Get your XP while it lasts! - Dell order cutoff, today!

Today's the last day to order a Dell with XP pre-configured on it.

Sadly, the end of an era...

 

Vista is great though, too.

 

I'll pass on that for now...

 

I think vista has finally matured. I didn't like it much when it came out, but I plan on keeping it on my next laptop when I get it.

 

If your buying a new system I do not see why you would not want Vista. It's an improvement over XP in everyway.

 

Mine came with Vista, also...and I didn't bother to switch to XP (had XP previously on my desktop)...and am happy working with Vista, thus far!

Though sometimes, it can get *querky* on me

 

One of the major issues i've heard with Vista is with gaming. If you are doing everyday applications like web browsing/wordprocessing/etc. it seems to have matured alright. But it seems to always have problems with games. Low frame-rates, shoddy or picky drivers, etc. But my Dell will come with Vista so we'll see...

 

Easy. I don't want a machine loaded with DRM, WGA, UAC nanny screens and other assorted bloatware.

I know with XP I won't be having any problems.

That's your opinion. Quite a few other people think otherwise...

 

Even after today, you'll still able to buy Dell business systems "pre-downgraded" to XP, if you want:
http://direct2dell.com/smallbusines...sta-downgrade-service-amp-xp-end-of-life.aspx

 

Vista...... you can disable UAC, WGA is a must for all windows systems(including XP), cant do anythinga bout the DRM though

 

If you`re a gamer and link to every frame like me, Vista is not for you.

 

My flyer from Dell says you have to phone the order in by June 18th, which is today.

Why they're doing it a little early, I don't know

 

Yeah you can disable UAC, but everybody tells you not to.

No, XPs WGA does not phone home to the authentication servers ever 90 or 120 days to see if your legit or not. I have automatic updates shut off anyway, since I manually download patches every month through Belarc Advisor.

And DRM can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. Long live fair use!

 

Good maybe people will stop whining, oh wait that will never happen. They'll just keep pushing the same old tired lines that they heard from someone else.

 

Vista's gaming performance is now up to par with XP's gaming performance. In some cases Vista is even faster.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2302500,00.asp

 

Oh what a bunch of crap man.
VISTA IS NOT AS FAST AS XP IN GAMING.
Give it a rest.
I`ve tested at least 10 different systems with it as follows:
-8800 Ultras
-Ati 2900 pro
-geforce 7950gtx
-geforce 8600 gt
-8600M GT
-ati 3870
etc.

ALL gave better scores in XP than Vista with minor glitches here an there.

 

Oh well.

Vista & Ballmer's new spyware won't be in my house anytime soon.

Let's hope they take the right cue when Windows 7 comes out. I'll keep an open mind about it until otherwise.

 

Win 7 is based off of Vista's kernal. And open minded is probably the last thing you will be.

 

Well, I would say as long u have a 2nd system running on XP to fall back on, having Vista on a new machine would seem a better choice.

No doubt Vista still have much bugs to solve but cannot say it is a total failure as a OS

 

Well that would be a shame if it's just a repeat of the same old, same old. We'll just have to wait and see

True that, with Vista. No apologies there...

 

Sure... Dell's sales of computers with XP licenses end today... However, computers with Vista licenses can be ordered pre-downgraded to XP after today. It's explained in the article I linked to in my previous post.

So that they can get them built and shipped by Microsoft's June 30 deadline.

Sure. I tell people not to disable it, too. But disabling UAC is not any worse security-wise than using XP. In other words, XP is no more secure than Vista without UAC. So that's a pretty silly reason to downgrade. At least with Vista, it's easy to turn UAC on if you ever come to your senses.

You're right... XP's WGA phones home more often than that. Every 14 days, actually. It is possible to turn it off though... although I don't think that just turning off automatic updates is enough to stop WGA from phoning home.

 

My flyer never mentioned that. How convenient.

And the downgrade rights program ends when? The article doesn't say although it's implied it will go on after the June 30th deadline.

UAC is just one of the many reasons I cited. Trust me, I'd need more than that to downgrade.

However, since I'm not "downgrading" that's besides the point.

Automatic Updates is the most obvious way of phoning home in XP. If one wants to be thorough though, one can visit http://www.blackviper.com/ and he can show you the rest.

 

OP, why is it that you have a problem with Microsoft "phoning" home so to speak? I'm not exactly sure what this is all about because if my Vista is checking with Microsoft periodically to authenticate itself invisible to me...I'm not really sure I care.

I still get my work done with the systems that have Vista on it.

I have a legit OS and I'm fine with Microsoft checking if it wants to. If it affected performance or interrupted my work then I would care...but so far I'm not feeling either.

That UAC is just plain silly...look I understand its good intentions but in practice all everyday users simply click on the message without reading it. Turn it off. Its annoying and not well thought out...which I am surprised because I always thought Microsoft had tons of User testing going...certainly one of those users must have been a Grandmother or Grandfather...oh sure...those message make total sense to them...what did those elder individuals do when they got them? Cancel it? Paste the message into Google...read the tons of information which got returned? Call their Grandson to ask for their advise...then finally make a intelligent decision where to proceed or not? Umm...I think not..I think they just click on okay. Same thing every non-computer-enthusiast individual does.

Which leaves DRM...again, what is your issue here? As long as the content you get is used just by you and on your equipment...not sharing with others who didn't purchase the media...then what is wrong with DRM?

DRM has become such an ugly word (acronym) these days...

I'm not trying to stir controversy here, but just wanting to understand...maybe I'll learn something...

 

I care out of principle. It's none of M$ business what I do with my machine when I'm on line. If they can't trust me with their OS, then I don't trust them. I believe in letting them authenticate one time when I initially set up the machine and that's it.

If you have no problem letting big brother ping you all the time, then that's your business. But I don't see it that way. I refuse to be their tool.

Well that's good. I still work in a primarily XP environment and we get the work done too. I see little benefit to upgrading unless I want to go out and spend hundreds of dollars buying new hardware to support Vista.

Well that's you. I'm not.

There are ways of tweaking it so that it will become less annoying without turning it off but I don't bother since I currently don't own a Vista machine. The upgrade version I dealt with was a nightmare that I have no intention on going back to.

http://www.technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRvT6Ghe98mM
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9943631-7.html?edId=3
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9946780-7.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9946050-7.html
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/microsoft-may-build-a-copyright-cop-into-every-zune/

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

In M$ defense, they're only doing what the RIAA and the MPAA dictate them to do, however they've become such slaves to Hollywood and their erosion of our fair use rights that I have no respect for them.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,133360-c,techindustrytrends/www.idgconnect.com

 

This should help explain why DRM is bad for the consumer:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/19/microsoft-backtracks-will-keep-msn-music-drm-servers-online-unt/


Edited to add: Can anyone tell me why Vista is better than XP? Cheers.

 

It's not over but it will cost you more:
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9972673-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt