Microsoft will never die!!!1!

[OneST8]

hehe ok ok totally misleading and flame-bait ready thread subject there

Here's the article that inspired this thread: Microsoft brand in decline!

With that said, I'd just like to share a brief reminder to all who are interested in MS alternatives... Ubuntu is totally free and has a relatively painless install with a dual-boot option for those unwilling or unable to take the full plunge by stripping their systems of MS completely.

hehe! Enjoy!

[miltonyorkcastle]

I run an ubuntu box.... though it's currently under contruction pending my having the time to update all of my computers.

so yeah, ubuntu's a decent linux distro in terms of user friendliness... still requires a bit more know-how than ole' XP, but ultimately it allows me to do much more with less physical resources, and it sure beats the heck out of Vista.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

*pummels the Idea of buying Vista into the ground*  Did someone say Vista?  *looks around sadistically*  Where?!

[Jewel]

I use Vista

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Nooo!!  *attacks Jewel's computer to save it*  I will save you!  
:p

I use XP, its still a lot better then Vista

[Krell Himmler]

Vista is better if you have a powerful enough machine to run it.....oh and if you turn off user access controls. I put off buying it for a very long time but I can't stand XP now that I'm used to it....the GUI is easier to use, the system is very user friendly compared to XP and stability has increased again.....Not to mention that virus's are less common....for now. Then add on that, that you cannot buy XP and it soon won't be supported.....

But if your pc is older, don't bother with vista.

[bobby1361]

I prefer Vista to XP.
My pc is good, (it runs crysis on medium - high ) so it handles it fine.
If its better is just opinion

[miltonyorkcastle]

I was comparing Ubuntu to Vista..... not XP to Vista..... but either way, I really think it depends on what it is you want to do (and how much research you're willing to do to figure out how to utilize the full power of a particular OS)..... there are still a few things I can do better (or at least easier) on Windows 98 than I can on any other OS I've used (and that includes older distros of Red Hat, suse, and random distros I can't recall the names of.... oh, and Mac OS 9 and 10.... haven't tried Leopard yet....)

[Marswipp]

I wonder if it was all the bells and whistles that hurt Vista.

[Weeblie]

I recently installed the x64 version of Vista which seems to be quite rock stable and smooth. Not all programs are working, most specifically some brands of firewalls/antiviruses, though there are fine free replacements out there. It looks like this one is going to be a much greater experience than the last (3/4 of a year ago, with the x86 version).

[ColtCommando]

With the day and a half spent trying to do a repair install of XP on my grandfathers new PC I built for him with his old hard drive to get all the drivers right Im starting to think Ubuntu may be more user friendly.  His windows cd he bought 4 years wouldnt accept the CD key it came with, had to install with my moms laptop cd-key and do some crazieness in the command line, then attempt to activate by phone but before you complete change the product key back to his so it activates...


It was utter rediculousness...

On top of the fact taht it takes an hour plus to get it installed... vs. 10 minutes for ubuntu .  

And to all who are weary of running games in linux, NWN runs nativly in linux so there is no need to use the ohh so unstable wine or anything like that.

But if youre thinking of going that route, be forewarned, as of now ATI's grafics drivers for linux are absolute bunk, and will run no faster than an x1300 series card, even if youre using an x1950 (for example ) and it still runs slower than the nVidia equivalent to an x1300.  I say as of now because just as of this year ATI has begun releasing the bulk of their catalyst driver code for open source use, so it looks like there could be bright things on the horizon for linux ATI drivers...  But then again, they said that last year when they were talking about all the "incredible" updates to fglrx drivers, wich have left a sour taste in every linux ATI users mouth... So only time will tell on that front, and though things look promising, I wont believe anything until I see my x1950 running like it should .


So until pigs fly in the ATI driver world, if youre going linux, go nVidia, or be disapointed when youre gaming performance not only doesnt live up to the money you spent on the card, but more often than not youre games will not run longer than 30 minutes withought crashing.

EDIT

Ohh and thats on top of the hours it will take to configure the ATI drivers to work propers with youre specific ATI card, youre specific motherboard, and youre specific monitor.

VS. the grafical interface installer that sets up the nVidia drivers compatible with all their cards, in just minutes.