To Vista Or Not To Vista?

As my first re-entry, let me muse about the question of whether to upgrade to the Windows Vista operating system or not. This is not as easy a question as one might imagine, as Chris so eloquently pointed out in his YouTube video.

If you have an older computer, the answer is “probably not.”

Chances are slim to none that it would even run on a much older machine and, if it did, I am sure it would be a painful experience. If you gave your 85 year old mother, father, or grandparent a computer with Windows XP, change the above answer to “definitely not!”

Remember how long it took to tutor them in WinXP? Now they are able to get pictures, newspaper articles, pictures, recipes, and they probably have greeting card software. LEAVE THEM ALONE! If everything is running smoothly on XP or a previous operating system and you absolutely hate fussing with stuff, again… don’t switch to Vista!

However, if you are like me, like new toys, have several computers at your disposal, and have the time for something of a learning curve, I say go for it. I have put Vista on my desktop, a P4 2.4ghz, 1.2gig memory machine with an awesome video card and am enjoying almost every moment learning to use the new OS. I say “almost” because there are some software and hardware issues that still need to be dealt with, but that’s not something that particularly bothers me. If I need to get something out quickly with no issues I work on my laptop, which is still running XP.

For my first post, this is short and sweet, but I promise to post more items regarding Vista, any issues, solutions, tips, and tricks as time goes on. For now, leave your mother or grandmother alone and allow them to enjoy a computer that looks familiar to them.

My next post will concern an issue that has come up with folks upgrading to Vista from WindowsXP that are running Office 2003. Does the sound of having to accept or decline the EULA each time you open an office product send shivers up your spine? Well, it’s happening and the cure is available. Any questions or comments, please feel free to post comments.

[tags]Connie Devine, vista, upgrade os, windows, xp[/tags]