# Windows Vista Myth Busting **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311 "2007-07-11T02:21:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/61 "2007-07-12T13:37:43Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] Can you back that up? I’ve run every version of OS-X (occasionally to my sorrow 🙂 ), but my recollection is that the first version of OS-X that ran Quartz Extreme (10.2?) was considerably faster _at drawing graphics_ because the GPU was finally utilized, but there weren’t any other notable jumps in performance solely from OS upgrades among the different versions of OS-X. [/QUOTE] [Google](http://www.google.com/search?as_q=%22MacOS%22+%22faster%22+&hl=en&c2coff=1&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=jaguar+panther+tiger&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=off) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/62 "2007-07-12T14:02:47Z")
That’s not a cite. Lame. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/63 "2007-07-12T14:21:59Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] That’s not a cite. Lame. [/QUOTE] That’s not a snarky retort, lame. :dubious: I suspect no matter HOW many people provide evidence or opinion, you’ll not be swayed, so what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/64 "2007-07-12T14:38:52Z")
OK, a different point of view. Everyone here is going to have to upgrade their hardware eventually. Personally, I love getting the latest and greatest hardware and seeing how much faster it makes my system run. Why on earth would I want to invest in a lot of hardware and then let all the performance advantages be eaten by the OS? I’m running 2000 Pro and XP Pro SP2 on a couple of systems that are getting old. I need to replace them and get something faster. When I do, I want to see the results in terms of performance on applications. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/65 "2007-07-12T14:39:47Z")
[QUOTE=Testy] OK, a different point of view. Everyone here is going to have to upgrade their hardware eventually. Personally, I love getting the latest and greatest hardware and seeing how much faster it makes my system run. Why on earth would I want to invest in a lot of hardware and then let all the performance advantages be eaten by the OS? I’m running 2000 Pro and XP Pro SP2 on a couple of systems that are getting old. I need to replace them and get something faster. When I do, I want to see the results in terms of performance on applications. Regards Testy [/QUOTE] Try running Win95b. It’s amazing how fast it starts up and shuts down (seriously.) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/66 "2007-07-12T14:42:51Z")
[QUOTE=Unintentionally Blank] That’s not a snarky retort, lame. :dubious: I suspect no matter HOW many people provide evidence or opinion, you’ll not be swayed, so what’s the point? [/QUOTE] I’ll take that as “I’m too lazy and dishonest to back up my unfounded assertions” for $200, Alex. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerk). ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/67 "2007-07-12T14:47:27Z")
I just bought a new laptop that came with Vista installed. After a couple of weeks of playing with it, I have to say I’m neither disappointed nor especially impressed. It’s basically Windows XP with some superficial graphical improvements and minor usability enhancements. Definitely more ‘evolution’ than ‘revolution.’ The only early-adoption hassle I’ve run into is the ongoing compatibility problems between Vista and iTunes. I’m glad my new computer came with Vista installed, but I wouldn’t bother upgrading an older computer with XP. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/68 "2007-07-12T14:56:10Z")
[QUOTE=Unintentionally Blank] Hmph. I can’t fathom why it didn’t work for my copy of Vista ultimate running under parallels… the /s flag didn’t even show up under the ‘dir /?’ [/QUOTE] Does Parallels replace/patch the command shell for some reason? ( I haven’t used Parallels and probably should, but I’ve got an entire PC and Mac sitting here so it didn’t seem urgent. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/69 "2007-07-12T14:56:10Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] I just bought a new laptop that came with Vista installed. After a couple of weeks of playing with it, I have to say I’m neither disappointed nor especially impressed. It’s basically Windows XP with some superficial graphical improvements and minor usability enhancements. Definitely more ‘evolution’ than ‘revolution.’ The only early-adoption hassle I’ve run into is the ongoing compatibility problems between Vista and iTunes. I’m glad my new computer came with Vista installed, but I wouldn’t bother upgrading an older computer with XP. [/QUOTE] Just curious…what’s your RAM situation in this machine? And are you comparing it to another machine with the same or different RAM? I only ask this because the word on the street is Vista takes double the amount of RAM XP does to provide similar functions & speed. Is that true, or a myth? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/70 "2007-07-12T14:59:06Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] I’ll take that as “I’m too lazy and dishonest to back up my unfounded assertions” for $200, Alex. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerk). [/QUOTE] From the original google link: > [@http://www.coolmacintosh.com/jaguarreview100602.html](#): > > Of course, at first you may think that these graphical improvements may take more CPU power, but Jaguar does have many minor speeds boosts that help it out in this area. I feel that even on a system without Quartz Extreme, Jaguar is quite a bit faster than MacOS 10.1. > [@http://www.drunkenblog.com/drunkenblog-archives/000295.html](#): > > The speed increases are pretty much real. IE, I never really bought into the jaguar speed increases to the extent that others seemed to on most machines. Hell, there were mac idiots spouting that it was now as fast as OS9. Sure, on QE-able machines you saw a boost in specific areas, and yes of course it was faster… but I swear half of it was placebo and the ass-clowns proclaiming it was as fast as OS9 were just in their own world. Not so in 10.3, it really is a lot faster and people will be pleasantly surprised, especially if they have the RAM. > [@http://www.bsdforums.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-15613.html](#): > > i’ve noticed a definate speed increase, things like scrolling through directories is much smoother and quicker feeling, things feel more responsive, programs start up a bit faster, i’m really happy about that > > i have it installed on an old 400mhz. g3 pismo with 384mb. of ram, runs quite well, i can have many things open at once and the system only seems to lag a lil bit Next you’ll say they’re not authoritative, but _my_ _personal_ experience is: The stuff runs better with newer versions, on older hardware. Why is this so hard to accept without an affidavit to back it up? (And I wonder if you’d call me a lazy dishonest jerk to my face?) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/71 "2007-07-12T15:01:13Z")
[QUOTE=Unintentionally Blank] Hmph. I can’t fathom why it didn’t work for my copy of Vista ultimate running under parallels… the /s flag didn’t even show up under the ‘dir /?’ [/QUOTE] How did you open the command prompt? For years, XP has had the “feature” that Start-\>Run-\>“cmd” gives you an identical looking, but functionally different, command prompt than Start-\>Run-\>“command”. I don’t remember which of these matched the Start-\>Accessories-\>Command Prompt. However, in Vista the last two don’t appear to work (Start-\>Run-\>“Command” gives me an error, and I can’t find Command Prompt in the menus at all), but there are probably other ways of opening either. My guess is that you just opened the less functional command prompt, by some method I didn’t think of. (The dir command you gave worked for me, too, under Start-\>Run-\>“cmd” on Vista 64). ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/72 "2007-07-12T15:01:31Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] Does Parallels replace/patch the command shell for some reason? ( I haven’t used Parallels and probably should, but I’ve got an entire PC and Mac sitting here so it didn’t seem urgent. 🙂 ) [/QUOTE] I dunno. It DOES seem odd. I’m willing to pull that bulletpoint as it may have been user error. I just remember it not working at the time and thinking WTF. Plenty of other targets in Vista to shoot at though. Did you upgrade Vista, or was it a new install? ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/73 "2007-07-12T15:02:14Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] Plenty of governement agencies are also running proprietary software that was written for one specific operating system and will not work on any other. I just ran across a piece of MRP software that only likes XP, won’t run under 2000 pro or Vista business even when run in XP compatibility mode. So how is something like that microsofts problem? [/QUOTE] Because Microsoft won’t sell the old versions that I need. If I want to buy a new PC (for a new employee, not to replace an existing PC) I want 2000 pro on it because I know all our software works with that operating system. I can’t buy a new PC and get it with Windows 2000 pro on it. That is Microsoft’s decision. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/74 "2007-07-12T15:02:49Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Just curious…what’s your RAM situation in this machine? And are you comparing it to another machine with the same or different RAM? I only ask this because the word on the street is Vista takes double the amount of RAM XP does to provide similar functions & speed. Is that true, or a myth? [/QUOTE] You need the extra Ram and Video Ram to power the new Vista interface {Aero Glass}. Once you shut that off, the additional Ram requirements goes down significantly. However, there is still little reason to upgrade, Vista offers very little for your upgrade and demands a lot. 😉 Jim ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/75 "2007-07-12T15:10:28Z")
[QUOTE=TimeWinder] How did you open the command prompt? For years, XP has had the “feature” that Start-\>Run-\>“cmd” gives you an identical looking, but functionally different, command prompt than Start-\>Run-\>“command”. I don’t remember which of these matched the Start-\>Accessories-\>Command Prompt. However, in Vista the last two don’t appear to work (Start-\>Run-\>“Command” gives me an error, and I can’t find Command Prompt in the menus at all), but there are probably other ways of opening either. My guess is that you just opened the less functional command prompt, by some method I didn’t think of. (The dir command you gave worked for me, too, under Start-\>Run-\>“cmd” on Vista 64). [/QUOTE] I don’t recall, but it’s bugging me enough to throw Vista back on a test box and poke around…now I just need to dig the media back up. (MSDN membership really is kinda cool in that respect) ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/76 "2007-07-12T15:20:09Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Just curious…what’s your RAM situation in this machine? And are you comparing it to another machine with the same or different RAM? [/QUOTE] 1 GB, and I find it perfectly quick and responsive, even with all of the visual bells and whistles enabled. I’ve heard that Vista is sluggish with anything less than that (some reviews even recommend 2 GB). I don’t have any basis for direct comparison though. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/77 "2007-07-12T15:22:29Z")
[QUOTE=TimeWinder] How did you open the command prompt? For years, XP has had the “feature” that Start-\>Run-\>“cmd” gives you an identical looking, but functionally different, command prompt than Start-\>Run-\>“command”. I don’t remember which of these matched the Start-\>Accessories-\>Command Prompt. [/QUOTE] I used the command prompt seldom in XP. What were the differences? ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/78 "2007-07-12T15:25:19Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] I used the command prompt seldom in XP. What were the differences? [/QUOTE] CMD = XP command shell COMMAND = DOS command shell; doesn’t recognize long names, no automatic command history, etc. Just like old DOS. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/79 "2007-07-12T15:27:59Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] I used the command prompt seldom in XP. What were the differences? [/QUOTE] Well right now I’m finding out that for some reason altering files (move, rename, etc.) on a USB external drive requires me to right-click on my Command Prompt and pick Run as Administrator. Otherwise I get Access Denied, after a long delay. You get used to running a lot of things as Administrator on Vista (even when your’e already logged into an Administrator account), like software setup.exe programs. And too many operations black out the screen and require confirmation that yes, you really want to do that action. I see why they do that, it’s to keep viruses and malware from altering things behind your back, but it’s SO TEDIOUS to keep having your windows/desktop taken away while you click YES, I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS! ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311/80 "2007-07-12T15:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=Unintentionally Blank] (And I wonder if you’d call me a lazy dishonest jerk to my face?) [/QUOTE] Dunno. Do you act like one in person, or only on faceless message boards? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-vista-myth-busting/411311.md?page=5)