Re: Vista Cost?
- From: "Bruce Toews" <dogriver@xxxxxxxx>
- To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:57:21 -0600
The question was how much to upgrade to Home Premium. As I said, my
upgrade disk cost me $180 Canadian, which is probably $150 American.
On Thu, 01 Feb 2007 09:53:48 -0600, "Cher Bosch"
<Cher.Bosch@xxxxxxxxxxx> said:
> There are 2 levels of home, and one reviewer said you definitely don't
> want the $100 basic upgrade, so the cost would be $200. Have you checked
> out the hardware specs though? I doubt that most folks are going to meet
> them.
> Have you checked out the following?
>
> http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128669-page,1/article.html
> Wait! Don't Buy Microsoft Windows Vista
> Here's a well-considered list of reasons to wait on buying Windows Vista.
> Mike Elgan, Computerworld
> Monday, January 29, 2007 08:00 AM PST
> Over the next few weeks, NBA star
> LeBron James
> will try to convince you to move to Windows Vista as part of Microsoft's
> massive ad campaign.
> This is not a review of the Windows Vista operating system. I'm not here
> to tell you about Vista or what's wrong with it. For an opposing
> viewpoint, read
> Windows Vista: 15 Reasons to Switch.
> And to help you make up your own mind, here's a list of other informative
> PC World Windows Vista stories and video:
> list of 3 items
> * A
> video tour of Windows Vista's features
> with Senior Editor Yardena Arar.
> * Exclusive: First Vista PC Lab Tests
> * Windows Vista FAQ
> list end
> This article is key reading for those of you who are about to download or
> purchase Windows Vista and install it on a PC. I'm here to talk you out
> of it.
> Just say no to LeBron James and Windows Vista--for now. Here's why.
> 1. Vista Is Incomplete
> Microsoft is already planning its
> first service pack
> and seeking input from users on what to include. Vista probably won't be
> truly ready for prime time until that first service pack version,
> possibly later
> this year.
> The hardware and software companies that make compatible products for
> Vista aren't all ready for the new OS. Many of those companies are
> scrambling to complete
> Vista drivers and updates. Most important, not all video and sound card
> companies are ready.
> Audio and peripheral maker Creative publishes a list detailing the status
> of drivers for each of its many products. Most of their Sound Blaster
> Internal
> products already have Vista drivers available. Two of them have only a
> "beta 2" version of the drivers. Three of their older products say "No
> Development
> Planned." Most of their cameras and other peripherals have no
> Vista-specific drivers available.
> On the Advanced Micro Devices site, you can find information about Vista
> readiness of ATI graphics cards (AMD and ATI merged last year). Most are
> supported
> by a Catalyst Vista Software Driver, which is in beta, and are plagued by
> a long list of published "known issues." It also comes with the following
> warning:
> "ATI does NOT recommend installing these drivers in systems used for
> mission critical operations or where productivity of any kind is a
> concern."
> These two companies are on the leading edge of supporting Vista. Their
> partial readiness for Vista is symptomatic of the larger companies. Many
> smaller
> peripheral makers simply have no Vista support at all.
> Some PC vendors, such as Alienware and Polywell, are aggressively pushing
> XP over Vista, because both say graphics and other drivers for Vista
> aren't quite ready
> for prime time.
> Software, such as the security suites you may have already paid for, may
> not run on Vista, and some require updates that aren't ready yet.
> Trend Micro, Panda, Computer Associates, and Symantec have all announced
> that they'll ship updated suites on Tuesday--just in time for the
> consumer availability
> of Vista.
> Microsoft claims McAfee will support Vista, but hasn't said when. The
> company itself has not announced Vista support. And some, but not all,
> ZoneAlarm products
> will support Vista by next week. The smaller the company, the longer it
> will generally take for them to support Vista.
> Gaming on Vista--and Vista's DirectX 10 graphics support--is awesome for
> gamers. But that's something you'll be able to fully take advantage of
> only later.
> The full gaming potential of DirectX 10 requires three elements: an
> operating system, supporting graphics hardware, and supporting games. The
> operating
> system is ready, the graphics hardware is partly ready, and the games are
> nowhere. Eventually, Vista will be the ultimate PC gaming platform. But
> there's
> simply no reason for gamers to rush out and buy Vista next week.
> 2. Vista Is Expensive
> Microsoft offers three versions of Vista to home users in the United
> States: Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate. You can buy any of these
> in the upgrade
> version with a discount, or the stand-alone version without the discount.
> The cheapest way for current Windows XP users to get a legal copy of
> Vista is to buy the upgrade version of Home Basic, which is $99. But you
> don't want
> the cheapest version.
> First, the upgrade version will require you to keep your Windows XP CD
> for years. You do have a Windows XP CD handy, don't you? Second, Home
> Basic just
> won't cut it for most people. It lacks the Aero UI and Media Center
> capabilities. Plus, you can't connect Xbox peripherals to Home Basic. For
> many, including
> yours truly, those are the three best reasons to upgrade to Vista in the
> first place.
> Home Premium ($239 for the full and $159 for the upgrade version) is
> roughly equivalent to Windows XP Home. It's for nontechnical, nonpower
> users who employ
> their system for lightweight, personal purposes only. But if you're the
> kind of user who runs Windows XP Pro at home, you'll be happiest with
> Windows Vista
> Ultimate. It's got all the fun and goodies of Home Premium, plus the
> power-user features in the business version of Vista.
> Are you sitting down? The full version of Windows Vista Ultimate costs
> $399. If you have an XP CD, and don't mind the hassle, the upgrade
> version of Vista
> Ultimate costs $259. Ouch!
> (If you buy the Ultimate Edition, you'll be able to buy additional copies
> of Vista Home Premium at a cost of $49.99. For technical users, the ideal
> scenario
> for many will be Ultimate for you and Home Premium for the spouse and
> kids.)
> The cheapest Vista is the copy that comes with a new PC because you get
> in on the reseller's steep discount.
> Next page:
> 3. Vista Wants a New PC
> To get full value from Vista, you're probably going to want to buy a new,
> Vista-optimized PC. Many of the benefits of Vista require hardware your
> current
> PC doesn't have. ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive, for example, require special
> hybrid or flash drives. Windows Aero looks awesome, but only if your
> graphics
> card supports Pixel Shader 2.0. You can record high-definition cable TV,
> but only with a tuner card designed to take advantage of that Vista
> feature. You
> can enjoy DirectX 10 games, but only with a compatible video card.
> Vista's new indexed searching is great, but you'll need extra hard disk
> space for the index--and extra storage for the operating system itself.
> Don't even
> think about running Vista on a system with less than 1GB of RAM; 2GB is
> reasonable, and 4GB is the sweet spot. And if you want to really enjoy
> the Aero
> eye candy, you'll want a 20-inch or larger flat-panel LCD display.
> Sure, you can buy Vista and install it on an old PC. But that's like
> subscribing to HD cable, but not buying an HD TV. You're paying for the
> HD experience
> but not actually experiencing it.
> 4. Vista Is Time-Consuming
> Installing any new operating system is time-consuming. You have to
> configure everything, load your data, install your applications, and get
> your peripherals
> working. Then, in the case of Vista, you have to figure out where
> Microsoft buried all the options, menus, and features, and get used to
> the ubiquitous
> Search boxes. Anytime you want to do anything in Vista, it seems, the
> software asks, "Are you sure?" You'll want to figure out how to turn that
> off and
> customize Vista to get rid of all its annoying "user-friendly"
> hand-holding features.
> But buying Vista now, and installing it on old hardware, means doing
> additional, time-consuming tasks--possibly an additional day or two. Why?
> Chances are,
> you'll have to hunt down, install, and troubleshoot new drivers for your
> old peripherals and system components.
> You may have heard about Windows Easy Transfer, which moves files and
> settings from XP to Vista. But don't get too excited about this. It works
> only after
> you've reinstalled all your applications; it doesn't actually move
> installed applications, just settings and data.
> By waiting, and getting Vista on your next PC, you'll save yourself the
> pain and hassle of trying to retrofit your old PC with the new operating
> system.
> Next page:
> 5. Windows XP Isn't Obsolete
> Vista adds new benefits and, in the long run, will make computing easier,
> faster, and a lot more fun. But it doesn't really solve any existing
> problem.
> Windows XP--after years of service patches and strong, industrywide
> support--is a solid, well-understood, and highly functional operating
> system. And it
> will continue to be well supported. Microsoft itself has committed to at
> least seven more years of XP support, and even plans a Service Pack 3
> next year.
> Gartner says that by the end of this year, XP will be installed on 77.1
> percent of all PCs worldwide, and Vista on just 12.3 percent. That means
> the industry
> will make sure their new products still work great on XP.
> 6. Vista May be the Best Reason Yet to Buy a Mac
> That's right. I said it.
> Years ago, switching from Windows to a Mac was nearly impossible for most
> people. We relied entirely on desktop applications, many of which had no
> equivalents
> on the Mac platform. Today, so much of what we do is online--and Apple
> has done such a good job of making the transition easier--that leaving
> Windows and
> moving to a Mac is perfectly doable for most people. It's a real choice
> now, and mostly a matter of preference.
> With Windows Vista as the default operating system on any new PC you buy,
> it makes sense to consider moving to a Mac. After all, Vista will force
> you to
> learn a new operating system anyway, and--in the short term--one less
> supported than XP. In either case, you'll be using a 3D interface,
> widgets, and other
> goodies.
> Apple will start selling the
> next version
> of OS X, code-named Leopard, this spring. The details of this operating
> system are secret, but it's likely that it will be spectacular. All may
> be revealed
> as soon as next month. If you're going to buy a new PC this spring, you
> might as well check out Leopard before making your choice.
> Under what circumstances should you switch to a Mac? Apple fans will tell
> you that the answer is obvious: If you want your system to crash less and
> run
> with fewer hassles and fewer security breaches, then buy a Mac. But
> that's the Mac user's world view.
> If you're looking to make that decision from a PC user's world view,
> here's a more practical checklist.
> Consider switching to a Mac if:
> list of 4 items
> * You're not into PC gaming.
> * You don't have any Windows-only applications you'd still like to run
> without emulation.
> * You don't have a major PC hardware investment--such as expensive
> flat-screen LCD displays--to take advantage of.
> * You don't have non-Mac applications that are required by your employer
> for working at home.
> list end
> Most Windows users won't make that choice, however. For most of us,
> resistance is futile--and unnecessary and undesirable. Windows Vista is a
> truly great
> version of Windows with enormous benefits and will be a lot of fun to
> use.
> LeBron James will tell you that upgrading to Windows Vista is a slam
> dunk. But before you upgrade the hard way--and on the wrong hardware and
> before the
> industry is fully ready to support it--take a moment and consider: What's
> the rush?
>
>
> >>> "Bruce Toews" <dogriver@xxxxxxxx> 02/01/07 10:37 AM >>>
>
> I paid $180 Canadian for the upgrade disk. So I'm guessing $150
> American.
> On Thu, 1 Feb 2007 08:21:49 -0700, "Dave Mitchell" <mitch44@xxxxxxxxx>
> said:
> > What is the current market price for taking XP Home up to Vista Home
> > Premium, if anyone knows.
> >
> > Thanks, Mitch
> > " I'm not getting my kids an encyclopedia. Let 'em walk to school like I
> > did. " Yogi Berra
> >
> > --
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> Bruce
>
> --
> Bruce Toews
> E-mail and MSN/Windows Messenger: dogriver@xxxxxxxx
> Website: http://www.ogts.net
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--
Bruce Toews
E-mail and MSN/Windows Messenger: dogriver@xxxxxxxx
Website: http://www.ogts.net
Radio Show and Podcast: http://www.totw.net
Info on the Best TV Show of All Time: http://www.cornergas.com
--
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