Windows Vista (next version of Windows)

[stevem]

From December Australian PC User

Windows Vista to demand hefty hardware

For "optimal performance" Windows Vista will need a PC with a 256Mb DirectX 9.0 compatible video card, up to 2Gb of DDR3 RAM and a SATA 2 hard drive.

During a presentation at Microsoft's TechEd 2005 Gold Coast conference in August, Microsoft Australia strategist Nigel Page said that Vista would draw most things as vectors (lines and shapes) rather than dots on the screen, making Vista run significantly faster than XP because it shifted the processing load from the CPU to the GPU.

The trade-off would be that powerful video cards would nolonger be a gamer's luxury, and upgrading an AGP-based computer with a better video card wouldn't necessarily help, as Vista needs PCI Express x16 for fast performance, he said.

And so it goes on.

I cant see a big rush to upgrade to Vista, when its eventually released, like as with previous verions.

[Benjy]

3 dimesnional windows sounds pretty good to me, Although I am VERY sure that its not going to run faster than XP on the same machine.

[LivinLOS]

Well I will be installing ASAP.

Already had a play with a beta longhorn release.. Much not inclued obviously.. The 'dashboard' widget is a nice feature tho..

[Benjy]

Windows XP has been around for 5 years, pretty ridiculous when you consider hardware doubles in power every 18 months. Our hardware is now more than 8 times as powerful as when XP was first released, probbaly.

I heard they are writing it from scratch, which means it wont be 32 bit and based on Dos Architecture,

[Intrepex]

Windows as we all know has become a bigger OS with every new addition since DOS. This OS impresses some and annoys others with freeze ups, blue screens, error messages, incompatibility issues, etcetera, etcetera. Security has become an issue by itself, adware, firewalls, not to mention software and hardware driver issues are all sucking up memory, input, output, graphics but in the infamous words of Bill Gates, " I can't see anyone needing more than 640 kbs ". I for one will wait until the costs have gone down, the updates ironed out and the potholes filled in as it seems like every new version now requires new hardware, new drivers and is incompatible with almost everything
but for those who still dwell on having the newest, fastest of everything and are left with a lot of cash that won't fall through the other holes in your pockets, load up and go for it as Billy loves cash.

[stevem]

Originally Posted by Intrepex

I for one will wait until the costs have gone down, the updates ironed out and the potholes filled in as it seems like every new version now requires new hardware, new drivers and is incompatible with almost everything
but for those who still dwell on having the newest, fastest of everything and are left with a lot of cash that won't fall through the other holes in your pockets, load up and go for it as Billy loves cash.

That goes without saying for any new major release of any OS.

[Rex7777]

A few weeks ago I got fed up with my computer and all the spyware, viruses, worms, etc. I seem to pick up. So, I went down to the local computer store and bought a new IMac G5. Works great and it's sort of neat. The computer and the 20" monitor are all one piece. When I move to Thailand I can just put it back in the box and take it with me. It'll work on 250 V also.

Rex

[stevem]

Now lets not reignite the W32 vs Mac debate yet again.

[LivinLOS]

Linux.. C'mon Burg.. where are ya

I had another play on a Lindows 5.0 installed machine customized for the Thai market the other day.. Looks simple enough that it would pass the 'mother' test..

Linux has always been a bit behind for the general desktop market but Longhorn / Vista will need to keep the target moving to not get taken.. Of course I can see how they (MS) are tieing proprietory formats together with media PC's and media systems (XBox 360) into a whole home solution whose sum is greater than its parts.. I am such a geek about this stuff !!

[stevem]

Interesting article, by Mary Jo Foley, editor Microsoft Watch

"Come into my web," said the spider to the fly...as did Microsoft to the open source movers and shakers.

Over the past few months, Microsoft has been repeatedly extending an olive branch to key members of the open source community. Top Microsoft brass - all the way up to CEO Steve Ballmer himself - have been holding meetings, both clandestine and public, with the leading Linux luminaries.

Microsoft execs went so far as to request an audience in August with the Open Source Development Labs folks. The OSDL, which employs Linus Torvalds, the creator of Lunix, is focused on accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux in the enterprise. On the agenda? Micorsoft wants the OSDL to collaborate on an analysis project evaluating Linux versus Microsoft.

Has Microsoft reached the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" juncture? No way, I say.

The only reason that Microsoft is making some of its products (such as Windows Server 2003 R2 releae) more readily interoperable with Linux is because its customers are forcing it to.

In Spite of the growing prevalence of certain Microsoft practices that might seem open source-like (such as releasing more frequent, interim code drops, for instance), Microsoft shares no common ground with the open source movement.

The Redmondians believe software should be sold or licensed for a fee, not free. To Microsoft, source code is not a commodity; it's the crown jewels. And in the company's eyes, code development and testing should be handled by its own programmers, not "outsiders".

If anything, Microsoft seems to be gaining confidence in its position vis-a-vis Linux. A couple of years ago, market researchers were predicting that Linux would give Microsoft a real run for its money on the server, and possibly even the desktop. Analysts have sharply curtailed their Linux market-share forecasts in recent months.

At the same time, you can bet folks in the Redmond Linux Lab have dissected each Linux distribution to the nth degree and can recite forwards and backwards the strengths and weaknesses of every offering.

So why is Microsoft really cosying up to Linux? Because it has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

end quote

It will be interesting to see where/if this leads anywhere.

[LivinLOS]

Mary Jo Foley.. Dont I recognize that name from the Clancy books ???

Conspiracy.. Decide for yourself !!!