Windows Vista, Mac OS X Leopard, & Ubuntu "Edgy Eft"

Which release are you looking forward to the most?

  • Windows Vista

    Votes: 38 42.7%

  • Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)

    Votes: 23 25.8%

  • Ubuntu 6.10 "Edgy Eft"

    Votes: 9 10.1%

  • None! I'm content with my current OS.

    Votes: 17 19.1%

  • Other (Fedora Core 6, SuSE 10.2, etc.)

    Votes: 2 2.2%
  • Total voters
    89
GT4_Rule
Ah.

The final stage before the actual product eh?
Click to expand...

It only makes sense, if Microsoft plans to meet its goal of releasing Windows Vista to manufacturing by the end of October and shipping the operating system to volume license customers in November.
 
My only problem with Vista is that is a resources hog,and that "trusted computing" +DRM crap....I'll prolly stick with my mandriva linux+xp dual boot for a very loong time.......
 
I'm awaiting GooOS patiently. If it'll do what they say it'll do, I'd gladly start memorizing a new OS and take whatever certifications they throw out. :)
 
dougiemeats
It only makes sense, if Microsoft plans to meet its goal of releasing Windows Vista to manufacturing by the end of October and shipping the operating system to volume license customers in November.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Microsoft are in a bit of grief over all the "XP + Software Assurance" licenses they sold. Basically, customers want the 'free' upgrade to Vista to which they thought they were entitled when they bought the SA component with XP, and since Vista is so late, the SA agreement has expired.

If I were in that position I'd be very annoyed. I didn't get into that position myself, and I (successfully) advised my clients not to take SA, but some fell for the Microsoft silver tongue.

I don't really care when Vista comes out as long as it's ready.
 
News of Windows Vista RC1 -

CNET
Microsoft released an interim test version of Windows Vista to some corporate testers on Friday, and said it will expand the program to selected tech enthusiasts soon.

The software maker, which is planning to broadly launch a "release candidate" test version by the end of September, said that it has delivered a more modest update (build 5536.16385) to businesses that are part of its Technical Adoption Program. It also has sent it to members of its TechBeta tester pool and of its MSDN developer network.

In addition, Microsoft intends to give the test version next week to about 200,000 of the 1.5 million tech enthusiasts who participate in the Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP).
Click to expand...

Full Article Here...
 
According to Paul Thurrott (good source for Windows information, but can't trust him with his views of Mac), this pre-RC1 build is a huge improvement over Beta 2. I don't know if I will bother downloading and installing RC1, but this is good news for the other testers.
 
CNET said that they will only release it to those who are participating in the Improvement Program...I don't know whether if that means everybody who has downloaded the Beta 2 or not.
 
Microsoft Reveals Pricing for Vista? (Link)

Prices in Canadian Dollars

  • Vista Ultimate: $499 (upgrade: $299)
  • Vista Premium: $299 (upgrade: $199)
  • Vista Basic: $259 (upgrade: $129)
  • Vista Business: $379 (upgrade: $249)

Wow. That's expensive.

Edit: I wanted to clarify that there will not be a price difference between 64-bit and 32-bit editions of Windows Vista.
 
dougiemeats
Microsoft Reveals Pricing for Vista? (Link)

Prices in Canadian Dollars

  • Vista Ultimate: $499 (upgrade: $299)
  • Vista Premium: $299 (upgrade: $199)
  • Vista Basic: $259 (upgrade: $129)
  • Vista Business: $379 (upgrade: $249)

Wow. That's expensive.
Click to expand...
To be fair, a Vista Basic upgrade is $110 US dollars, and that's about the same price for an OSX upgrade. Do you have a link or something that details all the differences between the four Vista options?
 
From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista
On February 26, 2006, Microsoft announced that Windows Vista will ship in six editions.[40] All versions will be available in both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x86-64) architectures, except Windows Vista Starter which will only be available for 32-bit architectures. A partial table of the features planned for each edition is also available at Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows[41].

Windows Vista Starter
Much like the Windows XP Starter Edition, this edition will be limited to emerging markets, mainly to offer a legal alternative to using unauthorized copies. It will be severely limited, for example only allowing a user to launch at most three applications with a user interface at once, will not accept incoming network connections, and physical memory is limited to 2 GB.[42] Additionally, only Celeron and Pentium III processors from Intel, and AMD's Duron, Sempron and Geode processors are supported.

Windows Vista Home Basic
Similar to Windows XP Home Edition, Home Basic is intended for budget users not requiring advanced media support for home use. The Windows Aero theme with translucent effects will not be included with this edition. Home Basic will support up to 8 GB of physical memory.

Windows Vista Home Premium
Containing all features from Home Basic, this edition will additionally support more advanced features aimed for the home market segment, such as HDTV support and DVD authoring. Extra games, mobile and tablet computer support, file system encryption, and a photo management application are also included. This edition is comparable to Windows XP Media Center Edition and Tablet PC Edition. Home Premium will support up to 16 GB of physical memory.

Windows Vista Business
Comparable to Windows XP Professional, and aimed at the business market. Does not include the Media Center features of Home Premium, but does include the IIS web server, fax support, offline files, dual physical processor support, Remote Desktop, ad-hoc P2P collaboration capabilities, and support for 128 GB of memory. Product activation is not present in this edition.

Windows Vista Enterprise
This edition is aimed at the enterprise segment of the market, and is a superset of the Business edition. Additional features include a single-session version of Virtual PC, multilingual user interface support, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support. This edition will not be available through retail or OEM channels, but through Microsoft Software Assurance.[43]

Windows Vista Ultimate
This edition combines all the features of Home Premium and Enterprise editions, and additionally comes with podcast creation support, a game performance tweaker (WinSAT), DVD ripping capabilities, and special online services for downloadable media, as well as additional customer service options. The Ultimate edition is aimed to be the most impressive edition of Vista, aimed at high-end PC users, gamers, multimedia professionals, and PC enthusiasts.

"Home Basic N" and "Business N" editions of Windows Vista will additionally be available in the European Union. These editions will ship without Windows Media Player, as required by sanctions brought against Microsoft for violating anti-trust laws.[44]

The three retail editions (Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate) of Windows Vista will ship on the same DVD. The features of the Home Premium and Ultimate editions may be "unlocked" at any time by purchasing a one-time upgrade license through a Control Panel tool called Windows Anytime Upgrade. The Business edition will also be upgradable to Ultimate. Such licenses will be sold by Microsoft's partners and OEMs, but not directly by Microsoft.
Click to expand...
 
Duċk;2396778
To be fair, a Vista Basic upgrade is $110 US dollars, and that's about the same price for an OSX upgrade.
Click to expand...

But I'd rather have a clean install, rather than an upgrade. When I buy Leopard, I can do just that.

Also, OS X doesn't have separate editions. So for $150, I will get ALL the features of Leopard. With Vista Basic, well I won't get much.
 
Ah, ok. Thanks to both of you. 👍

dougiemeats
But I'd rather have a clean install, rather than an upgrade. When I buy Leopard, I can do just that.

Also, OS X doesn't have separate editions. So for $150, I will get ALL the features of Leopard. With Vista Basic, well I won't get much.
Click to expand...

True.
 
I voted "None! I'm content with my current OS". I've got Win XP Pro at the moment and I didn't pay for it (got it legally through the software for students program before someone shouts piracy). I don't want to pay for a new OS and I'm happy enough using Windows so I'm not going to install a Linux distro. XP Pro is fine for what I need to do and hasn't given me any major problems. At some point I imagine I'm going to have to upgrade to Vista but I'm not looking forward to it.
 
GT4_Rule
:crazy: $499 CDN for Ultimate! :ouch:

It's just better to buy a PC that comes with it preloaded.
Click to expand...

I don't think you'd get a reasonably priced PC with Ultimate on it. In the same way that computer now get XP Home, then XP Pro, then Media Center.

I actually don't think that 500$ is terribly expensive for it. I mean, it has HDTV support, up to 16gb of memory, podcast creators and a bundle of other stuff. If it's comparable to XP media center it's a TV and HD Recorder as well.

When you think about how much you actually use Windows in your day. Probably around 5+ hours per day, over a year it's probably not that much compared to the benefits you get out of it.

Not that I'd buy it, I'd get the Windows Vista Home Premium, anything under that looks awful.
 
Casio,

I can see your point, but I still think $400-$500 for an operating system is quite expensive. I don't want to turn this into a huge flame-war, but compare the pricing to its competition.

Mac OS X Leopard, which will have the ability to do the things you described in your post, as well as other features, will probably sell for $130-$150. One of the few things Leopard will lack is a proper media center (Apple's Front Row cannot compete with Windows Media Center), but I don't think it's worth the extra hundred dollars.

I will not pay $500 for an operating system. It doesn't matter if it's from Microsoft, Apple, Novell, or Red Hat. It just doesn't make sense to me. I have no problem with buying a computer with Vista already installed, but I cannot see myself purchasing a retail copy of the OS.

Edit: Now, if they were to offer the Windows Vista they promised a long time ago (one that included all the features they've dropped) then maybe I would. But even then, I highly doubt it.
 
Just to let everyone know... Build 5536 is now available to the first 100,000 takers, so hurry if you want it.

  • This is not RC1; this is the pre-RC1 build
  • This build is a huge improvement over Beta 2
  • You must have a valid Beta 2 product key in order to install this build
  • You do not need to participate in this in order to install RC1 (which will be available later)
  • 32-bit only; there will not be a 64-bit edition
  • Again, Microsoft is limiting this to 100,000 downloads
  • Program is Closed

Edit: I'd like to add... if you're going to download this, then do report bugs to Microsoft, since it is the purpose of this pre-RC1 program.
Edit 2: I removed the link since they have reached 100,000 downloads.
 

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