IT’S <\/span>FASTER<\/span>, MORE RELIABLE<\/span> AND MORE SECURE<\/span>
WHY YOU SHOULD UPGRADE AND WHICH VERSION TO CHOOSE<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Now, call me old fashioned but I suspect a less than objective review is going to take place here. Sadly, this is nearly always the case when Microsoft churn out something significant and new. The MS PR machine seems to ensure that the PC press will generate page after page of rave reviews. Now I accept this does not happen all the time, but when was the last time you read a bad pre-launch review of either Windows or Microsoft Office?<\/p>\n

Sadly, I can remember the run up to Windows ME being released and this was trumpeted (albeit not like Win 95 or Vista have been) about what a great upgrade it would be for the home user, how stable it would be and how secure it would be.<\/p>\n

Then a few months later, reality hit and everyone<\/strong> realised what a dog WinME was….. 98 was “great” but only really took off after the service packs and so on. It is unlikely that Vista will be a really dencent operating system until after SP1 has been applied. None of the others have been.<\/p>\n

Taking the three PCW points though, still leaves a big so what?<\/p>\n

Vista is “faster” if you have a good processor, 1gb of RAM and a decent graphics card. Well, really. Who would have thought it. In the Winter 2006\/2007 issue of PCW less than 50% of the PC systems (inc laptops) advertised would be able to run Vista properly. Shocking.<\/p>\n

Vista is more reliable? Really? How do they know this? Have millions of users put it through it’s paces yet? Has it been running servers and workstations for months on end?<\/p>\n

More secure? Possibly true as general windows security is abysmal. However it is like saying putting a rope in a door way is more secure than leaving it open. I’d rather have a door myself.<\/p>\n

Now, is there any point to this rant? Well sort of. You see there is already an operating system which does ALL the things Vista claims and has been on the user market for long enough that it’s reliability and security are proven.<\/p>\n

Linux.<\/p>\n

Now, I hate Ubuntu but you can get it for free, it will do everything PCW claims are selling points for Vista and will run fast and secure on things other than the top of the range PCs. If you get Vista \/ Office 2007 you will need to learn new user interfaces and ways of doing things, so why not save yourself a few hundred pounds and get Linux?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n