Decaflon

Already running a legitimate release copy. I'm quite liking everything apart from the minimal driver support.

And if I'm going to blame anybody for that, it will be nvidia. They've had this thing for well over a year (in an improving state) and they're still sitting on their fists.

I covered the crazy pricing thing they've got going on in "Vista OEM vs Retail". The short story is, if you're ever going to buy it outright, you really want to buy OEM.

No, more I will never install it, or use it.

Screw that! :)

I'll probably buy an OEM version of Ultimate Edition the same time as my next hardware upgrade.

If you mean will I ever buy a PC that has a legit copy of Windows Vista installed, then possibly. But I don't see myself buying a new PC anytime soon (I think I've had this Dell since 2002 or 2003 and I mainly use my Macs anyway).

This is the first time I won't be waiting for the delivery guy to come when Microsoft released a new OS. If I buy it later it will be OEM...as per usual.

Already have access to a legal copy, though I seriously doubt I'll be installing it. My computer only has a gig of RAM.

The sad part is that I'm not joking.

I'll probably buy a computer with an OEM version of the OS in the future, but only if it's something like a media system. (If nothing else, Vista looks purdy, sorta like Mac OS X... but better.)

/Burn, baby, burn...

As much as I hate to, I will be buying a copy tomorrow as I need to use Windows on a full time computer technology course I am doing this year.

Vista Home Premium for me.

Being a PC gamer I will get Vista very soon, and yes I will spend money on it. I'll probably be getting Home Premium version.

DX10 ftw!

I will try to wait as long as possible... Soon as I can afford it I will get a Mac.

I'll probably wait six months to a year. A friend of mine has Vista, and while it's pretty (DAMN, IT'S PRETTY!), I'm not wowed by anything performance wise. In fact, it's a little slow in some ways, but that could just be his laptop (not sure of the specs on it; can't be too great). I'm happy with XP. I may not even upgrade until I get my next PC, which'll at least be two or three years down the road.

As for paying for it...yeah. An OS, I'm willing to pay for. :)

what is vista? ;)

I don't even want it, but I guess - in the long run, with hardware manufacturers jumping on board - it can't be avoided.

I usually get a free copy ... I'll wait for that and, as usual, I'll shelve it until the time comes when my masochistic tendencies (re)surface (once or twice a year). Probably the best time to install it.

I definitely will not buying Vista. I'll probably get it in a month or so when I have an Intel Mac just to try it out. I've heard that it's good and all, but nothing I've heard makes me want to rush out and buy it.

That's what mates are for. I know it's cheap, but sharing IS caring :D

I've just installed XP on my new iMac (which I bought a couple of weeks back).

I'll be upgrading to Vista Ultimate when I pick up an OEM version. I'm definitely not paying full retail price. I figure I may as well buy it - the operating system is pretty much the only software I want completely legitimate and fully functioning even if I do "pirate" other pieces of software.

Just my logic though... Hehe.

I do not see any point in spending money on it or on additional hardware for it. Especially since I am already using Kubuntu :-)

Just purely out of interest, I found this website selling the various Vista packages:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=33&catid=20

I'm in the UK so all the prices are in pound sterling. Has anyone found a cheaper OEM version, as I'd quite like to pick up a copy..?

By the way, to clarify an earlier point.. I do love my Mac, I just use XP for testing of websites in IE6/7 and to play some games with friends. I'm a Mac user really... honest! Heh.

Well I got it illegally, so I don't need to buy it.

I was all ready to buy an OEM version until I found out that a new motherboard is considered a new PC.

Generally, you may upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on your customer's computer and the end user may maintain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software, with the exception of an upgrade or replacement of the motherboard. An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a "new personal computer" to which Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer.

From PCMag forums. The original Microsoft FAQ source seems to require Microsoft Partner registration of some kind.

Does anyone know if this is enforced? Earlier in the forum thread, EliteKiller says that the restriction was also in the EULA for XP but in practice the activation reps never asked.

I'm not buying Vista unless I know I can upgrade my motherboard without having to buy a new copy.

It IS very pretty and ditto with Josue, I got the hookup....

chapstick; Being a PC Gamer... you should hold off no buying Vista. It's /terrible/ for games. Sure, one or two games may come out in two years using DX10 - but for now - stick with XP. For instance, BF2 can run on full-detail settings without a hiccup on one of my boxes. The same box with Vista RTM on it could barely run it on low - even after I tweaked and removed all the extra garbage.

I bought XP once... then upgraded my PC a few too many times for India. She told me that I could no longer activate... I haven't bought another MS product since.

From what I read, Vista is going to be pretty hard to "Pirate", pirated XP versions are already difficult to update to the point where Microsoft requires the installation of the GDI Tool, even with the Microsoft Windows Validation cracks floating around they still don't work when it comes to Microsoft validation your KEY, The only way to install IE7 and WMP11 on a Pirated Version of XP is to download a cracked version from a torrent site or IRC and risk the chance of packaged Viruses/Spyware that are ever growing in these distros. Vista is going to be the same way, except for they will include a requirement for KEY validations to obtain all quick fixes and service packs, good luck with those pirated versions of Vista, Better hope you aren't sharing a Key that Microsoft reveals as exploited.

Read: PC World's Article on the Uselessness of Pirated Vista.

Just one of the MANY sites exlcuding Microsoft's own that explains in more detail.

Solidarity!

That's all the same crap they said about XP and WGA too. It gets cracked and it works fine. Who cares if you can't get the "critical updates" the day they come out, the service pack will eventually be cracked, slipstreamed into a new Vista ISO and released within a week. People really underestimate the skill in the cracking community.

I wouldn't pay to upgrade a computer that was running XP (especially as my current laptop doesn't have the specs to run Vista), but I guess it'll enter my life if I end up buying a computer that has it pre-installed someday...

I paid for an OEM Home Premium 64bit version from Overclockers in the UK (£70). I was using XP Pro before hand. I love it.

Probably not. I work for a company with a volume license, so I had it on my work notebook a month ago, though I have temporarily reverted to XP for compatibility reasons. We have hardware security keys that need drivers to work, and I couldn't get mine going at all, though others have, I hear.

One thing I really like about Vista is the Start bar, which is actually more friendly to someone like me who types commands. Hit the Windows key, start typing, and it tries to complete the command for you, which you can ignore if you choose.

The license allows for use on PCs used for work, so I'm using the 64-bit version here at home under that rule. But I also have a Linux installation as a backup. (64Studio with more Debian Etch applications.)

Alday:

Yea you are right to an extent. Microsoft does claim this every-time around, I do believe this time is going to be a little different. SOME of the cracked releases are great. Most don't work especially the WGA fixes, They still don't validate and MS is looking for valid Keys. Now if Vista's key doesn't validate, Vista will stop working all together, It will be interesting to see how the cracking community will find a way around this, I'm sure they will, but it is going to create a LOT of annoyances for users running Pirated versions of Vista. One thing about MS and their previous versions of Windows is it really takes them years to actually finalize it thanks to "Service Packs" These are going to be unobtainable through MS with Pirated versions of MS and the cracked versions might install, but Vista is developed to recognize them and stop working. It just seems like a cycle of annoyances not worth under the 200$ price tag for the ultimate version of Vista. Not to mention pirated MS apps like Office are developed to stop working under vista as well.

I purchased a copy of XP. I was looking at Oli's comparison of Vista retail to Vista OEM and am pretty shocked by the prices, so I'm not sure. I used one of the rc version of Vista and it's pretty much OS X, just not as pretty, so maybe I should just get a Mac? Scrivs, if you don't use a PC what do you use?

I'll never buy a new copy of OS Windows Vista. But I don't mind getting a new PC with Windows Vista in it.

@Weefz: I installed a new mainboard in my PC a few months back, and had no trouble (re)activating my previous copy of XP. When I tried to activate after the new mainboard install, XP gave me a number to call, I explained the situation and they gave me an activation code, no problem. I can't imagine Vista would be any different.

As to the original question, my two cents: if it ain't completely broke, don't fix it. XP works fine most of the time (if you buy a retail version without all the extra crap that OEM versions have built into them anyway) for me, and until I either buy a new computer that comes with it (possible, but not soon), or one of my critical pieces of software won't run without it (not likely), I won't be buying Vista. When either of those things happen, I may be forced to buy a retail copy, but not before.

Really, I haven't found XP to be any more stable than any other previous incarnation of Windows, so why would Vista be any different or better? I'd rather MS spent time and money making XP more stable than making Vista pretty. Who needs pretty? Give me functional. I'm beginning to think I need a Mac.

I know at least 4 people who have switched to mac in the last couple months because of not being interested in Vista. Strange no? They didn't need to switch to mac to avoid vista, they could've run their XP boxes for probably years to come.

lol, avoid vista, I heard it has razor sharp claws that have been dipped in poison and it can smell fear...

Win XP SP2 was what screwed everything up.

It started with driver incompatibility issues and the resulting BSOD, and it was all downhill from there on.

SP1 was good. I am still on SP1 and apart from the long list of patches in my Add/Remove Programs list (which I positively hate; I like my interfaces clean), the performance is still pretty cool.

Win XP has handled a lot of abuse from me, and it has behaved remarkably well, much unlike the spoilt brats that the other previous Windows versions were...

Now if only someone could price it right...

My $0.02 worth.

Cheers.
Shri.

@dreamweaver
Thanks. Yep, I've done the same. As long as they don't suddenly start enforcing the motherboard rule for Vista, I'll be fine.

With the amount of stuff I need to change on my next upgrade I'll probably just wind up getting a store-assembled PC that comes with Vista next year. I don't want to re-purchase Vista 18 months later.

I've been running the RTM for a fair old while now within incident or a single error message. The driver support is a lot more comprehensive than previous builds (5456, 5308 - I'm looking at you!).

Games are running on it fine and I'm loving the extra functionality. That said, Vista Ultimate is filled with a host of thing's I'll never need to use and there's no option to uninstall them individually.

People who are using XP are right, however. In terms of gaming there is no requirement to change OS just yet. DX10 games will not be out for a while and the graphics card will be rather expensive. It really is best to hold out for a small while until all niggles are ironed out on all levels.

As for whether I'd pay. No. It's very expensive for what it is and what it offers. Consider the naughty work-around allowing a full install from the cheaper Upgrade DVDs.

Vista? I'm still running Windows 2000. Heck, I finally installed that in 2002. I figured why fix what's not broken. I honestly don't need any of their new features. Of course my computer couldn't run it well anyway. 1.33GHz w/ 512MB isn't going to cut it. I'm either lazy or just personally low-tech.

I moved from 200 after my new router hardware wasn't compatible.

phantomdata wrote:

chapstick; Being a PC Gamer... you should hold off no buying Vista. It's /terrible/ for games. Sure, one or two games may come out in two years using DX10 - but for now - stick with XP. For instance, BF2 can run on full-detail settings without a hiccup on one of my boxes. The same box with Vista RTM on it could barely run it on low - even after I tweaked and removed all the extra garbage.

Not if you have an ATI card. Right now ATI's Vista drivers are perfect. There is little to no difference between games on XP vs Vista. Nvidia on the other hand is having some performance issues with their Vista drivers. But this isn't an issue with Vista, it's an issue with Nvidia.

Vista's overall performance is better than XP's (if you have the hardware). Since I'm a PC gamer, I DO have the hardware. But I got the hardware for the games, not for the OS.

I will pay for it however I will not be getting it immediately; I would rather wait as I would be concerned for the security threats to begin with. Obviously it will always be a target, just like XP has been but there will be more security worries / threats at the beginning.
However, if I get the opportunity to buy a Mac during that time I will do just that.

To update my answer - yes I would pay for Vista, as I already have. I bought the OEM version of Ultimate. £120 wasn't too bad for Ultimate, especially seeing how much the retail version actually costs; which is something I would never pay for.

I've installed it via Boot Camp on my new iMac. Finally I can do all my website testing without having to have a separate PC around.

I'm using Linux right now (after using Windows XP for a really long time), but I plan to switch to Mac when I have the money. Most of my friends use PC's though, and will be switching to Vista. They seem very excited about it. I, personally, would rather have a Mac.

On the other hand, Vista does look pretty sharp. But looks isn't everything.

Yay steven got logged in.

I've never paid for a copy of windows.. and I used it for YEARS. I just switched to mac abot 3 months ago.

I might pay for Vista.. but still quite confused by it.. so I'm hesitating on upgrading.

I might buy a copy, in a year or so. Just so that I can dual boot it on my PC and chuck my Compaq in the trash.

I've had some time to sit down with Vista a few times now.

The wow starts now? Where? This is XP with a marginally improved UI, annoying and not helpful "security," and one mildly clever video effect.

For those of you paying the upgrade cost, I've got to ask why? I don't see any benefit to it, just broken compatibility with existing apps and drivers until 3rd party people catch up.

I switched to a not so legal copy of Home Premium this week and gotta say it's not too bad. I think I'll actually spring for a copy of Ultimate within the next month or so.

Enough said.