Microsoft: Vista is ready to roll

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Good to have perspective. One clarification

Henaway,

Appreciate the perspective, but just thought I would clarify one thing. We hardware geeks got MS to change the RETAIL EULA, where you can upgrade the RETAIL version of Vista an unlimited number of times, provided that you call home, MS, and ask Mommy to turn your Vista back on, exactly as it is with XP. However if you buy a new computer that has the OEM Vista, that's when you lose your license if you make more than one or two hardware upgrades. Just like Flight Simulator X, the OEM Vista and FSX are licensed for one (two?) hardware upgrades, then that's it, time to buy a new license(s)!!!

You mentioned something interesting, that the family computer geek might not know anything about Vista because he/she is running Linux (or OSX or OSXI), I think that is a good thing.

I'm glad you have a sense of outrage regarding MS's obsession with constraining their EULA's more and more. Quite frankly, I've thought that the constraints with XP were outrageous, and you're talking nostalgic about XP as if it were Win 98SE! Tell me, don't you miss Win 98SE? I know professional users of Win 98SE, who earn their living exclusively from computing, and they demand Win 98SE, and only Win 98SE PERIOD! It's simple, effective, and doesn't friggin' shut down when you upgrade hardware. One problem whoever with older OS's is that they are not able to address as much ram. The following information is from the www.crucial.com website:

OS maximums (from www.crucial.com):

http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.asp?qid=3743
***********
Windows 95: 1GB

Windows 98: 1GB

Windows 98SE: 1GB

Windows ME: 1.5GB

Windows NT: 4GB

Windows 2000 Professional: 4GB

Windows 2000 Server: 4GB

Windows 2000 Advanced Server: 8GB with PAE enabled

Windows 2000 Datacenter Server: 32GB with PAE enabled

Windows XP Home: 4GB

Windows XP Professional: 4GB

Windows Server 2003: 4GB

Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition: 32GB

Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition: 64GB

OS X (including v. 10.4 "Tiger"): 8GB due to current hardware limitations (the current maximum memory capacity of Apple's highest-end system, the Power Mac G5)

OS 9.x: 1.5GB (no single application can utilize more than 1GB)

Red Hat Linux 2.4 kernel: 64GB
*******
Notice that XP maxes out at 4 gb's ram, there are enthusiasts who actually have that much ram. Notice that Linux can address 64 gb's of ram. This is all assuming that you actually have a motherboard that will accept this much ram. Notice also that OSX will address at least 8 gb's, twice as much as XP.

By the way, Vista (and XP pro 64 bit also?) was supposed to use a new more efficient file system, does anyone know if that will be offered in Vista after all?

I haven't installed Win 2000 so I don't know what's required to activate it. But it really bothers me that XP requires so much interaction with Microsoft to keep it running. What happens when MS drops support for XP or FSX? I think that would be the end of those programs, change the hardware after support is dropped and that is the end of those programs, they shut down permanently. Then MS will say, OH DARN! Do you need a new OS and Flight Simulator to replace those old out of date programs? Here we've got Vista and FSXI!

The nice thing about Win 98SE and ME is, you can take that hard drive out, plug it into a second or third computer, then plug it back into the original computer all in one evening, and it won't shut down. Experimenting with hardware is hard enough without throwing in these stupid supposed antipiracy programs (one computer security expert states that that antipiracy programming, where XP, Vista, and FSX shuts down when you upgrade hardware, is a "SCAM"). I was anxious to see if a newer mobo and processor I purchased was functional, so I assembled an adhoc computer system on an inert surface on my desk, without a computer case, just the raw components spread out all over the desk. I unplugged my 98SE hard drive from my pentium II computer and plugged it into this adhoc system on my desk. I had to activate the hard drive in the bios, but once that was done, the computer took off with lightening speed, and given the same ram, video card, and monitor, the faster processor gave me deeper more intense graphics colors--GROOVY! Within 15 minutes after taking notes on this adhoc computer system and shutting it down disassembling it, I had the pentium II hard drive installed once again where it was originally. Win 98SE handled both systems very easily, and extremely efficiently, and not once did I have to call MS to reactivate it. If this had been an XP experiment, I might have had to call MS twice in one night--would that have caused them to release the dobermans? I think MS would have people believe that there was something illegal about that, but it's not illegal, not in the slightest, any such assertion is a SCAM!

I'm getting a little tired of all these MS constraints, and will eventually start building Linux computers. The problem is that I have so many computing ambitions I just don't have enough computers to do everything I want. But with a few more computers, I'll have Linux, X-Plane, and Flightgear. I really might get a Mac Power Pro also which will be soon, month or two, capable of housing EIGHT processor cores.

Considering all these extremely annoying EULA constraints, Bill Gates is still a very great hero to me, and I absolutely love Microsoft products, especially the Flight Simulator series, I like their OS's and Office also. I'm really interested to hear what's new in the upcoming Office 2007. I do a lot of writing, and I really like Word. I actually have a brand new packaged, unopened, genuine MS copy of Word sitting in my pile of computer goodies, I'm saving it for a better computer. And one of these days I might even try to make my own Power Point presentation. But I'm not going to wear a corduroy sports jacket and wave around a laser pointer--forget it! I have my limits!!

I think the most important thing for game developers to tackle is true parallel processing capability in 64 bit. Right now with games only written for serial processing and 32 bit, you have to spend really big bucks to run such games well, and right now FSX doesn't run very well on present technology--gee does that mean that we might have to upgrade? But isn't that illegal, fattening, and will send you straight to pergatory???

Oh I almost forgot. In recent years some software developers have been explicitly mentioning that this or that license is for exclusively ONE processor core! And that you have to buy a 2nd, or 4th, or 8th license if you have 2, 4, or 8 processor cores. Does that sound ridiculous to you? Hardware developers are already experimenting with THIRTY TWO CORE PROCESSORS!!! What does that remind you of? It reminds me of OLD FRANCE, from a few hundred years ago. It used to be in France that it was a matter of prestige to have as many windows (no pun intended) as possible, the more windows the greater the perceived wealth and prestige. And what the French tax collectors would do in assesing taxes on a property were to go to each dwelling/chateau/what have you, and count the number of windows you have, and asses a tax ON EVERY WINDOW PRESENT! Sounds just like software developers who count processors and asses a license fee for each processor/core! One of these days it will become apparent just how absurd these constraints really are. But by then, life will probably be like it is in the movie "Minority Report" where laser scanners will be constantly scanning your retina as you walk through town and display advertising targeted precisely toward your profile. (Did you know that laser light is damaging to eyes?)

Posted by: angels355   Posted on: 11/08/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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