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 Post subject: Windows Vista
PostPosted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 4:24 pm 
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A friend left me his laptop to set up Linux Ubuntu for him (another one who doesn't trust the big tech corps. any more at all), having tried a few distros in VMs, while he's off on holiday. So, with time to spare for that, I thought I'd have a look at the old Windows Vista - never run it before so was curious and have a friend's old Business Ed. DVD here - and set that up and ran it for a couple of weeks.

You were right Jorge - it was quite a beautiful little OS actually! OK I didn't try running old Win 32 apps, just some 64-bit/compatible stuff, but ran very nicely. And visually the best-looking Win version ever. Almost sad to have had to take it off and set up Ubuntu. Which took all of 2 partial days, inc. all the third party apps he wanted and setting everything up, inc. full drive encryption etc.

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 Post subject: Re: Windows Vista
PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:23 pm 
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The problem with Vista was that it was more of a revolution than an evolution.

Many existing appplications would not work properly (or as intended) until updated to abide by the new security rules (which pissed off a lot of developers - including me - as it was a lot of work, developers were unprepared and it took time), devices needed new drivers and not every manufacturer bothered updating them (which rendered a lot of perfectly good hardware obsolete almost overnight) and you needed fairly modern hardware to run the new transparency effects, etc...

In retrospect, all of it was actually 'a good thing' and necessary.

Vista's successor, Windows 7, wasn't much more than a service pack for Vista but, unlike the former, it was universally loved. This because Vista acted as the 'sacrificial pig' to prepare people for what was coming.

Pity MS decided to change directions once again after 7, with that Windows 8 abomination.

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 Post subject: Re: Windows Vista
PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:09 pm 
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winstep wrote:
The problem with Vista was that it was more of a revolution than an evolution.

In terms of internals (i.e. developer-wise etc.), yes, but for the user actually more evolution (apart from stuff not working/as it should etc.).
winstep wrote:
Many existing appplications would not work properly (or as intended) until updated to abide by the new security rules (which pissed off a lot of developers - including me - as it was a lot of work, developers were unprepared and it took time), devices needed new drivers and not every manufacturer bothered updating them (which rendered a lot of perfectly good hardware obsolete almost overnight) and you needed fairly modern hardware to run the new transparency effects, etc...

I remember well people complaining about apps compatibility or rather lack thereof, and many didn't like the 3-D stacking windows effect etc., and very quickly going back to XP. :) Looking at it now, I don't see what the fuss was all about in re: the UI, they could so easily have gone back to the old NT/Win 2000 look.
All in all, once in a while a revolution (in terms of OSs/UIs/APIs etc. etc.) can be a good thing or even necessary, even if it means a lot of hardware can't keep up. Now would be a good time for another such revolution, in fact I'd say it's overdue! The tragedy is, it's never going to happen if left to the main players - MS and Fruit - or for that matter the FOSS movement that just strives to keep up with and imitate the former. Unless perhaps someone like Mark Shuttleworth (Canonical/Ubuntu), who is somewhat disappointed with the whole Linux thing to put it no stronger than that, were to step up to the mark and invest heavily... It really would be time for an OS that could provide the ultimate in security, privacy as well as usability.
winstep wrote:
In retrospect, all of it was actually 'a good thing' and necessary.

Vista's successor, Windows 7, wasn't much more than a service pack for Vista but, unlike the former, it was universally loved. This because Vista acted as the 'sacrificial pig' to prepare people for what was coming.

The haste to get Win 7 out was almost indecent! ;) Indeed, it was all very necessary and, given how (relatively) long 64-bit processors had been around, very high time to take that into account properly. XP 64-bit was a bit of a shambles really and also poorly supported. And yeah, Win 7 still has the same major version number as Vista - 6.x. But some of the Aero effects were dropped in 7 - at least, haven't encountered them?
winstep wrote:
Pity MS decided to change directions once again after 7, with that Windows 8 abomination.

That seems to have been generally hated even more than Vista. Must have a look at it sometime when I get a chance, got an 8.1 lying around somewhere that was given to me at the time. I certainly hate the look of Windows 10, and the way it does some things. I hate that blasted Cortana crap and that I can't excise it altogether, along with all the other baggage of absolute dross that MS inflict on us like demos of apps and all the games and X-Box stuff. Argh!

And most Linux DEs are not much better looking than Win 10. (But at least Linux is generally far more secure and private.)

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