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Miscellaneous Forums => The Orphanage => Topic started by: shankle on January 21, 2008, 12:41:32 AM

Title: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: shankle on January 21, 2008, 12:41:32 AM
I hear it's going to be called "Vienna".
I don't understand what else they were talking about but
it can't be good for me.
Your Thoughts
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: zooba on January 21, 2008, 12:59:07 AM
It's good for me.

Bye bye all plans for upgrading to Vista, ever.

There is an (AFAICT unofficial) news site at http://www.windowsvienna.com/, on which there are a few suggestions that there will be some breaks with the past here. If Microsoft do indeed finally break away from some of the Windows 3.1 crap still laying around it will be great (though I expect to see some form of Vista virtualisation shipped with it for older apps).

Cheers,

Zooba :U
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: GregL on January 21, 2008, 01:16:27 AM
Vista is not that bad. Most applications that had problems have come out with Vista versions. Device Drivers are now available for just about everything too. I did have some problems at first, but they are all pretty much ironed out now. I think there is a lot of negative hype about Vista.

Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: zooba on January 21, 2008, 01:24:54 AM
I never said there was anything wrong with Vista, apart from it would cost me too much due to needing a computer upgrade to run it properly. And there's no way I'd settle for anything less than the Ultimate edition. The investment just isn't worth it for me.

Cheers,

Zooba :U
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: drhowarddrfine on January 21, 2008, 04:20:14 AM
I have not bought a new computer since 2001 because people keep giving me their "old" computer as they upgrade to XP, and now Vista.  Thank you very much.  I run FreeBSD.
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: shankle on January 21, 2008, 02:57:11 PM
I looked into Freebds, Ubuntu etc. and found that it would involve a rewrite
of all my programs. A daunting task. Even more important is the percentage of
people using Windows xxx versus the others. It would seem that one has to stay with
the mainstream. I realize the need to get away from windows but I seem to be trapped
with it. :(
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: GregL on January 23, 2008, 05:58:58 AM
Quote from: ZoobaI never said there was anything wrong with Vista, apart from it would cost me too much due to needing a computer upgrade to run it properly.

Zooba,

Sorry, I'm just really getting tired of people bashing Vista.

It is expensive, and you are right, buying a new PC with Vista on it is the only way to go, upgrading to Vista is not a good idea.

I think Microsoft could have done a better job on it, especially regarding compatibility. But like I said, it's pretty much all ironed out now, at least for me.

The only thing I have left to do is rewrite some programs that used the Mixer API. The audio system in Vista was entirely re-written, it's called the Core Audio API now. The old Mixer API functions don't work at all.  :tdown 

Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: zooba on January 23, 2008, 06:34:03 AM
Quote from: Greg on January 23, 2008, 05:58:58 AM
The only thing I have left to do is rewrite some programs that used the Mixer API. The audio system in Vista was entirely re-written, it's called the Core Audio API now. The old Mixer API functions don't work at all.  :tdown 

I was sure I read some blog posts by Larry Ostermann explaining some compatibility issues they ran into with that - dropping support for a set of APIs is very unlike Microsoft (no matter how much the APIs deserve to be dropped).
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: GregL on January 23, 2008, 08:22:07 PM
Zooba,

Yeah, I'm familiar with his blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/default.aspx). There is a lot of information there about the Vista audio system. At this point you have to test for Vista and use the Core Audio API if it is Vista and the Mixer API if it is not. The Mixer API was cumbersome to work with but the Core Audio API has a COM interface and is harder to work with if you ask me.

Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: AkinforASM on January 24, 2008, 08:13:58 PM
Quote from: zooba on January 21, 2008, 01:24:54 AM
And there's no way I'd settle for anything less than the Ultimate edition. The investment just isn't worth it for me.

Agreed. Even having a version which is capable of receiving FAX MESSAGES (which is a must for any business) is extremely expensive. And they overcharge and whine about being pirated.  ::)

Whenever I have purchased a new computer, I immediately formatted hardrive and installed my good priced (and of course licenced) Windows XP professional.

Regards.
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: Mark Jones on February 24, 2008, 09:24:47 PM
All I have to say about vista is...



[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Next mess from Microsoft
Post by: jj2007 on February 25, 2008, 12:02:10 AM
Quote from: Mark Jones on February 24, 2008, 09:24:47 PM
All I have to say about vista is...

Yep, you say it clearly! What's missing is a big fat "Attention, logarithmic scale!"  :toothy

I am currently struggling with RichEdit, a "tool" that the Operating System provides for letting the user work with formatted text. RichEd20.dll weighs in at 420k, or in Vista units (i.e. as % of the 15 Giga it occupies on disk): 0.42*100/15000=0.0028% of the OS. If that is difficult to grasp, turn it round: If RichEd is a typical tool, then there must be around 15000/0.42=36,000 similar tools available to the user. If they are all as buggy and crappy as RichEd, then good night Microsoft - apparently they have lost control of their pile of code a long time ago.