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Windows XP and Windows Vista
 

Sandra Is Happy With Windows XP - Is There Any Good Reason To Upgrade To Windows Vista?

Why should one upgrade to any version of Vista from XP? I am totally happy with XP and Vista Upgrade Advisor recommends I upgrade my graphics card. I have 1GB RAM and with Vista should have 2GB or more.  Sounds like Microsoft has created a slightly improved operating system that costs a lot and requires you to expend funds for upgrades peripherals also.  Sounds perfectly illogical to me. 

Our Answer

We are going to answer your question in a round about way. (What else is new, you say?)

I call Vista the "Big Green Service Pack". Because that's about what it is. A $200, Big, Green Service Pack for Windows XP.

Let's get a couple things out in the open here. EB & I talked about your question a little bit yesterday (yes - we still talk when necessary :-) ) and we can honestly say that if we were not in the business that we're in, we wouldn't have purchased Windows Vista. (Now for those of you who think we're Microsoft puppets, let us tell you that we didn't get Vista free. We didn't even get a discount. We pay what you pay. So that's how much Microsoft loves us!). We can tell you this: We wouldn't be upgrading at all right now if we weren't in this business.  We would wait until it was time to get a new computer and take whatever operating system that came with it. If it that was Vista, then that's fine. If it was the "next" version of Windows, that's fine too.

We been using Windows Vista since Beta version 1. We've seen them all from Beta 1 through RC-2 and now the final RTM (Released To Manufacturing). With Windows XP we liked it so much, we were using the Betas on our production machines instead of Windows 98. So when the final version of XP rolled out, we installed it and we never missed a beat. We still love Windows XP and it is with a heavy heart (aww!) that we must leave it behind (well at least on some of our 'puters).

Windows 98 was full of annoyances: The memory issues, the limitations, the inherent insecurities, the crashes, etc. made Windows XP very welcome when it was released. Windows 98 really needed improvement and Windows XP was a vastly superior operating system.

But Windows XP continues to be a great operating system with very few annoyances. It's stable, it handles memory well, you can leave it running for weeks and weeks without crashing. In short: It does all we need an operating system to do. Windows Vista could really have been a service pack for Windows XP. But then, money is an issue. Microsoft is in the business of making money. After five years, they needed a new operating system, not because Windows XP needed a lot of improvement (like Win98 did) but because it was "time" for a new operating system.

Windows Vista is very nice and offers several really great new features. It's multimedia guru's dream. It looks sharp, it works well, it's pretty, and has a lot of new security features. But some things Microsoft has done to it make no sense. Like moving things around. Things like the "Start" button we all know and love, is gone. It has been replaced by a stylized Windows logo. The first time you use it you can't even figure out how to turn off your computer. After years and years of Windows having the same shutdown procedure (Start - Turn Off Computer) the shutdown can be reached by right-clicking tiny drop-down arrow next to the Windows logo. If you don't know this, you're looking around for the shutdown button. Similar, seemingly needless, changes to locations of several often-used Windows features we've all grown used to over the years, have been moved or renamed. The old "Right-click on the desktop and select Properties" we've all gotten used to? Brings up a confusing array of options. Well you'll have to see for yourself on that :)

And Windows Mail changes the default stationery location for apparently no reason. It's been in the same location since Windows 95, but not anymore. We're going through the process of redoing over 3000 email stationery files to make them compatible with Windows Vista. Why the change? We don't know. Perhaps all this extra work we're having to do because of Vista is making us a little giddy - hence the dark humor in this issue (kidding!).

Vista is expensive.

How many are going to be happy with the basic version of Windows Vista when it is missing most of the best new features of Windows Vista? Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade costs $99. This is the same $99 that bought you Windows XP Home, which had all the features of Windows XP except for few features in Professional which appealed more to business users anyway. Now $99.00 buys you a stripped-down version of Windows Vista. Something seems wrong with that to us.

One of the best new features of Windows Vista is the Aeroglass 3D feature. This makes Vista look like Vista. Aeroglass allows you to view your desktop like never before- you can see multiple layers of open windows and glass-like title bars and task bars. This feature is missing from Windows Vista Basic. Indeed, you'll have to fork over $160 for the Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade to get it. At the very least most people are going to want Windows Vista Home Premium, and that will set you back $160.00 or more.

Now that we've covered all the bases (and then some) you can see that the answer to your question is this: If you are happy with Windows XP there is no reason at all for you to buy Windows Vista. Microsoft is going to provide support and security updates for Windows XP for many years yet. There's rumors that a Service Pack 3 will be released during the last quarter this year or the first quarter next year. If you're happy with XP, stick with XP. If we could, we would.

Don't get us wrong. Windows Vista is a nice operating system with a lot of new features. It will probably save many a computer neophyte from being infected with any number of malicious files. The security on Vista (by default) is tighter than its ever been. To users who are more advanced it can be a pain-in-the-neck. But, overall, Vista looks beautiful, but do you really need it? Are you happy with XP? Then you don't need Vista. If you're not happy with XP, you might want to upgrade. Most people, at least according to last week's poll, are just going to wait and get Vista when they buy a new computer.

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