This might be the worse relationship microsoft has gotten it self into. Should have probably aborted this baby. It seems they are actually making a downgrader from vista to xp.. The masses want it. If the masses are crying to go back after they clearly spent on hardware to upgrade shouldn't that have your alarms blaring. Something is wrong with your operating system Ms. Fix it. I used vista for a little bit in its beta stages. it just felt odd to me So i gladly reverted by to my new age roots (linux)

as for this whole vista to xp downgrader situation

Alright i shall say this about vista.

I have used vista ONCE since it was released. I used vista for approximately 30 minutes. And i proceeded to try everything i was able to do on xp on vista, i did alot of different stuff in that 30 minutes, and i will say this:

*note i say this _base_d on what i said above*

The big hubbub about vista is rubbish. I have used it and I would happily switch to vista on my NEXT system (not my current one). It shares the same functionality of xp and while it really seems like mainly a Face change, it is a change nontheless and it does have a little extra than xp. The problem with vista I THINK is three things:

a) Hardware manufacturers - We know you have been using xp for the past 6 years but you need to MOVE ON, you neva expect microsoft to keep xp for the rest of their life did you? Hardware manufacturers need to stop complaining and start working on vista drivers and make xp drivers as an afterthought, move with the times. Also hardware manufacturers need to start focusing on the opensource market as well. If unno goin complain bout microsoft then do something about it and stop using them.

b) Software manufacturers - I remember seeing a news item at least 1.5 years back, that said that microsoft has given developers a kit for developing stuff for vista. That is more than enough time to give 5+ members of staff something to work with so that they can port all their stuff to vista. Stop complaining and actually do something you lazy bums.

c) and I think the biggest problem with vista PEOPLE ON A WHOLE. The problem I find with most people is that they hate change. Everytime there is a major change in the PC industry people complaing. When we were switching from 2000 to xp EVERYBODY complained, wen we switched from 98 - 2000 EVERYBODY complained and now we switching from xp to vista EVERYBODY complaining again. If you dont believe look at this. The same operating system that everybody has been complaining about for the past 6 years (XP) is all of a sudden the best thing since sliced bread.
Havent you all realized it? All of a sudden, nobody has any complaints about xp, xp is the greatest thing out now, and that was only since the few months since vista's release, if u checked forums the day before vista u would see xp complaints and now all u see are vista complaints.

Why you think that is? because people dont want to change, they dont want to move on, they want to stay stuck in the same hole forever instead of climbing the damn ladder that somebody made.

HOWEVER

Microsoft dont think you are off the hook. You people waste everybody's time creating a new O/S when for the most part it is just a facial change with the majority of the functionality changes occuring next year and next 2 years when service packs start getting released. You should've left vista in beta testing mode and ensured that you came out with a product thats at least 75% complete.

PS: *opinion of this poster is subject to change when he gets more experience with vista*

And miss the chance to sell as much operating systems as possible before the opensource revolution begins. you must be crazy.

With ubuntu more and more in the media and it being super user friendly and only getting easier to use with every single distribution release which is at a rapid rate (every 6 months) Microsoft must be and I'm sure are aware of the fact that the software market might and i hope it will change. Where their main source or revenue might be in danger as a completely free and fully functional alternative exists which ease of use rivals theirs.

I understand your logic about peopole fearing change. I really didn't think about the past xp complaints however those are still going on. I think what the revolt is about is the way people became accostommed to doing something might have changed. I saw withmy own eyes two friends of mine try to disable the password prompt for networking in vista. meaning when someone tries to connect to a computer they are not prompted for a user name and a password and for the love of God and all things holy they could not. It was not the same. They are supposed to be making the operating system more efficient in how you do things. Things should be intuitive that functionality should be somewhere in the network settings but it was no where to be found.

That was a problem i had with vista. The other stuff that annoyed me were a few blue screens i got but it was beta so i looked over that as well as they were probably driver related (ati card)

Yea i am really glad for the ubuntu project, its bringing linux to systems all over, i suspect that with good marketing (pool your resources opensource community) by the end of 2009 linux will have taken over at least 15-20% of the software market and that lead should be because of ubuntu (if they completely remove the need for the command line [for regular use] I will raise that figure to about 35-40%. Ubuntu is the first linux i have used where there isn't a great need for the command line and that in itself is a great step forward.

However this is a microsoft topic. I think the reason that vista is so hard to crack is because microsoft is trying to solve their biggest problem but taking the wrong means to do so, and that problem is security. We all know that a windows machine without at least 2 antivirus programs, 1 anti spyware program and a padlock on your mouse and keyboard is about as secure as your kid brother's tricycle. So windows tried to solve that problem by basically locking down the pc lol

If bill is as smart as i think he is (well he didnt become the richest man in the world by being an idiot u think), he will hire some good security experts, to take a serious look at the windows coding. And if he's even smarter, he will do a complete remake of windows from the bottom up, and run through the come with a fine toothed comb.

Microsoft is currently way behind in the software market though, generation x & y (thats us) are made of mostly smart people, who have access to the greatest information resource ever created (the internet), the world isn't as stupid as it was before and so people will stop taking certain things lightly. When people learn that there is a choice, they will make that choice and microsoft needs to realize that and adapt to it.

Agreed on the complete rebuild of the windows operating system core code. And yes i'm gonna do it drag more linux into it. It would be good if they could rip from the unix security semblance. Incorporate a little of that into Microsoft's core redesign and make it rock solid David and Jesus Secure.
That should set things straight in their corner of the arena.

As for vista's security setup.. Its really messed up. Its either a chastity belt or an open chasm. No in between what so ever.

LOL thats a nice de_script_ion of it, chastity belt or open chasm lawl
The only thing is though if/when microsoft copies unix everybody goi say its just a copy and all that jazz... *sigh* its so hard to please people.

indeed. difficult .however. Eventually they'ld understand (hopefully) that it was for the best. better security + plus the brain numbing ease of use ms pushes. so you'ld be safe and ssecured and not annoyed by its current popup and question you bodygaurd

I tried the vista demo..it worked out well for me. everything i connected was picked up and installed. never had any trouble except for the fact that i needed a more memory. all the programs that i had installed worked but there was a compatibility issue warning that came up for Microsoft's own Visual Studio 2005.

I don't think even Microsoft is sold on the whole idea of vista taking over because i read online that there'll be an xp sp3 coming out early next year. i'll see what happens with that before i go to vista again, plus with development projects pending, can't risk changing xp.

The thing is even though vista is still around microsoft will still be releasing service packs for xp, thats the way how their product life cycle is. Its the same way i think when xpsp2 was released there was a sp release for 2000, i think they only stop supporting products after 10 years or something like that