Running the numbers on Vista (it's tanking)

CNet/The New York Times ^ | 09/11/2007 | Ina Fried

[dennisw]

When Windows XP first came out it ran OK on 256mb ram. These days— By time Service Pack 2 and all hot fixes are installed, XP needs 512mb ram as a rock bottom minimum with one gigabyte ram being much better

VISTA seems to need 2 gigabytes ram to run smoothly. Will you need 4 gigabytes ram to run Vista with its Service Pack 1 which is coming out soon?

VISTA= resource hog
Recently read that VISTA’s resource demands don’t come from the fancy GUI graphics. But come from all the DRM checking. To see if pirated material is being played. Going on all the time whether or not media is being played

[dennisw]

A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection
Peter Gutmann, pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html
Last updated 12 June 2007
Distributed under the Creative Commons license (see Appendix)

Executive Summary
Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called “premium content”, typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it’s not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server). This document analyses the cost involved in Vista’s content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs throughout the computer industry.

Executive Executive Summary
The Vista Content Protection specification could very well constitute the longest suicide note in history [Note A].

Table of Contents
Introduction
Disabling of Functionality
Indirect Disabling of Functionality
Decreased Playback Quality
Elimination of Open-source Hardware Support
Elimination of Unified Drivers
Problems with Drivers
Denial-of-Service via Driver/Device Revocation
Decreased System Reliability
Increased Hardware Costs
Increased Cost due to Requirement to License Unnecessary Third-party IP
Unnecessary CPU Resource Consumption
Unnecessary Device Resource Consumption
How Effective is it Really?
Final Thoughts
Acknowledgements
Sources
Use, Modification, and Redistribution
Appendices and Footnotes

Mini-FAQ
Open Questions
Microsoft’s Response
About the Author
Glossary
Quotes
Footnotes

ENTIRE TEXT AT ——>>>
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html

[freeangel]

saving

[hoosierham]

It appears Microsoft in league with Hollywood is attempting to gain(or regain) control over users' computer use.The many programs that require or assume a constant internet connection so that the program can check for permissions and inform a database of every instance of content use or viewing ought to serve as a warning to avoid the system.

I worked at a large Fotune 500 company that adopted Win95 only after extensive in-house testing and sytems were upgraded in early 1997.Early adoptees get the advantages and pains of new stuff.

[ovrtaxt]

My Vista machine won’t network with my XP machine. It sucks. I’d rather install XP over it, but I don’t think Microsquish would transfer the license.

[mware]

I’ve had mine for four weeks, two of them were spent with the Geek Squad getting repaired.

[Wonder Warthog]

"The problem is that the company’s monopoly won’t entirely be broken, due to the fact that many popular software program (including, yes, MS Office) won’t work on Linux, or even Mac OS X."

If Apple had a brain, they'd get behind the WINE effort. Since their core operating system is Unix, it oughta be possible to get WINE to work under it.

[P.O.E.]

Vista epitomizes the old adage “jack-of-all-trades, master-at-none”

[TNCMAXQ]

I am just about ready to buy a laptop but now I’m not so sure. I have heard many people say laptops with Vista are slow and an upgrade of RAM is necessary. I dont see any on sale with Windows XP though. They all have Vista. I hae to make a big investment like that and then not like the product I get.

[CHEE]

I enjoy my VISTA - BUT:

I can not load the Organize elements of ADOBE PhotoShop Elements 5.02. The edit function works fine.

I can not run Microsoft’s Gallery Player.

I can not apply ROXI updates.

I can not add APPLE’x iTunes and Quick Time.

In all cases, except Gallery Player, I do not find a way to contact support directly but get directed to what they stupidly call KNOWLEDGE BASE. They leave support up to users instead of providing Tech support. Dell and Microsoft have both offered “Pay for View” support for a product that came out in Feb, 2007 and has had these flaws all along.

[Misplaced Texan]

Dell sells some of their units with XP, although I gave up purchasing Dell because their support tanked.

[advance_copy]

I remember reading far worse things about XP when it was released. Vista is pretty good. Of course, you can always go with Mac OS X on an apple, if you don’t mind a computer treating you like an idiot. Do we really want to talk about an OS that isn’t compatible with common hardware?

[Roses0508]

I work for a company that provides IT support (desktop and network) for 100’s of small and medium sized businesses.

We are still purchasing machines with XP Pro for our customers. Almost none of the vendors have made any real effort to fix their software for Vista at this point. Everyone who has installed in on business machine has had multiple issues and it gives you absolutely nothing in exchange.

[SlowBoat407]

[Oberon]

I have Windows XP Pro installed on two home machines. One has a two-gig processor and 512MB of RAM, and is five or six years old. The other is at least a generation older (non-ATX-II motherboard), with a 500-MHz processor and 256MB of RAM.

Windows XP Pro runs on both machines. It works, it does what I ask of it, it recognizes all the hardware, it causes me no problems, and otherwise stays out of my way.

This is what an OS should do. That being the case, why would I want Vista?

[philetus]

I still haven’t found any reason to change from W2k Pro on my wife’s machine.
Everything works. With Workstation and Server disabled in Services it is secure.
I run Ubuntu Edgy on mine.

[drc43]

"Dell sells some of their units with XP, although I gave up purchasing Dell because their support tanked."

Dell will sell you computers with XP installed. We bought a new laptop a few months ago with Vista. Non Stop problems. Finally Dell support worked with us to remove Vista and replace it with XP.

Computer is now excellent, fast and reliable. And all the software works.

Oh and Dell support is MUCH better now.

[taxcontrol]

In my opinion, you would not want to upgrade.

[Oberon]

In my opinion, you would not want to upgrade.

I agree. In fact, under the circumstances I think we may consider the word "upgrade" to be an incorrect usage.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Yes it's a pieceoshiit !!...;0)