Are you planning to upgrade to Microsoft Vista?

[draven]

I have to echo the sentiments of the others here

NO WAY

I've worked with the betas, and it's way too buggy. Half my software won't run on it. Especially when it comes to the HTPC, XP works just fine there, and I see no reason to change.

[TV Scheduler]

Originally Posted by ZetaVu

QAM is a must it seems, at least for those who can't get a good ota signal. I can, but you never know where I might end up. scrambled channels is a different story, which leaves either a firewire hack (which brings up legal issues) or component/digital input to record hidef cable.

The only legal issue I know of is the modified version of MSTape.sys. The hacked version doesn't injure Microsoft or put them at risk so I don't see an issue.

At one point Comcast, here in Sacramento, used 5C to block FireWire on all but the local HD Stations. So QAM may not be a must for those that can't get a good OTA Signal.

All these things in Vista for HD Cable are going to be pointless when the cable companies make the quality to bandwidth compromise.

Movie makers want you to go to the theater.
DVD marketers want you to buy/rent their DVDs.
Premium content providers want you to subscribe to their channel.
Cable companies want you to subscribe to many channels.


Cable companies will be able to offer more HD channels if they send it at enhanced rather then high definition.

Premium content providers will get more subscribers if the cable companies can carry more unrestricted channels.

DVD marketers will be happy if you can only get true high definition from them,

Movies makers will be happy because their good stuff on the fancy DVDs won't be available all over the Internet for free.

I will be happy because my little 42" screen doesn't need true high definition.

I think I'll skip Vista and catch the next version.

Bob

[Bilar Crais]

I'll upgrade just as surely as I discarded Win98 for W2K, and the latter for XP.

[ZetaVu]

Originally Posted by Bilar Crais

I'll upgrade just as surely as I discarded Win98 for W2K, and the latter for XP.

but then you missed out on WinME!

[MarcP]

I might upgrade my workstations, but my HTPC is frozen until I absolutely have no choice.

[Bilar Crais]

Originally Posted by ZetaVu

but then you missed out on WinME!

Yeah, I did now, didn't I? From what I've heard it's a good thing. :-)

[bshinkle]

Originally Posted by Bilar Crais

I'll upgrade just as surely as I discarded Win98 for W2K, and the latter for XP.

For your HTPC, or for general-purpose computing?

And if for the HTPC, might we ask why?

[Bigbird999]

Some of us hit Win ME. Quick switch to 2K and made one of those "never again" promises to myself. You know the kind, like "I'm never moving again" or "I'm never sticking my finger in a light socket again". So far its working for me. Still sticking with 2K and never had to suffer through the agony of XP.
BB

[Rich A]

Call me the odd man out ... but I ran my HTPC with Windows 2K for almost the full first year of it's existance .. and had some minor niggling problems. For the last two years, it's been Windows XP Pro and I've really had ZERO problems. Like I'm often saying .. it's been 100 percent reliable for going on three years.

I find Windows XP Pro to be less hassle in some areas than 2K. There are some advantages believe it or not.

In the HTPC environment where the PC is a dedicated "closed" system, I think XP works fine. At least for the last two years anyway.

[ZetaVu]

Well, I tend to skip my upgrades. I never really liked win95 and it took win98 to get me completely off 3.1. I stuck with that through the winme nonsense although I did try it out (buggier than hell). I never really gave 2k a chance since by then XP was out and I figured I'd work with that. That was around sp1, and it was bug hell. Hardware and driver issues left and right, it was much less forgiving than win98 and honestly I could tweak win98 to handle most of what xp offered.

Eventually it was things like ntfs and background details that got me to migrate, but that was several years after xp got launched. I do not see those kind of drivers with vista, specifically since most of them were yanked. Big question is, how soon before vista's replacement, and does it make more sense to wait until then if that means getting the features that were pulled out of vista?

I think the bulk of people who get vista will either get the stripped down edition preloaded on computers (and not be bothered to pay an upgrade) or the true fanatics that will spend $100-400 to upgrade. Again I fail to see any justification of spending a couple hundred dollars to fix something that is not broken.

Now, if m$ goes on another 7 year hiatus without a new OS, then yeah, I think vista will take over eventually, probably surpass XP in 5 years.

The big question, and we should probably start a new thread since we can have some fun with this, do you think vista is more a winME or a W2K? I think it will take a successor of vista to qualify as the new XP.

My vote, as a result of the massive stripping down of vista core features (you know, that new cutting edge stuff) is it is more like WinME. Maybe if the file system and those other groundbreaking changes were included I'd call it win2k, but for snazzy memory hog graphics, a copy of google dextop search, a copy of firefox, basically all the security fixes we've already installed in xp and integrated DRM (gag), what really is there to get all excited about?

[fester]

its early. ask this is 6 or 12 months. As a msft partner I have all the latest msft wares (some running) and with vista I am impressed since it is at this point i think much better faster stronger than xp.

Also have a jaguar beta. the next big purchase for me is a macpro dually core2 duo (4 core) for running finalcut pro 5 but waitng for official release of jag

[rugby]

What is jaguar beta? Do you mean Leopard beta? It looks pretty good so far, I expect great things from Leopard server and client.

Oh yeah, and I'm NOT upgrading to Vista for my HTPC although I have a MAPS sub.

[Bigbird999]

For the last two years, it's been Windows XP Pro and I've really had ZERO problems. Like I'm often saying .. it's been 100 percent reliable for going on three years.

Rich
My point exactly! XP launched in Late 2001 with great fanfare, followed by nearly 3 years of woe for the early adopters. SP2 launced in Aug 04 followed by a few months of woe. So It has been stable for about 2 years maybe 3 if you count a year of so-so performance before SP2.

Prior to that windows 98 was a disaster until they released 98SE. It is interesting to note that everyone has forgotten that 98SE was not a Service Pack but a full blown "new" OS.

Check out the life cycles in the attached. Based on history, why would anybody want to try a "new" MS operating system?

BB

[ZetaVu]

Notice how m$ used to support previous systems for several years after the launch of the next system? They're not planning that with Vista, in fact it sounds like their strategy is to eliminate everything BUT vista. Maybe they're strapped for cash?

My tinfoil guess is they are planning on forcing everyone into vista because for some reason they think that will give them better piracy control or drm or whatever. (and you remember how successful that was with xp and 2003) As a result, I see many more people giving mac and linux far more attention (I'm planning on playing with an Ubuntu install on another drive, probably with myth but it would be great to have a way to use btv with that as well) and I've already started migrating all my other programs away from m$ so I can get used to working with them. As graphics makers make drivers available, I see linux "appliances" that offer computer functions (firefox, open office) in addition to full htpc functionality taking off. Hence, I see SS' future making these kind of devices, or making software that gets preloaded in these devices. THat's where the market is, and the trickle of doityourselfers like us will do little to impact that market.

Ok, rant getting off topic. off to work.

[bnflaherty]

well -- that listing -- is only when MS will Sell the older OS's -- and is not the same as when they pull the plug on Support of the OS.

Like here -- we support older versions of BTV -- but do not Sell older versions.

For their info on when they pull the support plug -- you can dig through this site:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect

Win2k -- has Quite an amount of "life" left to it actually...

i