Microsoft to Offer Downgrade Option for Vista Business Users

[Azayzel]

Oh, this is rich! So all you users out there that have been dealing with the pita that's Vista, don't feel bad; enough business customers have complained that M$ is now offered a "downgrade to XP" option for business users. Unfortunately it's only for Business and Ultimate users, but it's a start.

Link to article at Engadget

This is what happens when you shackle an OS too much and make it too different from what people are used to (another reason many people are hesitant to switch to Linux and so many people stick with Macs once they're use to them). Not saying it's a bad piece of software, but too many things either don't work properly or won't work at all. Give it a few more years.

Not sure how they could've done it better, perhaps some type of "jail" option for non-Vista compliant software so they don't wreak havoc upon the system; i.e., spam/virus/spy/[name your bad software here]-ware.

[andym]

Originally Posted by Azayzel

This is what happens when you shackle an OS too much and make it too different from what people are used to (another reason many people are hesitant to switch to Linux and so many people stick with Macs once they're use to them).

If you've got a Mac why would you change to anything else?

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by andym

If you've got a Mac why would you change to anything else?

Wrong question. If you don't have a Mac, why would you change to one?
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Dennis

[Bob Russell]

I've got a Vista Lenovo tablet, and I'm not thrilled with Vista, but it's okay and fortunately the computer is powerful enough to overcome most of the excessive resource consumption of Vista. But XP isn't not much of an option for tablet users because of the big difference in tablet support between the two. Still, I long for the efficiency of XP. (Can't believe I just combined efficiency and XP in the same sentence!)

I'd love to get a Mac, but compatibility issues, plus having to learn another OS (I'd rather learn Linux), and cost all make it not a good choice for me. But I had multiple Macs before a Windows PC, and I do prefer to go with Apple if not for those factors.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

I've got a Vista Lenovo tablet, and I'm not thrilled with Vista, but it's okay and fortunately the computer is powerful enough to overcome most of the excessive resource consumption of Vista. But XP isn't not much of an option for tablet users because of the big difference in tablet support between the two. Still, I long for the efficiency of XP. (Can't believe I just combined efficiency and XP in the same sentence!)

Properly tweaked, XP can be fairly efficient, given sufficient resources. (Which in this case means at least 512MB of RAM.)

A friend recently upgraded to XP on one of his machines, and tweaked it as I recommended. To his surprise, it not only booted much faster than Win2K (which was a design goal of XP), but also booted faster than his Win98SE machine, when 98SE was in a largely stock config, with only Roxio and Norton loading on startup, while XP loaded a lot of startup apps.)

I'd love to get a Mac, but compatibility issues, plus having to learn another OS (I'd rather learn Linux), and cost all make it not a good choice for me. But I had multiple Macs before a Windows PC, and I do prefer to go with Apple if not for those factors.

Cost and compatibility are the big issues. Mac OS/X is based on a modified BSD kernel with all of the standard Gnu utilities, so a lot of what you might learn about Linux is applicable.
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Dennis

[nekokami]

I like OSX pretty well, but if my current PowerBook G4 dies, I'll probably be switching to Linux. I've been running Ubuntu on an old x86 tower and I've gotten quite fond of it.

But then, I worked for Sun for 11 years and I'm used to administering my own unix machine. In fact, I'd dropped Apple for a while until they came out with OSX. As I said, I like the OS, but the hardware is too expensive for me to buy now that I've switched to the academic work sector.

[Azayzel]

I guess I need to play around with the Tablet functions of Vista. I've been quite hesitant to take the plunge not so much for the resource use, but all the problems I hear about people having, plus those I experienced when assisting a friend. I know XP inside and out, but when trying to do the same thing within Vista was another issue.

I cannot really complain too much about Macs either, that was just a little jab from a Windows slacker. I actually have a Mac mini and played with the system quite a bit in college; definitely a lot of fun when I found almost all my Linux knowledge applied here. I simply like all the software I can find for Windows, whereas I haven't looked too hard lately for the Mac. FYI, at my last college most of the research machines doing the heavy lifting where Linux, with a Bio-informatics cluster running Mac OS. We primarily used Windows to manage the user infrastructure, since that's what people used in their administrative functions.

[Alexander Turcic]

Bob, should you still be interested in giving XP a try, Lenovo has their downgrade page here:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...TA-DWNGRD.html

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Azayzel

I guess I need to play around with the Tablet functions of Vista.

Okay, just to make sure I'm keeping my stupid question quota up to snuff: Does standard Vista support tablet functions, or is there a specific Tablet version of it?

I've been mostly ignoring it, you see, so I have no idea.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Okay, just to make sure I'm keeping my stupid question quota up to snuff: Does standard Vista support tablet functions, or is there a specific Tablet version of it?

I've been mostly ignoring it, you see, so I have no idea.

It's now included, so no more special Vista for Tablet PCs.

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

It's now included, so no more special Vista for Tablet PCs.

That's good. The last thing they need is yet another set of versions. It's hard enough to work with the current crop: Vista Home Premium, Vista Install on Tuesdays, Vista Coffee Shop Latte-only, Vista Pro Facing East.

[Fitzwaryn]

Originally Posted by andym

If you've got a Mac why would you change to anything else?

Because if you work in the business world you deal with Windows.

I prefer diesel engines over gas ones but if I had to make my living as a mechanic turning my back on gas engines is a good way to stay poor and unemployed.

Technical superiority is not the issue. What the majority of the world uses is.

1. Linux is superior to Windows in many ways.
2. The Mac is also in many ways.
3. In WWII German tanks were superior to those of the Allies.

All three are interesting but ultimately irrelevant facts.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

It's now included, so no more special Vista for Tablet PCs.

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

That's good. The last thing they need is yet another set of versions.

Hmm. Now I have a reason to want my employer to switch to Vista (it'll probably take a few years, given their past approach to new OS's) -- they can't put a standard image on the Tablet I have without losing me all the tablet functionality since they don't have a site license for XP Tablet. So I'm dealing with a lot of "utilities" that I can't shut off, and a wireless driver that calls it a day after about 5 hours of heavy running.

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Hmm. Now I have a reason to want my employer to switch to Vista (it'll probably take a few years, given their past approach to new OS's)

Good for them. I just this week moved P&W over to XP from Win2k (along with desktop upgrades), simply because Win2k has finally gone EOL. The whole, happy little family of Linux servers, Mac design stations, and Win2k boxes was running just dandy. I would have preferred to leave it that way.

Interestingly, two of my Win desktop suppliers have sent me deadlines already, after which they will no longer sell systems pre-loaded with XP. The timing of that and Microsoft's downgrade offer seems interesting.

Personally, I don't plan to worry about that for a couple of years.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

Good for them. I just this week moved P&W over to XP from Win2k (along with desktop upgrades), simply because Win2k has finally gone EOL. The whole, happy little family of Linux servers, Mac design stations, and Win2k boxes was running just dandy. I would have preferred to leave it that way.

My former employer finally upgraded everyone to XP Pro and Office 2003, from a hodge-podge of machines running Win98, WinNT Workstation, and Win2K, with Office 97 and Office 2000. They'd been wanting to do it for some time, but couldn't get the funding from corporate under the previous ownership. When the company changed hands, the new owners were more sensible. While it required some long days and a weekend or too, I was all in favor. The old mess was a major pain to support.

I doubt they will move to Vista until a gun is pointed at their heads.

Interestingly, two of my Win desktop suppliers have sent me deadlines already, after which they will no longer sell systems pre-loaded with XP. The timing of that and Microsoft's downgrade offer seems interesting.

Microsoft would like to migrate everyone to Vista, to maintain the revenue stream, and at some point could simply refuse to sell new XP licenses to OEMs.

We may see differences depending on vendor. For instance, Dell is the biggest corporate supplier. If Dell says "Our corporate customers don't want Vista. They want XP.", Microsoft is going to be hesitant about refusing to sell Dell additional XP licenses. A smaller manufacturer will have less clout and less options.
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Dennis