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Topic: WindowsXP launch..or Lamefest 2001?

foo fighter
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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
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WindowsXP launch..or Lamefest 2001?

Did anyone catch the launch of XP "gold code" in Redmond? That had to be the most disgusting, or certainly campy, PR stunt I have ever witnessed. I particularly loved Allchins comment.."I think XP is the finest OS Microsoft has ever done!". And I know it's the best operating system in the WORLD!". Gag!

I have to admit, part of me wanted to see the helicopters crash! Can you imagine the headlines: "Windows XP crashes, killing 6 people!"

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08-24-2001 05:09 PM

dick-richardson
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

I'm tired of all the XP bashing. It's like starting an intellectual debate with someone not fully in command of their wits.

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08-24-2001 05:26 PM

foo fighter
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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
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I'm not bashing XP, in fact I'm using it right now and I happen to like it a lot. And for the most part, what Allchin said is indeed true. XP is, hands down, the best OS Microsoft has ever developed. Allchin seemed to lack modesty when hyping the OS.

But I the launch even was really..really lame. Quite a spectacle.

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08-24-2001 05:38 PM

headgamer
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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Bismarck, ND
Posts: 114

quote:
Originally posted by foo fighter
[B]I'm not bashing XP, in fact I'm using it right now and I happen to like it a lot. And for the most part, what Allchin said is indeed true. XP is, hands down, the best OS Microsoft has ever developed.

I have heard that WinXP users are taking huge performance hits since XP requires so mach RAM/processing power. How true is this? I am considering purchasing it when it comes out (primarily for the stability), but others kind of have me leaning toward Win2k instead. FYI: I have an Athlon 600 with Riva TNT2 Ultra video card and 640mb RAM...

Thanks in advance...

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08-24-2001 05:51 PM

foo fighter
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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

quote:
Originally posted by headgamer
I have heard that WinXP users are taking huge performance hits since XP requires so mach RAM/processing power. How true is this?

It was definitely true of the early betas. I was running Windows XP beta 2 on my 350mhz Pentium II box, and it ran like a dog. After installing RC1, I was blown away by the difference in performance. XP runs halfway decent, with only 128mb of RAM. Basically the faster your machine, the better the performance. Judging from your specs, you should have no problem at all with performance. Even though it runs "ok" on my PII 350, I still recommend that only people with 500mhz processors/256mb RAM or greater should upgrade to XP. Anything below that won't get the full advantage of the core features.

I just put in an order for a new DELL Pentium 4 system, it should be interesting to see how well it will perform. Testers in the XP newsgroups are saying that the new OS "screams" on a Pentium 4.

quote:
I am considering purchasing it when it comes out (primarily for the stability), but others kind of have me leaning toward Win2k instead.

Normally I recommend that users hold off on upgrading to a new Windows release right away. But having used XP for several months now, in one form or another, I advise ANYONE who is still using Win9x/ME to rush out and buy XP as soon as available. Run, don't walk! It really is the most stable NT based OS I have ever used, including 2k. As an example, I have a dual boot setup on my machine between Win2k and XP. I never use 2k anymore, and haven't booted it for over 2 months now. XP is that stable. Also if you are a gamer, you should definitely upgrade to XP since it offers much smoother multimedia/graphics support than 2k.

There are only two things I dislike about XP:

1. Product activation. It smacks of monopoly abuse

2. The new GUI is a little on the campy side. Not as sleek or elegant as MacOS X. But it is more attractive than the old grey boxy look of ME/2000.

Other than that, I think Microsoft finally delivered the Windows we have ALL been waiting for.

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08-24-2001 06:09 PM

Fishscaler
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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Atop a wandering buffalo hunting aardvaarks
Posts: 148

Ain't gonna get it. winME was enough of an ultimate OS, and so I opted for one of these. (Apple tiMac)

And one of these. (MS Intellimouse Explorer)

So I could run this. (PhotoShop 6)

And this. (Extensis Portfolio)

So I look professional when I use one of these. (Olympus C-3000)

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Last edited by Fishscaler on 08-24-2001 at 11:26 PM

08-24-2001 06:24 PM

foo fighter
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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

quote:
Originally posted by Fishscaler
Ain't gonna get it. winME was enough of an ultimate OS, and so I opted for one of these.

Hey Fishscaler, did you hear Apple is slashing prices on the TiBook? Big cuts, with new models on the way.

Unfortunately, Apple wasn't an option for me. They seem to enjoy making outlandishly expensive desktops that offer little competitive features. On the other hand, Apple's portables are the best in the industry. But I needed a workstation, and the PowerMac G4 is a piss poor solution, in terms of price vs. features.

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08-24-2001 06:34 PM

Cerulean
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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 289

quote:
Originally posted by foo fighter
PowerMac G4 is a piss poor solution, in terms of price vs. features.

You should have purchased an AMD system if yer concerned about price vs performace .. I just setup an AMD 1.4Ghz, 768MB, 2x60GB (RAID), GeForce2 Video, Network/etc system for about $1200 ... it screams

Joe

08-25-2001 12:21 AM

JHromadka
VisorCentral Staff

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

quote:
Originally posted by headgamer
I have heard that WinXP users are taking huge performance hits since XP requires so mach RAM/processing power. How true is this? I am considering purchasing it when it comes out (primarily for the stability), but others kind of have me leaning toward Win2k instead. FYI: I have an Athlon 600 with Riva TNT2 Ultra video card and 640mb RAM...

I would recommend 2k. Most of the features of XP without product activation, Hailstorm, or other gotchas. I run 2k on my aging PII 450 and it is very solid.

I'm surprised Foo with all of your rants against XP that you would actually recommend it to someone.

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08-25-2001 07:56 AM

Galley_SimRacer
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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 172

quote:
Originally posted by Cerulean

You should have purchased an AMD system if you are concerned about price vs performance .. I just setup an AMD 1.4Ghz, 768MB, 2x60GB (RAID), GeForce2 Video, Network/etc system for about $1200 ... it screams

Joe

I highly recommend the Athlon. My new system is a 1.4GHz Athlon, with an iWill KK266plus mobo, IBM 40GB 60GXP deskstar, ATI Radeon 64MB DDR, 512MB PC133 RAM, etc. (all of that was only $655 shipped from http://www.newegg.com All of it is retail versions except for the hard drive)
In the event I do upgrade to XP, I knew my trusty old K6-III 400 based system wouldn't cut it. Using a BeOS benchmarking app, my score went from 3764 to 16999! Encoding MP3's went from 3.8x to 15X in BeOS. Using Real Jukebox Plus, I get 18x. Yikes!

BTW, You can get the OEM version of Corel's WordPerfect Office 2002 Pro for only $15 with the purchase of any hardware at newegg. It's sweet!

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08-25-2001 11:44 AM

Potus
Member

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 138

Redmond: NIH

Oh yeah: Windoze XP the rip off of Mac OSX.

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08-25-2001 02:09 PM

foo fighter
Member

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

quote:
Originally posted by Cerulean

You should have purchased an AMD system if yer concerned about price vs performace ..

The Athlon is a kick ass processor. It's also built around Motorola's RISC core, similar to the G4. But when it comes to pre-built PCs, I only buy DELL...and they don't offer Athlon based systems, yet. Other major factor in my decision to buy a P4 system is the fact that Adobe will optimize the next version of Photoshop for the P4. Supposedly it will whip the pants off the PowerMac G4 in rendering. We'll see.

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08-25-2001 02:40 PM

foo fighter
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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

quote:
Originally posted by JHromadka

I'm surprised Foo with all of your rants against XP that you would actually recommend it to someone.

I'm not going to steer anyone away from XP if they have their heart set on getting a copy. It's still an excellent operating system, the best MS has developed thus far. But I always try to educate users to the "gotchas", and there are many. Product activation, and the fact that users can install XP on one machine only is enough to turn them off.

But I don't think it would be fair of me to spread fear in those around me, as if XP were some kind of ticking time bomb waiting to go off at any second. It's just an operating system. Besides, XP isn't going to be the hit that MS or PC makers think it will. When it launches on Oct. 25, there will be no lines forming at retail stores, and orders for new PCs won't increase. The slowing economy, and the impending release of Xbox will take care of that.

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08-25-2001 03:01 PM

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