Windows Vista: Pros and Cons
 
I just bought a laptop which has Windows Vista. Since I wasn’t sure if it’s feasible to keep it with this Operating System, I researched to see the advantages and disadvantages of Vista. Here is what I gathered out of personal use and research
 
What I love about Windows Vista:
·         The increased security, although you can also get this by having Service Pack 3 on Windows XP
·         The new looks, which in my opinion are way better than those of Windows XP
·         The side bar is a nice thing to have, but is mostly useless
·         Direct X 10 is only compatible with Vista
·         Saving a virtual file folder – one can save the search results to be used later on
·         The ability to use USB drives as RAM
 
What I hate about Windows Vista:
·         The excessive use of RAM and thus decrease the system performance
·         Older games and applications will probably not work, for example: earlier versions of Adobe PhotoShop before CS3
·         The fact that one needs to buy products which are compatible with Vista
·         Security pop-ups every time one tries to download or save to the C:/ root
·         Some drivers may not be detected, especially if the machine is not new
·         Vista's Aero graphics significantly reduce laptop battery life, compared to using Windows XP
 
In my opinion, since I am making use of this laptop at college and not at work, I am going to stick to Windows XP since all applications I need to use run smoothly on Windows XP. Some classmates who used Windows Vista had problems to run SQL Server 2005 and also COM+ and I’d rather prevent myself from having these problems. Later on, I might give Windows Vista another try.
What Operating System are you most comfortable with: XP or Vista? Do you make use of any other OS? Let me know!