go.
Reasons for using Vista
* You have outrageously powerful hardware, and want to make it earn
it's keep.
* You want to have the latest software
Reasons not to use Vista:
* Your old hardware may not be supported yet, or up to the job without
upgrades
* Your existing software may not be supported yet - particularly
Antivirus software
* You have lots of 'free' (i.e. pirated) music and video content.
Vista's Digital Rights Management may prevent it from functioning.
* You don't want to be part of Microsoft's beta test team, and pay for
the privilege.
* Which version do I need anyway?
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/915.html has a
wonderful distillation of all the choices surrounding Vista, in one
simple four-panelled cartoon.
Please note that I have not tested Vista on a wide variety of machines,
so I won't be able to tell you for certain whether it will perform
adequately on specific hardware. Our testing envirnonment has been
limited to a standard HP business desktop with a Pentium 4HT processor,
512Mb memory and a 64Mb graphics card - which was adequate, and a
Parallels Desktop session running on a MacBook Pro, which has 756Mb
memory, a 10Gb Hard disk and a Core2Duo processor. It's slightly better
than adequate.
From: James Dore
To: new-scr
Microsoft Vista is out.
Today sees the general release of Microsoft's new operating system,
Windows Vista. Microsoft has touted this as their most important
software release for ten years (just like XP was the most important
since Windows 95. And so on.)
Basically:
* Vista is a support and licensing minefield
* Vista's hardware requirements are onerous
* It's not worth the hassle (at the moment - maybe in 18 months time it
will be worthwhile)
* If you have the choice when buying a new computer, choose XP. (If
you really have the choice, choose Mac OS X, or SuSE Linux, or Ubuntu
Linux.)
In more detail:
The University has provided IT Support staff with the version of Vista
that is available to us under their Campus agreement, Windows Vista
Business. This is only one of seven different versions of Vista that are
available, which while giving a good overview of the most likely used
version of VIsta, does not allow me to assess all versions. Some have
more features, some have fewer, but the Business version sits about
halfway between the two.
That said, after a month's assessment, I'm unimpressed. If you are used
to Windows XP, you'll feel at home from the look of the desktop, as the
layout is similar although it has a new look. Until you try to do
something. most of the ways of doing things have changed in subtle ways
that render it frustrating, and seem to have changed for no obvious
reason. And unless you have a more than usually powerful graphics card
and at least 1GB of memory (not hard disk space) you won't be able to
use the brand new user interface called Aero, with it's transparent
windows, and other eye-candy. There's a handy tool you can download to
see if your computer is capable of running Vista, and you can read all
about the usefulness of the tool on The Register's story here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/29/windows_vista_still_not_ready/
So from a usability point of view, Vista is a major 'whatever',
especially on machines already running XP. The user interface of a
computer is a very subjective matter though, personally I don't think
Microsoft have made a good user interface since DOS 6.22, but even if
you think Windows is great, there's not enough in Vista to make it worth
the hassle and cost required to upgrade from XP.
The biggest change in Vista, however, is Microsoft Licensing 2.0.
Windows XP had MS Licensing 1.0 where you got a license key (a
25-character code on a label on your computer) and required 'Activation'
only when you first set it up, and now when you install updates. (That's
what the 'Windows Genuine Advantage' update does).
Under Licensing 2.0, Vista requires activation on setup, and every
seven days. It automatically contacts Microsoft on a weekly schedule to
verify itself. It will function normally for 180 days without being able
to contact Microsoft, but after those 180 days have elapsed, Vista drops
into 'Reduced Functionality Mode'. This is akin to little more than
Windows' 'Safe Mode' at the moment, which is a very very basic
diagnostic mode, where nothing much useful works. Re-activation is
automatic once a reduced-function copy of vista gets an internet
connection, and you get plenty of warning that your machine has not been
able to phone home and validate itself, so it's hardly going to be a
surprise, but it's yet another pop-up nag from your computer. It also
means that versions of questionable legality will not function without
serious intervention (hard-core hacking or reinstallation on a weekly
basis).
MS Licensing 2.0 also has grave implications for the support we as IT
Staff can offer for your machine. Because we only get supplied with
Vista Business under the University's Campus agreement with Microsoft,
unless you have the cd's or dvd's that came with your computer, we can't
do anything meaningful with it, especially when it comes to repairing
Vista itself. The Campus agreement purchased by the University covers
only machines owned by the University and it's Units. It specifically
precludes personally-owned machines, either staff or student. To further
confuse matters, University or College staff have access to another,
different version of Vista (called the Work-at-Home version) but
students are not covered by this either. Not only do IT staff have to
understand the system itself, but it now seems we require legal training
to understand the numerous licensing models as well.
This really affects our ability to fix your machines, as repairing the
Operating System is our primary means of fixing Windows XP at the
moment, and I imagine it will be the same with Vista. This means that if
you buy a machine with Vista, you MUST have system recovery CD's for
your machine. Some manufacturers (hello Dell) are also currently
charging extra for these. However, without them we will not be able to
deal with your machine. Not only do they contain the right copy of vista
and the right license key, they also contain the correct software for
your particular hardware.
The complicated licensing issues surrounding vista make it extremely
unattractive for us as IT Support staff, and I have taken the decision
that we are /not/ going to be using it on College-owned machines
(meaning Admin staff and Computer rooms) as I see no good reasons to
change, and plenty of good reasons not to. We will support Vista as far
as we can, but the discs supplied with your computer are vital to this,
so if you don't have them, it is unlikely we will be able to help you.
Keep them safe, but keep them with your computer.
I would therefore advise you that, if you have the choice when buying a
new PC, you choose XP instead of vista - unless you have very specific
reasons for choosing Vista (the 'media centre' versions, for instance).
Compared to Vista (and even last year I never thought i'd be saying
this) XP is lighterweight, faster, less complicated, and easier to use.
That's comparing a supertanker with a tanker, but there you go.
Reasons for using Vista
* You have outrageously powerful hardware, and want to make it earn
it's keep.
* You want to have the latest software
Reasons not to use Vista:
* Your old hardware may not be supported yet, or up to the job without
upgrades
* Your existing software may not be supported yet - particularly
Antivirus software
* You have lots of 'free' (i.e. pirated) music and video content.
Vista's Digital Rights Management may prevent it from functioning.
* You don't want to be part of Microsoft's beta test team, and pay for
the privilege.
* Which version do I need anyway?
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/915.html has a
wonderful distillation of all the choices surrounding Vista, in one
simple four-panelled cartoon.
Please note that I have not tested Vista on a wide variety of machines,
so I won't be able to tell you for certain whether it will perform
adequately on specific hardware. Our testing envirnonment has been
limited to a standard HP business desktop with a Pentium 4HT processor,
512Mb memory and a 64Mb graphics card - which was adequate, and a
Parallels Desktop session running on a MacBook Pro, which has 756Mb
memory, a 10Gb Hard disk and a Core2Duo processor. It's slightly better
than adequate.