40 replies to this topic

[harshcpu]

Which do you think is better XP or Vista or Linux. I am constantly switching back and fourth and cant stick with either. vist has some pretty cool features but Xp has about twice the amount of performance.

[Thingcubed]

Well, I don't have a large amount of experience with Linux so I'll leave that part of the question out.

At the moment, I greatly prefer XP (pro) to Vista. I don't think it's even worth it to get Vista until it's been updated heavily. XP was a bit like that too, until they came out with Service Pack 2. Once they've come out with the equivalent of that for Vista I will probably upgrade.

[csp4.0]

I don't think you should get windows XP Pro, pro is only good if you are using the computer as a server or something, otherwise use windows XP media centre edition (MCE).
Get windows XP Media centre edition (MCE) only if you use the computer to play a lot of direct X9 games otherwise get windows vista get home premium for normal use, otherwise if you use some networking get business edition, if you do both get ultimate.

For linux I would keep it installed but it should do good with the other operating system. Just a question though which version of linux is it? uBuntu?

so to sum up... use windows XP media centre edition (MCE) for gaming, windows vista (home premium) for media centre computer, windows vista (business edition) for light networking etc etc.. and windows vista (ultimate) if you want to use a media centre computer as a central server for your home network...

I personally don't like linux that much, because what you can do on it you can also do on windows XP. But it is pretty fun to just play with the features every once in a while.

And a tip: don't get MAC, it just plainly isn't as good as XP or vista... only get it if you are a serious graphics designer or something...

[bredin]

vista is prtty much an upgrade from windows, and linux, lol, dont even know what it is...

[dre]

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vista is prtty much an upgrade from windows, and linux, lol, dont even know what it is...

If you don't know what Linux is then why are you even saying that Vista is an upgrade from it? In my opinion, Vista should only be worth calling an upgrade from Windows 98.

[rvalkass]

Linux is miles ahead of Windows when you consider what they have achieved in a fairly short space of time for each of the major distributions. When you also consider that it is free (in both senses of the word) then it is even more appealing! My parents also agree that Linux (Kubuntu is the distro they're using) is a lot easier than Windows, a lot more stable, and a load of other great things. The only possible advantage of Windows over Linux is that game developers are obsessed with Windows for some weird reason, but Wine is making sure you can run Windows software in Linux.

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In my opinion, Vista should only be worth calling an upgrade from Windows 98.

I wouldn't even call it that Bring back 3.11 For Workgroups any day!

[Amiel]

Windows XP is the greatest among of the 3. It is so simple, easy, unique, clean, fast, nice features, and affordable!

[arnz]

I'd stick with XP for now. If it's not broke and/or most programs can still operate on it, I'll keep with it. Also, waiting till the Vista bugs are found and sorted out. It wasnt too long ago about the Windows ME (aka Windows 98 Third Edition) debacle where many users downgraded back to Win98SE (Windows 98 Second Edition) within a week or two of installing Win98TE (aka Windows Me)

[rayzoredge]

Of course, each have their pros and cons.

Windows XP Professional SP2, in my opinion, would be the best pick for most users, simply because it is the most stable and worry-free version/variant/whatever of Windows yet. It still beats Vista in benchmark tests (strangely-enough), and it commands the widest audience for gaming (short of Dx10-only games), popular programs (such as PhotoShop, Microsoft Office, etc.), and it is rather easy to pick up and learn with a little bit of exploration. Apple elitists take pride in the simplicity of the Mac OS X platform because their tasks are accomplished with fewer steps, but you have to be an absolute moron to not make sense of how to do things in Windows XP. (This doesn't apply to LEARNING the OS. I say that because Apple elitists take pride in performing tasks that take a few less steps... which, to me, seems rather retarded.) It's almost weird for a geek to praise a Microsoft product, but hey, I only speak truth.

Just about any distribution of Linux would be the next best choice, considering the fact that it is a FREE operating system, it can be modified to suit your needs (if you know how to program), has many good alternative choices to Windows-based programs that work well (Blender, GIMP, OpenOffice), and if needed be, can even emulate the Windows environment or its programs anyway (Wine, etc.). Speaking as a (sadly, still) Linux newbie, I found that it's really not that hard to figure out the interface, but there's heavy use of the command-line when you want to actually do some more advanced work to actually get everything up and running. (However, most of the common Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, automate everything and keep you from having to manually install drivers, etc.) One problem with Linux would be gaming (with the lack of DirectX, which is why game developers are pushing Windows-based games - not to mention that we live in a Windows-saturated world), although Linux is getting better (with OpenGL support).

Vista is my last recommendation. Microsoft still hasn't gotten their thumbs out of their arses and even with the beta service pack supposedly due this month, XP still blows it out of the water as far as performance goes. Everything is rather new in Vista... even the interface, and most of the common functionalities found in XP have changed around, so it's a frustrating process just to do the simpler things that I'm used to in XP. With Vista comes newer programs... which really isn't a great thing considering that Microsoft Office 2007 kills common Office file compatibility with its stupid new .***x filetypes. DirectX10 support is the only thing, in my opinion, that makes Vista shine. If you really need to play the latest games rendered in what DirectX10 has to offer (which isn't exactly something you can shake a stick at; Microsoft DID succeed in making DirectX better ), then Vista is your only option. I've heard rumors of DirectX10 support in XP, but of course, they're rumors. Plus, economically, it makes no sense to further bolster an obsolete operating system.

[Fleet]

Never used, or seen Linux. So I can't really say about that. However, I prefer XP. It's generally faster.

[alex1985]

Personally, I like the XP much better. But Vista is not bad. The problem in Vista, some soft does not work under it. And that soft is not available under Vista system.

[-X- Manager]

i think is a win xp the best because is fixed all problem who have...And vista it's not supporting all games or pirate programs...

[Dark_Prisoner]

harshcpu, on Jan 22 2008, 10:43 PM, said:

Which do you think is better XP or Vista or Linux. I am constantly switching back and fourth and cant stick with either. vist has some pretty cool features but Xp has about twice the amount of performance.

If you want my advice , here is a comparation :

*-* Linux is the most secure system , it is also : open-source witch means that it is free and its source code is available .
It is also updated every 2months (depends on your edition )
It had many desktop environments , a lot of them are amazing . and if you are a good programmer you can make your own desktop environment.
90% of the programs working on it are open-source too
There are some programs that let you open windows programs on it , I am thinking about :
-Wine : present in about all the editions
-Play on linux : http://www.yesgameonlinux.org/

*-*Windows Xp professional
I advise you to use it if you are not a linux pro or you don't want to leave windows
It can be safe 50% with a good antivirus.
It is not free you should have a liscence for it.

*-*Windows Vista :
Good only on the graphics and the transparent windows
Security is not clear.
It has many problems with the explorer.exe (trust me i close it and re run it about 10 times a day )
All your programs must be up to date to work on it , and some times they doesn't work even if they're updated !

Finally i think that you should get :
1- If you understand it : Linux
2- Win Xp Pro as an alternative system to linux

I hope that was the answer to your question

[demonlord]

i perfere windows xp, mainly because i have it and i dont want to pay for vista right now. and another reason that i dont wont vista is because i know serveal people that say there is so much wrong with it, i have a friend that has a list 5 pages long of stuff he cant do with vista because it wont work right. so i'm kind afriad to get it, becaues i do to much on the computer and i dont want a buggy OS, but thats just me.

[FraKture]

Dark_Prisoner, on Feb 26 2008, 07:27 PM, said:

If you want my advice , here is a comparation :

*-* Linux is the most secure system , it is also : open-source witch means that it is free and its source code is available .
It is also updated every 2months (depends on your edition )
It had many desktop environments , a lot of them are amazing . and if you are a good programmer you can make your own desktop environment.
90% of the programs working on it are open-source too
There are some programs that let you open windows programs on it , I am thinking about :
-Wine : present in about all the editions
-Play on linux : http://www.yesgameonlinux.org/

*-*Windows Xp professional
I advise you to use it if you are not a linux pro or you don't want to leave windows
It can be safe 50% with a good antivirus.
It is not free you should have a liscence for it.

*-*Windows Vista :
Good only on the graphics and the transparent windows
Security is not clear.
It has many problems with the explorer.exe (trust me i close it and re run it about 10 times a day )
All your programs must be up to date to work on it , and some times they doesn't work even if they're updated !

Finally i think that you should get :
1- If you understand it : Linux
2- Win Xp Pro as an alternative system to linux

I hope that was the answer to your question

Would it be bad if i think you are talking from very limited experience? UAC for Vista is probably one of the best safety features ever implemented into a PC's OS. If your explorer.exe is failing it is user error, not computer.

Linux is the best choice if youhave extensive knowledge about open source and little money.

XP is the best choice if you are a hardcore gamer who doesn't want to shell out say... 2k for a computer.

Vista is the best choice if you want to be with the times, and have the processing / ram to handle it.

It is also the prettiest, and the best to run on a top-of-the-line monitor.


goodluck!

[MadDog]

FraKture, on Feb 27 2008, 05:58 PM, said:

Linux is the best choice if youhave extensive knowledge about open source and little money.
Vista is the best choice if you want to be with the times, and have the processing / ram to handle it.
It is also the prettiest, and the best to run on a top-of-the-line monitor.

I gotta disagree on a couple of points here bro.

My mother in her late 60's managed to install and configure Ubuntu Gutsy on her machine and she is about as far from having "extensive knowledge about open source", as you can possibly get. Newer distros make it easier and easier to install, configure and use them all the time. Sure, she's only surfing the web and using emails, organizing photos etc. but hey, so are 90% of users out there. Programs like synaptic, actually make it easier to install new programs than it is in windows. No tedious web surfing to try and find that program that you want, the list is just there. And you can add more repositories all the time.
If you do run into trouble, the support online is phenomenal. There are 10's of thousands of sites and forums out there with folks more than willing to help, and you can guarantee that your question has been asked and answered somewhere before.

Next, have you ever seen compiz fusion running? If you are one of those people who loves special effects, and pretty OS's etc. It literally blows anything vista has to offer out of the water, and will happily run on half the specs. In fact beryl before it has been using the same effects that are "new" in vista for years. Honestly, just try it on Ubuntu, (or SUSE if you like rpm, I dont), or just go to youtube and type in compiz or something, there are plenty of vids out there as demos.

Finally, (and not directed at anyone in particular), programs like Crossover for Linux support the running of nearly 4000 windows apps, including Office, Photoshop, Quicken etc. Yes, it IS proprietry, but at $39 or $69 for pro, it is far less than the cost of a vista licence.
Cedega, allows the running of a ton of games on linux. For a list check out HERE. With more being added all the time. Cedega is a derivative of wine, which has already been mentioned here, which also supports a wide variety of apps and is something I use on my server every day.

I'm not trying to diss your choice of OS or anything mate, after all, each to their own, it just irks me sometimes that vista is plugged as some sort of supernatural deity in the OS world, when a lot of its newer implementations have been *ahem* appropriated *ahem* from linux...

Thats just my 2 cents anyway.

[Galahad]

I'll agree with maddog on this one... Linux is vecoming easier and easier to install and configure... I remember the first time I installed Linux on my computer... It was Red Hat 7.0 I believe... It was A PAIN to do... Whe I installed Ubuntu 7.10, it went like a breeze... Everything works out of a box... The only thing not working is my Genius WebCAM Express II USB web camera, but hey, I didn't use it on wintendo (that's how my friend calls windows ) either

Evolution mail works great, it has RSS plugin so I can read news, VLC player plays all of my movies, and XMMS plays like a charm, OpenOffice let's me do everything I need, and Pidgin allows me to stay in touch with all my friends... My SBLive 5.1 works with full power, all 6 channels, thanks to ALSA...

Oh... And let me just say one thing I adore... Few months back, I boutgh a TFT 19" Widescreen... And wintendo couldn't run it in it's native resolution 1440x900... I thouoght I had to buy a new GFX card (I have nVidia GeForce4 MX440)... Display was all pathetic, and the image was stretched... In Linux, it installed nVidia Restricted Drivers, and now I see true widescreen, on 1440x900, i's native resolution, picture is very clear and sharp... I didn't have to install anything...

I truelly hope people will start to turn more and more to Linux, as it is far better than wintendo...

Beryl ran on my friends computer as smoothly as it gets... And his specs are a bit old... 1.6GHz CPU, 512 RAM, ATI card with 128MB GRAM... Vista wouldn't even install on it (had he wanted to install it)...

Someone said "bring back windows 3.11 for workgroups"... I say "yeah, bring it back!" It really IS waaay better than vista

[heavensounds]

I've used all type of windows many times and also Linux and Mac Leopard! I'd suggest you to stick with XP!! It works so amazingly fast if you don't put all sorts of crap on it, but you have to format your computer quite often, which is no problem for me. That is my suggestion, of course there is also your work, which is important, meaning that you have to know why you use your computer. Mac is as "they say" better for working with graphics, ... but on my experience it is not! Photoshop, dreamweaver, and everything else works better and faster on windows xp!

So yes, just stick with XP!

[Coolguy]

I like XP too cause it has a user friendly interface and its not too complicated to use...The thing with Vista is that I found that out of all the OS'S Vista has been that slowest to compute and easiest or you can say the most vulnerable to viruses...Many programmes such as photoshop or any other games that need to host a server to start up multilayer games are quite slow in vista...

So I prefer having XP instead of vista

[crepusculart]

I've never switched to Vista. I mean, XP has really much more power (until now) but maybe Vista will get better. Anyway, I've seen and used Vista on someone else's computer. Indeed it looks cuter with the default settings but after, it gets messy when you use it and not only look at the screen ! Anyway, I will wait until some important softwares get updated to run on Vista... which is not actually true for some programs. For the time being, I'm letting my XP running on my computer. It's already a good thing having it running without problems !

By the way, if I remember well, I've heard something about Windows wanting to only release Vista on new computers... i don't remember the date they were talking about but I think that it was something about summer. Actually I'm too lazy to even go googling about that but you surely can have more details easily on the net.

[dre]

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Finally, (and not directed at anyone in particular), programs like Crossover for Linux support the running of nearly 4000 windows apps, including Office, Photoshop, Quicken etc. Yes, it IS proprietry, but at $39 or $69 for pro, it is far less than the cost of a vista licence.
Cedega, allows the running of a ton of games on linux. For a list check out HERE. With more being added all the time. Cedega is a derivative of wine, which has already been mentioned here, which also supports a wide variety of apps and is something I use on my server every day.

Cedega is a rip in my honest opinion, and Wine is much better (expect this recent 0.9.56 release, not sure what happened) and it's free. I see no reason why anyone would buy Crossover since they use Wine's engine. In fact, the two projects support themselves, each passing new information to each other.

[AlphaOfDoom]

I never tried vista. Still have windows. I think I want to stay with windows too. I mean I know all the locations, how it works, secrets and tricks and tweaks, and everything else. Why go to something I have never used before? And with the talk, it seems everything is different in the C drive and all that....so...i'll stick with windows for now

[musicmaza]

I would recommend you to use XP SP2,if you are a e a c++ programmer...because in vista the dos doesn't opens up in full screen mode.Though you can have window based compilers,but every c++ programmer like me would surely want to use the dos instead of the windows based c++ compilers like microsoft visual c++ and many more.

But Vista is great to eyes because of its eyecatching graphics and if you want to have some good graphics and run some best games then you may want to switch your windows to Vista.

Though i have got both .I have Vista in my Dell laptop and Xp+Ubuntu in my Dekstop...So I can enjoy all the three great operating systems.

[dre]

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Why go to something I have never used before?

For improvement, maybe?

[~Upnorf Cr3w~]

I also have never used or seen Linux. I have only used XP and find it easy and fast. My friends have Vista and they have so many problems with it. Shutting things down and things not working when they install stuff. So i have stayed away from Vista for now.