# Help me buy a computer...talk to me like I'm five **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-computer-talk-to-me-like-im-five/495795 "2009-05-08T22:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-computer-talk-to-me-like-im-five/495795/61 "2009-05-11T21:44:19Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I disagree. There is no specific value to Linux beyond being free if you’re building a computer. XP would be a better choice all around. It’s being used as a dual boot to get around [compatibility problems](http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/02/0236200). It’s value here is that it’s a free “plug in” fix until Seven comes along. I can pull up compatibility issues with Vista all day long. [This one](http://www.abandonedstuff.com/2008/02/27/vista-less-compatible-with-xp-than-linux/) talks about Vista,XP, and Linux. It gives examples of poor Beta testing of Vista. Microsoft is notorious for pushing new software that has problems and Vista is no exception. I wouldn’t be surprised if they offer a cheap upgrade from Vista to Seven in order to bury it. These comments are nonsense. What all these links are saying is that programs are more compatible with a XP virtual machine running on Linux than on Vista. They are running XP! Or course it’s going to be more compatible, that’s the whole point. You can run an XP virtual machine on Vista and get identical results. If you absolutely must run a XP emulator there’s no reason to do it on Linux specifically. New OSs stop supporting things because they are getting better and to prevent becoming resource pigs even worse than they are they need to let some support go. This is the price of progress. It’s like you bought a new all-electric car and then started bitching that it doesn’t run on GAS! > [@](#): > > AFAIK Vista is a commitment to new software and that has it’s problems too. If you look at the new version of Word it saves documents as Docx or Docm. [Open Office](http://www.oooninja.com/2008/02/word-2007-docx-converter-oxygenoffice.html) has already developed a built in converter for it and it will come out later this year. I mention this because large companies running MS software are slow to upgrade to the newest version and sending them resumes’ in the latest version isn’t always the best route. If they aren’t smart enough to use a converter you’re better off with earlier versions. Offices and individuals that use Open Office will get the converters every time they upgrade their free software. The same applies to Excel. Another Red Herring. First off, companies don’t need to upgrade to the new version, they simply need to apply the patches that come in Windows update. Docx and Docm are supported in all versions that are still supported by MS, you just need to run Windows Update. If a company can’t be bothered to do that they have bigger issues than Docx. Secondly, a person, could…wait for it…save their documents as .docs! Office 2007 lets you choose the format and if you are sending out resumes and are concerned that your company could be running a un-updated version of Word just take 2 second and save it as a .doc file. You could save it as a .wps if you wanted to be REALLY safe. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-computer-talk-to-me-like-im-five/495795/62 "2009-05-12T17:45:40Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > These comments are nonsense. What all these links are saying is that programs are more compatible with a XP virtual machine running on Linux than on Vista. They are running XP! Or course it’s going to be more compatible, that’s the whole point. You can run an XP virtual machine on Vista and get identical results. If you absolutely must run a XP emulator there’s no reason to do it on Linux specifically. > . The articles are pointing out the fact that Vista stumbled out of the gate with problems which is something Microsoft has elevated to a an art form. They screwed up, they know they screwed up, and the next version is suppose to fix it. People are dual booting Linux because its FREE rather than dual booting XP at an additional cost. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-computer-talk-to-me-like-im-five/495795/63 "2009-05-12T17:59:21Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > T > Another Red Herring. First off, companies don’t need to upgrade to the new version, they simply need to apply the patches that come in Windows update. Docx and Docm are supported in all versions that are still supported by MS, you just need to run Windows Update. If a company can’t be bothered to do that they have bigger issues than Docx. Secondly, a person, could…wait for it…save their documents as .docs! Office 2007 lets you choose the format and if you are sending out resumes and are concerned that your company could be running a un-updated version of Word just take 2 second and save it as a .doc file. You could save it as a .wps if you wanted to be REALLY safe. Go to a Microsoft site and read what people go through making the [plug ins work](http://forums.techarena.in/ms-office-support/1027188.htm). They are not finger snapping fixes. I ran into a similar problem with Excel at my last job. The customer sent a file of data in a newer version and it took us a number of tries to get it to work. it was fun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-computer-talk-to-me-like-im-five/495795.md?page=3)