Well, I guess Bill Gates has given up on Vista haha

[clanc43]

Vista may very well be the "next ME", but ME was based on the Win98 kernel with some "upgraded graphical interface" I use that in the loosest terms possible. Vista is a whole new kernel that brings up an issue Microsoft hasn't thought of before. Not everyone is going for high end machines. It doesn't take much to run an internet browser, and a 4 year old 1.6 ghz machine running XP does a better job than a brand new dual core 2.2 ghz 64 bit procs with 2 gigs of ram. Whats wrong with this picture? I can only say this, The economic slowdown is going to play a big role in tech markets. No one is going to worry about having the latest and greatest when its hard to put food on the table and gas in the car.

I really think Microsoft created an OS without thinking of consumers at all. Thats the whole problem. It may run OK on a souped up machine, but most hardware isn't even compatible with it, and since its not Open Source (obviously) you can't make drivers for it. Well, I've said my two bits, I'm really enjoying kicking Bill Gates right in the nads out the way out from Microsoft Tyranny.

Clint

[techieMoe]

Vista may very well be the "next ME", but ME was based on the Win98 kernel with some "upgraded graphical interface" I use that in the loosest terms possible. Vista is a whole new kernel that brings up an issue Microsoft hasn't thought of before.

I don't believe that is correct. According to this article Vista is just a patched version of the XP/2000 kernel.

Why Windows Vista Won't Suck: Major Kernel Overhaul

Which makes it very similar to ME in that respect.

Whats wrong with this picture? I can only say this, The economic slowdown is going to play a big role in tech markets. No one is going to worry about having the latest and greatest when its hard to put food on the table and gas in the car.

Yes, as good old George W. put it, we can't worry about new gadgets when we're trying to "put food on our family."

[Manchunian]

Funny reading that. They really were optimistic about Vista now weren't they? If only they'd known what a mess Vista would really be. Now, I've just spent a week at my mother's in England, and I sooo regretted not hauling my computer with me. I couldn't believe the problems I had with Vista. Honestly, one morning I had to reboot it no less than three times; whereas, apart from doing kernel updates, I've never had to reboot Debian, at least not as far as I can remember. And all those pop-up messages, screen freezes etc. And it was sooooo slow! My mother's computer has twice the 'theoretical' power as mine, but it runs half as slow! As for security, I took away no less than 300 spyware from her computer, and that's not counting the ones Adaware didn't see. Is this what people are paying so much of their hard-earned cash on? They'd be better spending it on their dinner table - or making donations to the poor.

[questio verum]

Funny reading that. They really were optimistic about Vista now weren't they? If only they'd known what a mess Vista would really be. Now, I've just spent a week at my mother's in England, and I sooo regretted not hauling my computer with me. I couldn't believe the problems I had with Vista. Honestly, one morning I had to reboot it no less than three times; whereas, apart from doing kernel updates, I've never had to reboot Debian, at least not as far as I can remember. And all those pop-up messages, screen freezes etc. And it was sooooo slow! My mother's computer has twice the 'theoretical' power as mine, but it runs half as slow! As for security, I took away no less than 300 spyware from her computer, and that's not counting the ones Adaware didn't see. Is this what people are paying so much of their hard-earned cash on? They'd be better spend it on their dinner table - or making donations to the poor.

That speaks volumes to the question "Why open source?". I actually feel bad for the average windows user in 2008. Most, like your mom, just want an appliance that works.

Funny... as I type, I'm on the phone talking my computer-illiterate brother through yet another XP reinstall. He uses his pc almost exclusively for stock-trading, yet somehow windows manages to crater irretrievably once or twice a year. I think before the year's out, I'll build & send him a customized linux box. It's the only workable long-term solution I can think of.

On the topic of vista though, it amazes me; the degree to which certain IT managers will advocate so obnoxiously for vista. I've seen some truly ugly responses on ms-oriented technical forums, when some poor noob submits a "my vista is broken, so what about linux?" type post. I guess if your argument is unsupportable, and you've positioned yourself intractably into a corner, then vehement personal attacks are the order of the day. Makes me even more proud to be a linux user.

qv

[clanc43]

Well, vista was SUPPOSED to be a new kernel, which is why the delayed its release for nearly a year. It doesnt' surprise me much that its not a new kernel but a patched version of XP. Too bad for the average consumer though. I know I only use my vista boot to play a few games on. I won't use it for anything else, its unstable, unreliable, and I could give a darn about a stupid sidebar with a clock on it... I've had a clock since before windows, its called a wristwatch. Thats a heck of a techniclogical innovation. They show you what time it is 2 times on the same desktop. Bah, i feel bad for even wasting my breath muttering one more profanity against a poorly created and designed OS. Sorry for the mixup there, I guess vista IS ME. Either way, its pathetic.

Clint

[SkittleLinux18]

I'm sure the folks at Apple are quite grateful for the new business!

As are the folks at each Linux Distribution.

[Gtrax]

Microsoft execs regard Linux as "a cancer", and they greatly resent the 1% or so of the market that goes that way. Even more, they resent the 65% (about) of Linux/Unix servers.

These guys are rich and influential. The don't seem to believe laws they find inconvenient actually apply to themselves, and are not known for taking "no" for an answer.

[lunchbox_350]

That's nuts. I still can't believe that Gates is trying to save face after nearly cutting his own throat with the drop of xp support. Keeping in mind that we did get xp out of the last ordeal, let's hope that for the average computer user's sake that another decent OS will emerge from the depths of Microsoft you-know-where... I'v just recently made the plunge to at least dual-boot my laptop w/ ubuntu 7.1 to begin my migration over to linux, as I have been meaning to do for some years now...