Why do you use Windows?
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I at one point was a big Microsoft fan, still am on a few things, I lived by the newest release of Windows but recently that has changed. A few years ago I started to use Ubuntu as a hobby and it turned into my secondary OS to Windows XP. Also in that time I bought a G4 iMac and started to use Tiger and really started to like it but once again I still used Windows XP over the Apple OS, but all of that has changed. With the release of Vista I was so excited to get my hands on a copy and I ignored all of the early reviews because of my excitement for the new release.
But like many others Vista left me saying why?
After two days of use I had to downgrade back to XP because things just seemed so unstable to me and I refuse to use anything that doesn’t work right. After leaving Vista the first time I have been back a few times and each time leading to frustration and just asking why? Finally after the final uninstalling I decided to step back from the Windows world and I installed Ubuntu 7.10 on my laptop. I am still using it and I have had minimal problems but its problems that I can over come because Ubuntu just feels more stable then Vista does.
I have made the switch.
During this time I have also bought a copy of Leopard for my Mac and it has just blown my mind. Everything works just as described and is worth the $129 price tag. So I have moved about 80% of my computer needs to Mac and the other 20% on to Ubuntu. So now I am officially off of Windows as my operating system, I am sure that within the next few weeks I will install XP within a virtual machine on the Mac, but my days with Windows is over.
Sorry Windows its been a great 10 years but I have met someone new who understands my needs.
So my question to you is why are you still using Windows? Thats if you are running Windows! If you are a recent switcher like myself please leave your story as a comment.
5 Comments
Aryeh Goretsky
February 16th, 2008
at 3:12am
Hello,
I use various versions of Microsoft Windows and they seem to work well for me, including Windows Vista. Then again, I can also say the same of the various distributions of Linux I use at home and at work.
It sounds like you had a bad experience with Windows Vista, but you really did not state what, in detail, did not work. Was it a problem with the operating system? Device drivers from a third-party? An application you were trying to run? An issue with your network connection?
While my experience with Windows Vista haven’t been perfect, it hasn’t been insurmountable, either, and when I had a problem I researched how to solve it, just like every other operating system I have used in the past. There’s nothing unusual about that process, and I think in large part the reason people have such a negative perception of Windows Vista is that they forgot what operating systems like Windows 2000 and Windows 95 were like when they were initially released. They had problems, too, but went on to success. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vista does the same.
Regards,
Aryeh Goretsky
Owen M. McCafferty II
February 16th, 2008
at 7:22am
I have to say that Windows bashing has become a regular thing on many tech blogs and the like. Personally, I am tired of it, but I also see many good points that bloggers bring up. For me, Vista has delivered what it promised. I have had no major problems at all. It does what I want it to do. It may not be as revolutionary as Leopard, or as eye pleasing; but it does DO what it is supposed to do. It’s never crashed, and I’ve never had to reinstall it. I’m not saying that it’s better than Leopard; I’m just saying that for people who need a windows platform for Windows programs, vista is a OK choice.
When people ask me PC or a Mac, I have a hard time telling them which is best for them. For me, both is the best choice. They both have their disadvantages and their advantages. For a power-user, I think its essential to have BOTH platforms. A power-user should be able to use both Operating Systems and see their pro’s and con’s. There’s no such thing as a perfect OS. I don’t think we are ever going to see that.
So can’t we all just get along?
G
February 16th, 2008
at 12:17pm
I’m still on XP. And it really comes down to one thing… software. I use Bible study software daily, and the choices for Linux and Mac just don’t measure up. On XP, for a whopping total of $10 I have three different packages with more resources than I will ever need… and they just function better than the Mac and Linux flavors. Also, my wife does a lot of photo editing. She just prefers Photoshop Elements 6, which isn’t yet available on Mac (she actually has an old iBook) and will never be available on Linux. We’ve tried all the other photo editing options, free (including Gimp) and pay (through free trials), and Photoshop is just better (faster, more intuitive, etc.).
For me, XP has been very stable (after some tweaking and experimenting, of course). And since I already own it, keeping it is just as free as switching to Linux. Through the most basic of precautions, I haven’t had a virus or other attack for over 5 years. I’ve also found OSX to be rather annoying. When a problem arises in XP, the answer is just a Google search and a few clicks away. When it happens on one of my friends’ Macs, it is really a chore. I admit that this might just be because I’ve grown more comfortable with XP.
I do know people who are very happy with OSX, and that’s fine. I’ve also tried various flavors of Linux, and was impressed with all of them (Ubuntu, Slackware, Fedora). They just don’t fit my personal needs, particularly on the software side.
NewJohnny
February 16th, 2008
at 2:59pm
I’m on Vista and have no intention on changing for the foreseeable future. It does everything I need it to do and I don’t get viruses or spyware. I still recommend XP for workstations because 2GB of ram goes much farther with Photoshop on XP than Vista.
Martin Pettersson
February 23rd, 2008
at 8:35am
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Hmmm Photoshop faster than the GIMP… are You kidding???!!!
I have both and the GIMP lots faster…. lots… besides, the menues of Photoshop is annoying even after years of use and the GIMP feels ok after 10 minutes…
But we are all different….