Windows Vista

RE: Windows Vista

2008-09-24T21:17:27Z

I'm coming a bit late to this discussion, but...

we at our library system are discouraging our members from switching to Vista, for now, as there are rumors that our ILS doesn't work well with Vista. Soon, I know that will have to change, as Vista will be the only option for libraries using Windows.

One of the issues I see as being problematic is that both our ILS and Vista are "resource hogs" - they use an immense amount of computing power and each tends to slow down any but the newest, fastest PCs. I fear that we will be seeing LOTS of complaints from our members when they start trying to run both.

I bought a new PC back in summer of '07 which had Vista pre-installed. Had I known what a nightmare it would be, I would have requested to stick with XP. Vista is very slow, and though I don't have the most powerful PC that was available at the time, the fact that it is so sluggish makes me very much dislike Vista.

Re: Windows Vista

2007-02-13T22:16:13Z

Our friends at TechSoup have published an [url http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page6113.cfm ]FAQ for Non-Profits[/url] about Vista.

It covers new features, system requirements, upgrading from older Microsoft OSs, and more.

Also, take the [url http://lifehacker.com/software/windows-vista/reader-poll--will-windows-vista-send-you-running-to-a-new-os-230315.php ]LifeHacker poll[/url] asking "Will Vista be the reason you switch to a Mac or Linux?" LB?

The [url http://polls.gawker.com/?key==ETOyMTM&voted=1 ]results[/url] are interesting. 27.1% (1956 votes) for "I'll never use Vista, and I couldn't be happier to be Windows-free!"

Re: Windows Vista

2007-02-08T20:22:42Z

>>It makes Linux very tempting ...<<

I've thought for a long while now that open source and libraries are natural partners, but adoption of open source operating systems has been slow and sparse. A recent post on [url http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/02/06/the-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-personality-of-open-source-software/ ]The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality of Open Source Software[/url] spells out some good reasons why. Follow the link to [url http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/02/dorothea_on_dspace.php ]Karen Schneider's always insightful reflections[/url], where she says "Yes, dear Koolaid-Drinkers, open source software is not without inherent flaws..."

Maybe the balance is tipping now with the high capacity bar being set by Vista. Will libraries scramble to hire some Linux gurus and leave Microsoft in the dust?

Re: Windows Vista

2007-02-08T17:12:34Z

It's going to be interesting. We were talking about it at an automation consortium meeting ... it looks like our computers will need 3 gigs of memory. Two are for Vista alone.

This means substantially more than upgrading a few computers. It likely means purchasing an entirely new suite of computers.

It makes Linux very tempting, especially for our lab computers (assuming that our OPAC vendor won't have a Linux version any decade soon).

Re: Windows Vista

2007-02-08T16:43:26Z

I've been hearing a lot of hesitation about moving to Vista, but someone reminded me that there was a similar lag in adoption of XP when it first hit the market. It will probably take a critical number of people and companies to take the plunge and let the rest of know that the water is fine (or not).

So I too would like to know who's gone there.

Re: Windows Vista

2007-02-08T02:09:07Z

American Libraries Online article on Vista
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2007/february%202007/vistalibs.cfm

If you've moved to Vista, let us know! We'd love to hear your experiences.

Re: Windows Vista

2007-02-04T17:28:01Z

I've been wondering about adding Vista to my personal PC, so thank you. Now I've some places to start my research.

Re: Windows Vista

2007-01-18T22:06:23Z

Article: updating from Windows XP to Vista
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2082979,00.asp

Re: Windows Vista

2006-11-29T21:46:23Z

That got my curiosity aroused so I did some exploring and found this article on [url http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1936059,00.asp ]Vista Sucks, No It Doesn't, Yes It Does[/url]. The second page addresses the DRM issues.

"There seems to be some really grave concerns and misunderstandings about the DRM in Vista. Quite a few readers seemed to think that Vista will ship with an amazing, unprecedented amount of DRM, which will prohibit them from doing all the fun non-DRM stuff they enjoy today. This just really isn't true."

The writer goes on to say that our computers are "already chock full of DRM" and provides details. Can anyone shed more light on this controversy?

Re: Windows Vista

2006-11-29T20:57:22Z

There's a lot of DRM restriction ... at least so I read about the "personal version." That's got me a bit worried about library usage where people might want to use library-owned media in several different machines.

Re: Windows Vista

2006-11-29T18:07:34Z

Good question! Last I heard the release date was January 2007, which is getting pretty close.

There was a brief discussion about [url /forums/thread.jspa?threadID=3582&tstart=0 ]Vista[/url] over in Operating Systems. Have you heard any new buzz about it? I'd sure like to know when people start installing and using it. Please share your experiences.

Windows Vista

2006-11-29T17:30:15Z

Everyone's talking about Windows Vista... is anyone out there planning on making the upgrade at their library or on their personal computer?

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/