[Fury]

The problem with Vista's UAC is that it becomes so intrusive and unncesesary (e.g. moving files triggers UAC - WTF?) that people turn it off in anger, or automatically click yes without thinking, defeating its point entirely. You don't need to sudo on a Unix box except to change configurations and install software. I gather Windows 7 has made some changes so it doesn't come up with every single mouse click.

UAC triggers if you try to alter files/folders in a folder that is not owned by the user logged in. It is just like sudo in linux in this regard. And you can always change folder permissions, recursively too if really needed.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

All this makes me glad my copy of Vista is still sitting in the box on the floor unopened.  XP pisses me off enough with it's nagging about this an that on my own file server (Novell Netware) in the trusted network. Sometimes even trying to delete a file by right clicking prompts no less than 3 popups. 

[Herra Tohtori]

I think I'll stay with XP for a while. There'll be nice little packages around to make it look like the new versions. I don't really like the idea of GED [Global Electronic Domination].

Aye. VistaVG Ultimate theme by Vishal Gupta (plus altered uxtheme.dll) and alpha-blended cursors are all I need to do, and it looks like Vista (and it really does look a lot better than XP default themes, so the psychological effect is there).

So far I haven't really required DirectX10 for anything either. I have higher hopes for OpenGL 3...

[ssmit132]

So how many of you can record from the sound card? I followed some instructions from somewhere to change the default in Recording Devices to Stereo Mix (IIRC) and it worked just fine.

[S-99]

Vista is a lot better with permission sets for different profiles than xp is. When you add a password to your account, it'll also give you the option of password protecting your whole entire user account folder in the users folder so no one else can in the least view your files contained in there (i recommend password protecting your whole entire user account...easy security, keeps people from just browsing the C drive from another vista user account to your user folder and gain access to your files in there).

Vista also borrowed another linux idea, which is keeping all of your configurations for everything inside of your user profile. That's the reason why games for vista will ask you if you want to store config data for a game in the documents folder or something or just plain old defaults to putting game config data in the documents folder of your user profile.

[Dilmah G]

Vista is a lot better with permission sets for different profiles than xp is. When you add a password to your account, it'll also give you the option of password protecting your whole entire user account folder in the users folder so no one else can in the least view your files contained in there (i recommend password protecting your whole entire user account...easy security, keeps people from just browsing the C drive from another vista user account to your user folder and gain access to your files in there).

I had no idea about that 

I'm totally turning it on now though

[Fury]

Uh, XP did also offer the option to protect user folder.

[kalnaren]

Windows has some excellent security features. Just take a look at everything you can do with Group Policy Objects. The security schemes are more versatile (albeit a little harder to manage) than those in Linux.

[Solatar]

I think Windows 7 does a descent job of reducing the prompts to a manageable level. I don't run as an administrator, but as a user (just named my admin account "root") and whenever I install software I simply have to enter my password, etc. There are a few nags, but nothing more than Linux. Really not THAT annoying.

[Dilmah G]

I think Windows 7 does a descent job of reducing the prompts to a manageable level. I don't run as an administrator, but as a user (just named my admin account "root") and whenever I install software I simply have to enter my password, etc. There are a few nags, but nothing more than Linux. Really not THAT annoying.

It depends on what you're doing. If you're constantly modifying files in the Programs Files Folder, then it becomes VERY tedious. Normal users shouldn't really have too much an issue with it. However if you're rig is lacking in RAM, the UAC takes a while to come up sometimes.

[S-99]

I think Windows 7 does a descent job of reducing the prompts to a manageable level. I don't run as an administrator, but as a user (just named my admin account "root") and whenever I install software I simply have to enter my password, etc. There are a few nags, but nothing more than Linux. Really not THAT annoying.

Easy security and easily maintaining a tight rig is "standard user account" (vista) and "restricted user" (xp's equivalent of standard user account). Like i said, vista is beautifully more convenient when running in user space. UAC is a great upgrade of the runas prompt in xp. UAC will also tell you what's going to happen when you do grant something temporary admin privileges. UAC is much more informational in a simplistic way compared to the graphical front ends to sudo like gksu (gnome) or kdesudo (kde).

It depends on what you're doing. If you're constantly modifying files in the Programs Files Folder, then it becomes VERY tedious. Normal users shouldn't really have too much an issue with it. However if you're rig is lacking in RAM, the UAC takes a while to come up sometimes.

It's not that bad. It's really about the same as running any linux distro (running in user space by default). Then again maybe you shouldn't have paid attention to the vista capable stickers

I guess you could try running the windows file manager with admin privileges. It'll keep admin privileges until you close whatever had them (works the same way with any program that you ran with admin privileges).

[MR_T3D]

faith in windows 7 just died.

[S-99]

I'd say i dont have any faith in mikey soft anymore. They only put out to x86 architecture. They're totally losing out on ARM, SPARC, and powerpc processors. The whole thing with microsoft offering windows xp on netbooks is the best they could do to get into the netbook industry. It doesn't matter that windows netbooks are outselling linux netbooks, it's that linux has been running on just about every different processor architecture under the sun for years and still all microsoft supports still is nothing more than x86. Also linux was first on the netbook scene while windows lagged much behind before netbooks were being sold with xp.

My point is that even though windows netbooks outsell linux netbooks. Microsoft is struggling. They can't even put vista on the damn things, and i bet windows 7 wont be much different. With microsoft already struggling with netbooks, the future for netbooks gets even scarier. Netbooks that are even more power efficient using non-x86 processors and may most likely be cheaper than current prices.

Microsoft clearly needs to do a lot more, their asses are getting whipped.

[The E]

Erm......you do know that Win7 optimised for Netbook usage? And that Microsoft is one of the biggest users of PowerPC-Chips out there? (The XBox 360 runs on them, IIRC)? And that Win Mobile is perfectly happy running on ARM? And that SPARC is virtually unknown outside the server/high-performance-computing community?

[vyper]

This is why I want out of I.T.

It's not fun anymore.

[S-99]

All current game consoles run on a Powerpc processor. I guess you need a rephrasing there.

Microsoft is one of the biggest distributors of powerpc based game consoles out there.
That's the xbox 360, not your desktop, not your moms laptop, not even my netbook. For computers microsoft still mainly caters to x86 computers.

I do know that win7 is optimized for netbooks. I'm just thinking that it's not going to be any better than xp for netbooks. Windows modularity is also a joke, this is another reason why windows is limited in the netbook arena. There's also the windows mobile platform which is also not as popular and does run on ARM. But will microsoft be smart enough to redesign windows mobile to a future ARM based netbook? My opinion is no.5 to that question.

I do know one thing, windows modularity will and still remain in the future a joke.

[Nuke]

well maybe linux wont suck so much by then

[Woolie Wool]

All current game consoles run on a Powerpc processor. I guess you need a rephrasing there.

Microsoft is one of the biggest distributors of powerpc based game consoles out there.
That's the xbox 360, not your desktop, not your moms laptop, not even my netbook. For computers microsoft still mainly caters to x86 computers.

I do know that win7 is optimized for netbooks. I'm just thinking that it's not going to be any better than xp for netbooks. Windows modularity is also a joke, this is another reason why windows is limited in the netbook arena. There's also the windows mobile platform which is also not as popular and does run on ARM. But will microsoft be smart enough to redesign windows mobile to a future ARM based netbook? My opinion is no.5 to that question.

I do know one thing, windows modularity will and still remain in the future a joke.

Windows 7 only runs on x86, x86-64, and IA-64 because those are the only architectures that have any significant role in the consumer PC market. Why should they overhaul the operating system to run on architectures used in roles such as workstations and embedded systems that Windows is not even designed for? Intel is the only game in town for consumer computing, and it's been that way ever since Apple dropped the PowerPC processor.

[Charismatic]

Im staying with XP. The changed the feel of Vista too all of a sudden. Bring change slow.

[S-99]

Charismatic, try turning on classic mode in vista. The start menu in vista is virtually identical to that in xp. You can also turn on classic start menu in vista as well.

Microsoft still needs to jump on the bandwagon for alternative processor support. This is why microsoft is going to lose out in the netbook arena. Windows 7 is a good come back for x86 netbooks, but not for the more and more ARM based netbooks.

This has nothing to do with linux sucking either. Most people buy windows netbooks because they wanted windows, and that's very simplistic. Microsoft would be doing themselves a favor to overhaul an OS for a different processor architecture (like compiling their source code for ARM).