That's why my "official short-media reviewer advice" is: Wait a few months. I have a feeling that most of this stuff is puppy-legs stuff. Wait for the drivers to shake out a bit, wait for a couple of big patches, and then it will be great. It's really a nice OS, with all the underpinnings and potential to be the best desktop OS going, but it still needs to get past the last few rough patches.
There will be at least one evaluation copy of Vista launching in the near future (in the timeframe that prime mentions). This will allow you to test the system out without having to burn money on a perpetual license.
It probably won't be the SKU you *want* to test, but if you've seen how much hair-pulling-out I have to do when a new SKU is ready to go out (outside of the development timeframe) .... it's a month-killer.
--That dude who does all the out-of-band releases (like the Vista Ultimate Extras [I'll get you your damn dreamscene as soon as I can]) and new SKUs.
I have a feeling that most of this stuff is puppy-legs stuff.
That's my story so far. I've had problems with;
Wireless PCI card drivers
Wireless keyboard driver
My VPN's
These are all a case of third party* vendors needing to catch up. That's not to say that you should dive in. But they aren't a case of the OS being unstable or having an "unfinished" feel.
* the wireless keyboard was a Microsoft...are they a third party vendor.....?
I wouldn't lump MS hardware in as 3rd party, though for legal reasons, it very well may be, or may have to be considered as such, I am certainly not giving any sort of legal advice. (cover-my-ass much?)
The plus side with the wireless desktop periphs was that the undesired operation was an inconvience, not a "problem", and it got fixed fast!
No, you don't understand. I don't use the camera's software, I've always just used Windows camera and scanner wizard to copy the files off the camera. With XP, my workflow was ironed out to a science - plug the camera in, name the folder, boom - they all copied. Now, I can't plug the camera in - it has no recognition of it (even the XP driver won't work). I don't have a compact flash reader. Now I'll either have to go out and buy one, wait for my camera to be supported in vista, or just use my mac. I don't feel great about going out and spending money on hardware I don't need just because what worked in XP doesn't work in vista.
Of course it's annoying when you have to change your workflow, but although I know a lot of people who shoot digital SLRs, including an number of professionals, I don't know anybody else who does the data transfer like you used to. Also, the 300D - although popular in it's day and still a great camera in my opinion - is now outdated by two generations (350D and 400D) which makes me wonder if it will ever be supported by Vista in the way you would want it to be. That's why I would recommend getting a flash card reader like most anybody else seems to do. You can get a perfectly good one for well under $10, and I am sure you will never look back!
LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited February 2007
Wait a few months. I have a feeling that most of this stuff is puppy-legs stuff.
I will probably do the same I did with the upgrade from 98 to XP, which is to wait about nine months, let the early adopters identify the problems, and let the hardware manufacturers get their driver acts together. My transition to XP was rather enjoyable, with very few problems.
As to cameras, no one should be encouraged to upgrade cameras merely because they are two or three years old. Top grade lenses, such as are found on Nikons and some of the Canons (yes, a few other brands as well) are the most lasting and important components of a camera. The software installed in the camera is not a major factor compared to lense quality. If the lense quality is mediocre, the best, most up to date software won't make much of a difference.
Just use a card reader. Cheap, it works, problem solved.
As to cameras, no one should be encouraged to upgrade cameras merely because they are two or three years old. Top grade lenses, such as are found on Nikons and some of the Canons (yes, a few other brands as well) are the most lasting and important components of a camera. The software installed in the camera is not a major factor compared to lense quality. If the lense quality is mediocre, the best, most up to date software won't make much of a difference.
Well said! I don't think anybody in their right mind would ditch a 300D just because it's incompatible with Vista. I have a 350D and my brother owns a 300D, and these cameras are essentially just the same as the current 400D. In fact, I have been thinking about getting my Dad a 300D if prices keep on falling as they have been. The only DSLR worth upgrading to from a 300D or 350D is a 5D - but that's a lot more money, and not worth it unless you are a pro or money really isn't an issue for you.
That said, while in the film photography days a camera was just a box to hold the film and lens in place, now it contains the sensor, which is an essential component in the picture taking process. So while pre-digital (for me until last year) I still shot Minolta SRTs and XDs - cameras from the 1970s and 1980s - I now expect to have to upgrade my camera a little more frequently :bigggrin:
I never used ME but Loved 2000 and really like XP - I haven't seen that type of error since I did all of those Illegal Operations in Windows 98 SE. I will probably wait 6 months before I try Vista - and I just built a 64 bit system. Jack
I concure on Windows 2000 and Windows XP....2000 was, and still is very stable. Windows Xp is the gamers choice and very stable too. My nephew works for Oracle in New Hampshire as a master programer and he told me to stay away from Vista for now. The OS is very heavy on system resources. If you like Norton you might like Vista too, they are both system hogs. As far as DX10, he said his guess is 90% that it will be available for XP too, one way or another. XP has been running fine for me since its release, so I am staying with it. From what I have read so far about Vista, nothing is going to make me jump to it. What, if any, are the advantages of it?...
Lies, until the new versions of DirectX came out, 2000 was the real gamer's choice.... it listened when you turned off mouse acceleration. Razer never had to.... uhh... modify a .sys file to allow you to use a mouse properly on 2k.
Also, ronbo, read my earlier post on why Vista seems heavier on system resources. XP & Vista's memory usage can't be compared 1:1.
DX10 will not be available on a DX9 system. Rumors of this have floated around, but it will not happen. To get DX10 you need to have Windows Vista.
XP is a tried and true OS, but in time after updates and SP's rollout Vista will surpass XP and become the main stream OS. The layout of Vista is already going with major companies like Dell and HP putting Vista on their systems already. I am willing to bet in 2 years Vista will be all over the place, and the majority of computer help threads will be based on Vista...
I have been running Vista for about a week now and have really settled into it. I love the new Voice command, as it works a million times better than XP's offering, and I have gotten it trained to my voice pretty well. I can open any program and get to any site using my voice. The only downside to Vista from my standpoint is the fact I am having issues with my sound drivers. I know they are not Vista drivers and that new ones are promised, but it is odd playing a few games getting glitched sounds. but I found If I run the games in windowed mode the issue goes away... kind of wired, but once Vista drivers come out for the hardware, I am sure this is not going to be how games need to be ran
It is the standard card built on to the system "Conexant High Definition Audio" I also found another way around it, with my Bluetooth headset, as my BT drivers are all supported and updated, so I am using its proprietary BT Hands-free Audio and the BT Stereo Audio.
Sledge, is the voice command in Vista just another form of Dragon Naturaly Speaking? I use voice command now for my emails and in my browser and in Word.
Sledge, is the voice command in Vista just another form of Dragon Naturaly Speaking? I use voice command now for my emails and in my browser and in Word.
ha! dragon naturaly speaking was the shiz! i used that for all my h/w all through my last years of highschool, saved me so much time and effort! its in there with AOEII as a classic that will always hold a piece of my heart in this ever changing computer evolution.
Comments
It probably won't be the SKU you *want* to test, but if you've seen how much hair-pulling-out I have to do when a new SKU is ready to go out (outside of the development timeframe) .... it's a month-killer.
--That dude who does all the out-of-band releases (like the Vista Ultimate Extras [I'll get you your damn dreamscene as soon as I can]) and new SKUs.
That's my story so far. I've had problems with;
These are all a case of third party* vendors needing to catch up. That's not to say that you should dive in. But they aren't a case of the OS being unstable or having an "unfinished" feel.
* the wireless keyboard was a Microsoft...are they a third party vendor.....?
The plus side with the wireless desktop periphs was that the undesired operation was an inconvience, not a "problem", and it got fixed fast!
(woot us!)
Of course it's annoying when you have to change your workflow, but although I know a lot of people who shoot digital SLRs, including an number of professionals, I don't know anybody else who does the data transfer like you used to. Also, the 300D - although popular in it's day and still a great camera in my opinion - is now outdated by two generations (350D and 400D) which makes me wonder if it will ever be supported by Vista in the way you would want it to be. That's why I would recommend getting a flash card reader like most anybody else seems to do. You can get a perfectly good one for well under $10, and I am sure you will never look back!
Frank
As to cameras, no one should be encouraged to upgrade cameras merely because they are two or three years old. Top grade lenses, such as are found on Nikons and some of the Canons (yes, a few other brands as well) are the most lasting and important components of a camera. The software installed in the camera is not a major factor compared to lense quality. If the lense quality is mediocre, the best, most up to date software won't make much of a difference.
Just use a card reader. Cheap, it works, problem solved.
Well said! I don't think anybody in their right mind would ditch a 300D just because it's incompatible with Vista. I have a 350D and my brother owns a 300D, and these cameras are essentially just the same as the current 400D. In fact, I have been thinking about getting my Dad a 300D if prices keep on falling as they have been. The only DSLR worth upgrading to from a 300D or 350D is a 5D - but that's a lot more money, and not worth it unless you are a pro or money really isn't an issue for you.
That said, while in the film photography days a camera was just a box to hold the film and lens in place, now it contains the sensor, which is an essential component in the picture taking process. So while pre-digital (for me until last year) I still shot Minolta SRTs and XDs - cameras from the 1970s and 1980s - I now expect to have to upgrade my camera a little more frequently :bigggrin:
Frank
I concure on Windows 2000 and Windows XP....2000 was, and still is very stable. Windows Xp is the gamers choice and very stable too. My nephew works for Oracle in New Hampshire as a master programer and he told me to stay away from Vista for now. The OS is very heavy on system resources. If you like Norton you might like Vista too, they are both system hogs. As far as DX10, he said his guess is 90% that it will be available for XP too, one way or another. XP has been running fine for me since its release, so I am staying with it. From what I have read so far about Vista, nothing is going to make me jump to it. What, if any, are the advantages of it?...
Also, ronbo, read my earlier post on why Vista seems heavier on system resources. XP & Vista's memory usage can't be compared 1:1.
http://www.short-media.com/forum/showpost.php?p=461872&postcount=71
XP is a tried and true OS, but in time after updates and SP's rollout Vista will surpass XP and become the main stream OS. The layout of Vista is already going with major companies like Dell and HP putting Vista on their systems already. I am willing to bet in 2 years Vista will be all over the place, and the majority of computer help threads will be based on Vista...
I have been running Vista for about a week now and have really settled into it. I love the new Voice command, as it works a million times better than XP's offering, and I have gotten it trained to my voice pretty well. I can open any program and get to any site using my voice. The only downside to Vista from my standpoint is the fact I am having issues with my sound drivers. I know they are not Vista drivers and that new ones are promised, but it is odd playing a few games getting glitched sounds. but I found If I run the games in windowed mode the issue goes away... kind of wired, but once Vista drivers come out for the hardware, I am sure this is not going to be how games need to be ran
ha! dragon naturaly speaking was the shiz! i used that for all my h/w all through my last years of highschool, saved me so much time and effort! its in there with AOEII as a classic that will always hold a piece of my heart in this ever changing computer evolution.