Topic Revisited -- Anyone Getting Windows Vista??

Question

I know some people who are getting Vista on their new laptop because their view is: Vista is going to be the new standard sooner or later, why not learn it now.

Is everyone here still anti-Vista?

Fig · Answer

It will sound weird but I'm against XP and I still prefer 2000 so vista is...

3underscore · Answer

Vista may be standard at some point in the future, but the IB I work for is moving to XP somepoint this year.

On that basis, I am in no hurry.

Praetorian · Answer

Nope and not planning to anytime soon. 

My next laptop is going to be Mac book Pro and I plan to run XP with Parallels. I have obviously not used Vista, but the learning part is a bit of a surprise to me.

EconGirl · Answer

I am definitely getting Vista

hobbit · Answer

i have vista. however, although i cope with it, i wish it was XP. in fact, if microsoft word was not so standard i'd opt for a linux.

hosam · Answer

I just bought my laptop and although I would have preferred it with XP, it came with Vista. The first problem I encountered was that the antivirus toolkit the school has asked us to install was not compatible with Vista. 

I guess XP may just be a better option as most schools may not be supporting Vista just yet.

rhyme · Answer

I wish I had the guts to do that. Part of me really wants to try the mac switchover again, especially because of the INSANELY slick backup stuff they have coming out with leopard, but ... in my heart, i know id get frustrated and just boot windows. At which point, why bother with the mac.

As re Vista - if I can avoid it, I won't get it.

johnnyx9 · Answer

I would like to avoid it just because I don't want to relearn shortcut keys etc., right as I'm going into school. But it sounds like from what others have said, that Vista isn't going to be the gold standard overnight, which is good to hear.

Microsoft's website has this "emulator" that lets you try out Vista, it's really weird, using Excel with all the menu options moved around. I wonder if this was really necessary. Like I know the QWERTY keyboard isn't the most effective, but nobody feels the need to move that all around, why did Microsoft have to totally change all the menu items.

paddyboy · Answer

Agree - Have heard that Vista has compatibility issues. I'm definitely not going in for it till that part is sorted out, at least.

Btw, anybody got a link to that emulator?

rhyme · Answer

Excel 2007 is a pain. So is Word. Everything is now done in tabbed forms with bigger buttons... Finding things takes me twice as long and can at times be insanely frustrating. Hence why its getting uninstalled and im going back.

Praetorian · Answer

You are certainly not alone in thinking that. 

If you have not already done so, a possible solution (if you have the time) is to visit a local Apple store. Spend some quality time with a Mac and see how you like it.

rhyme · Answer

I have... and im always fairly impressed... its just the same stuff that ends up driving me insane. Tiny shortcut differences - I use a LOT of shortcuts. Alt-f4, 
alt-tab, control b, shift-f1 in excel, control pg down, control pg up, etc. On the mac, inevitably, somethin' a little different and it ends up driving me nuts. I had a mac for years, and i never ever ever ever used it because I always found myself reaching for a PC to "just get it done". 

I'm also a big big proponent of the ibm thumbstick/nipple thingie, and I really dont know how I'd do getting away from that.

pelihu · Answer

I'm going with Vista. I'm hopeful that SP1, due out later this year, will take care of most of the known problems.

I'm used MB pros a few different times and my only reaction is that they get absurdly hot. Hot enough that it will turn your skin red (and I'm not very pale). I honestly don't know how people put up with that. I have seen some cheaper PC notebooks that get as hot, but none of the quality business notebooks seem to have this problem.

necromonger · Answer

got a tablet PC with Vista business - no problems, stable, and I like it.

3underscore · Answer

Well, having had laptops for about six years and used them 99% of the time on a table, I can tell you how!

pelihu · Answer

Yeah, the bottom of the MB pros will reach 200 degrees F, which is definitely hot enough to burn someone. This issue is well documented - to the extent that Apple actually came out with a statement that these are not meant to be used on laps. Their marketing materials say otherwise though.

The real problem, is that the top of the computer gets hot as well. The wrist-wrest area and touchpads of recent models have been measured at 85 degrees C, which is about 185 degrees F. That is way beyond comfortable. Of course, Macbooks are not the only computers with this type of problem. I used an Acer that had a touchpad that was so hot I couldn't put my finger on it for more than a second - but that computer cost about 1/3 as much as a MB pro for a similar configuration. And the bottom line is I wouldn't really want to spend much quality time with either.

Another problem that I learned about when researching the possibility of using a MB pro for school was that the heat causes their fans to run almost constantly, and that they are pretty loud. I must admit that I didn't notice this myself when I have been around them in the past, but I was in environments where fan noise would not have been noticeable (noisy coffee shops, parties). I think this could be really annoying in a classroom, or perhaps library or study room. Heat and fan noise were among the key things I considered when shopping for a computer for school.

imjimmy · Answer

I'm going with XP Pro. For a medium or low end system vista is significantly slower than XP. 

Infact no matter what hardware configuration you have on the system, Vista will be slower than XP. Period.

However I do imagine office 2007 will be mainstream pretty quickly. So I'm definitely upgrading there.

Also according to various benchmarks T61 from Lenovo runs less hotter than the older thinkpads. Lenovo seems to have done a nice job with a new fan design and extra air vents: 
 https://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=81

pelihu · Answer

My T61 finally arrived today. They had a pretty serious snafu with systems ordered during the first 2-3 weeks after introduction. As compensation for the delay, I got a $50 discount and a free battery. I was planning to purchase an additional battery, so that's $50+$150 saved.

I will say that the heat control is unbelievable on this laptop. After running it flat out all day loading software, copying files and just playing around with it, the computer never got as hot as body temperature. In fact, virtually the entire laptop stayed at room temperature the entire time. This was all done while charging the battery as well, which is another source of heat. I'm going to say that this thing runs at least 60-80 degrees F cooler than some of the frying pans out there. I also tried using the computer on various surfaces (desk, lap, bed) and it remained cool throughout.

It's also extremely quiet - both the fan and HD are completely silent unless you press your ear up against the computer. I believe the fan rarely runs, but it's actually very difficult to tell if it runs at all.

So far, I'm going to say that I'm not a fan of Vista. Seriously, it feels more like a shell or something on top of XP rather than a completely new system. I hope the unseen stuff - security, networking capabilities, and things like that - prove to be useful. I did notice that with 2GB of RAM installed, Vista indicated that the operating system was taking up about 1GB. That's pretty consistent with reviews I've seen that say Vista needs 1GB for itself so you should go with at least 1.5-2GB.

Overall, I'm really happy with the computer. The real reason why I chose Lenovo is because of the reputation for durability and reliability. I can already tell that the durability will be top notch. The entire chassis is solid as a rock with no squeaks or flexing of any kind. You can literally pick the entire system up by any corner (including any corner of the open screen) without experiencing any flex whatsoever. The hinges are sold metal and their is an active icon telling the status of the HD shock sensor. And I know that underneath the skin they have a new roll-cage to protect the screen. I guess I'll find out over the next few years whether reliability will match the obvious durability.

imjimmy · Answer

Good to hear you got your machine and that you like it.Mine is due to arrive today - so can't wait!
I've been a fan of thinkpad machines and have a very old T43 on which i used to work. So T61 was an obvious choice for me. Lenovo seems to be doing a good job with the order delivery now. I ordered on 8th June- so i guess the delay issue should have been resolved. (I won't get any freebies and will have to spend $$ on the battery)

Topic Revisited -- Anyone Getting Windows Vista??

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