What are the pros and cons to Microsoft Vista so far?

Question

I know there are several editions,but can you accomplish the same tasks with one edition do the same with a different one?

Answer 1

It's actually ALL one version. The different "versions" just have various features turned on and off....

Examples:
To join a domain, you have to have Vista Business or Vista Ultimate.
To invoke Parental Controls, you have to have Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate.
For Media Center, you have to have Vista Home or Vista Ultimate.

Vista Ultimate has everything activated. This model makes it easy to upgrade because you just buy a new key and type it in, and you have the new features you want. There's no installing any new software.

Pros to Vista: Nicer user interface, cool "Aero" design
Cons to Vista: Seems slower than XP, even with 2 GB RAM, and a lot of my old software won't run on it.

Answer 2

Microsoft Vista
Pro: "Cool looking" graphics; snipping tool; parental controls built in.

Cons: They raised the price from XP, which was already outrageous; even more activation hassels than XP; problems with security in that it is easily infected with virii; driver problems creating many pieces of hardware or software that wont work; still full of bugs; performs slower than XP; requires massive system requirements;other than those listed no real improvements from XP, many changes were made just to be changes, so it confuses many without being better; many people will try home basic because it is cheap and will find it wont meet their needs requiring an upgrade making it even more expensive; 2400 megabyte operating system which is about 4 times the size of XP with even more bloat and advertising built in, compatability issues where hardware and software wont work;many of the old problems with XP were not fixed, but made even worse; in short, dont get Vista for at least two years.

Answer 3

The Pros

Improved reliability and security. Windows XP was a good operating system, but let’s face it — five years ago, no one foresaw the security and reliability problems that would come to plague PCs. Microsoft has learned a lot since the launch of XP, and it shows. Vista is much more stable and secure than any previous version of Windows.

Protected-mode Internet Explorer. One of the biggest vulnerability points has been Microsoft’s IE browser. While the just-released IE7 addresses a lot of security issues, IE7 running on Vista takes things to the next level. Running in protected mode, the browser is totally isolated from the rest of the operating system and actively protects against malicious code. This alone is worth the price of admission.

Aero Glass. Computers on TV never run XP; they run slick-looking user interfaces (but, alas, draw text on-screen as if it’s moving at 300 baud, with annoying sound effects). It’s mostly eye candy, but it’s really nicely done eye candy. Vista’s user interface is actually pretty slick and might even look good on CSI. Reverting to XP after using Vista with the all of the Aero elements enabled is a chore. This is how computers should look in the 21st century.

Media centricity. Media is a first-class citizen in Vista. Tight integration with Windows Media Player and the Windows shell make it really easy to browse, navigate, tag and play all the content that’s important to you. Music, pictures and video all work just the way you think they should.

The Cons

Gratuitous UI changes. I love the user interface, but I have a lot invested in the old Windows experience, and some of the changes just make no sense to me. It also seems that, given the size of some of the targets you have to home in on with your cursor, Microsoft is hiring a lot of young workers who have great eyesight and use high-resolution monitors.

Performance. All this goodness comes at a price. While most features are enabled to some degree on stock PCs, older machines just won’t be up to snuff. If you want to run the latest and greatest with all UI features enabled, you’re going to need an upgrade. Older laptops in particular are unlikely to be able to run Vista well with all the UI stuff turned on.

Compatibility. This is not a new problem, but Vista will confront business users for the first time in a long while with major backward-compatibility issues. In general, drivers and low-level utilities will be the worst hit, but all critical applications will need to be tested carefully to see what works and what doesn’t.

Cost. There’s more to the cost of migration than the price of the operating system. Installation, testing, hardware and software upgrades have to be factored in. That means wholesale migrations are going to be costly.

Bottom Line

There’s a lot to like in Vista. While most organizations will likely be best served by a phased migration over time, many users will be able to benefit immediately. Either way, Vista is on the short-term horizon, and it’s best to start planning now, before the main consumer launch early in 2007.

Answer 4

Pros:
1.Search or create virtual files
2.. Widgets -- er, Gadgets
3. Built-in diagnostics
4. Need more oomph? Vista will find it for you
5. Enhanced help

cons:
1. Your current hardware won't fully run Vista
2. Vista's Aero graphics gobble up laptop battery power
3. User Account Protection
4. Missing drivers and incompatible apps
5. Troubled sleep

check out more from here:
http://www.cnet.com.au/software/operatingsystems/0,239029541,240063627-2,00.htm
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=272182

Answer 5

u will have to switch to vista eventually
so u might as well get used to it
i have a laptop with vista on it
the only problem i have had was my f-secure antivirus would not work...i had to go with eset nod 32
i have come to like windows xp and i have alot of cool **** for it
most of it is eye candy ..such as themes and icon packages
i can rename my start button to say what i want
well vista comes with alot of the eye candy preinstalled
it is alot more secure then all other windows
i have not really noticed any speed difference that would make a difference
i have 2gb ram in all three machines
they all run about the same
the bottom line is this
windows vista will be dominate with in the next year
and it will be like windows 98 to windows xp
no one wanted to switch then....no one wants to now
but ur gonna have to..or get a mac
vista is nice looking and secure
some of ur programs might not work yet...give them time..it will all be smoothed out

Answer 6

Lack of available software, doesn't work with a lot of hardware...

Gee, didn't they used to say this about Apple?

Stick with XP or get a Mac.

Answer 7

i have 3 games and my printer won't work. wish they would hurry up with the drivers.