Windows : Why You Should NOT Upgrade to Windows Vista

Why You Should NOT Upgrade to Windows Vista

Stiff Hardware Requirements:

DirectX 10 will be available only on Windows Vista. DirectX is useful for a variety of graphics and video functions, including business applications such as video conferencing. And if you must have the latest and greatest in games, the upgrade to Windows Vista is a no-brainer, as this is the only way you can get it. DirectX 10 also claims to fix the “small batch problem” from previous versions. It has claimed that this could lead to DirectX 10 games that can perform six times better than the same game running in DirectX 9 on Windows XP.

Learning Curve:

Vista is a different animal from previous Windows operating systems. Many of the tools are the same or similar, but there is still a lot to learn. If your IT department is already stretched thin, taking the time to learn and implement Windows Vista may not be worth it right now.

No Loss of WinXP Support:

Vista will be supported longer than XP, but XP still has two years of mainstream support from Microsoft. And a wealth of information on WinXP (and other operating systems) is already available on the internet. If you and your staff are comfortable with XP, there's little reason to upgrade to Vista for continued support at the moment.

Application Incompatibility:

Many popular applications do not work on Vista. Applications like ITunes and Nero have issues running on Vista. In fact, nearly every program involved in ripping or recoding media have issues with Vista. If these major applications are having compatibility issues, how many more small applications--those you may use everyday--will have problems, too?

DRM Issues:

Peter Gutmann from the UK's The Register has called Window Vista's new DRM the "longest suicide note in history." Even though great strides have been made for PCs in the living room as an entertainment device, Vista has put crippling DRM into place when playing next generation (HD-DVD and BluRay) content. When playing this content, the component output and S/PDIF output is disabled, effectively crippling Windows Vista as an entertainment system.

Notebook Battery Drain:

Windows Vista requires more hardware power to run--and notebook battery life goes down the more you require of your PC's hardware. Even just running the Aero Glass interface will drain your battery faster, due to the additional GPU processing. Any dedicated road warrior should consider this before upgrading.

Not so innovative:

You can download many advanced search applications for free. Even Microsoft has released one. Google has a nice sidebar with a built-in RSS reader available for free. Yahoo widgets (formally Konfabulator) allow you to change your desktop into a virtual workspace with all manner of data and tools available at your fingertips. Apple's OS X is by far the leader in modern desktops. Even Aero Glass cannot compare to the smoothness of OS X (which is more than five years old). Sun's Project Looking Glass can provide a minimal 3d desktop for XP for free.

Cost:

Vista is expensive. There's no way around this. Microsoft has tried to mitigate this by releasing different versions of Vista with different price points. Unfortunately, many of these are feature crippled and cause more confusion than necessary. If you want Vista, expect to pay up to $400 for one of the top versions.

A new video card for DirectX 10:

DirectX 10 being Vista-only means that many gamers are waiting patiently on the newest OS. Unfortunately, not only will they have to pay for the OS, but they will also have to buy a new video card that supports DirectX 10. Currently, only NVIDIA’s 8800 chipset is DirectX 10 compatible, with the lowest model (the GTS) having a retail price of $399.

Slower game performance:

Aero Glass is one of the cornerstones of Windows Vista, but it puts a load on your video card that will affect game performance. There are several reports of Microsoft telling developers that current games will run 10 percent to 15 percent slower on Vista than on Windows XP as a result. It remains to be seen whether this performance hit will continue to be an issue on games designed specifically for Vista.