[Rockhounds] OFF TOPIC!

[Tim Fisher]

OFF TOPIC: VISTA

My work partner has decided to order a new PC from Dell even though 
he doesn't need one. Why? Because the idiots at MicroSuck have 
decided to force all new computers to be pre-installed with Vista, 
since XP is officially not available directly from MicroSoft, and 
will be officially unsupported (i.e., no tech support of any kind 
from MS) as of 6/30 (supposedly; they had previously threatened to 
pull XP OEM versions in late 2007, then in back in January, then by 
the end of Feb., well, you get the picture). Methinks that PC makers 
flat out rebelled, and it will continue to be supported until Windows 
7 debuts (but I've been wrong more times than I have been right LOL). 
I think my partner has the right idea, and if I had the $$ I would 
just trade in my old laptop for new, fast notebook with XP installed 
before it is too late. The sad thing about Vista is, I don't know if 
many software companies will _ever_ write code for optimized it, 
since it is apaprently not worth the development $$ to rewrite 
programs under Vista, and they too are holding out for a stable OS.

I believe this statement: "In the corporate world, there are 
countless applications that fail miserably with Vista in offices that 
are standardized on XP Pro."

I would also add, in the home user world as well. Very few of the 
programs I use on an almost daily basis support Vista, and I am 
betting that many of them never will. I for one am not going to shell 
out bucu bucks for programs written for Vista, and I am betting that 
not too many home suers will either, unless they got stuck with it.

E.g., the most powerful GIS software companies have _no plans_ to 
optimize their software for Vista, or at least none that have ever 
been discussed on the mailing lists that I belong to or the forums 
that I occasionally cruise. Note that their software _runs_ under 
Vista, but it is all (again, AFAIK) optimized for the 64-bit XP Pro 
OS (IMHO, the best and fastest OS release to date for PCs). And these 
are some of the most progressive software companies out there, since 
GIS software is very much in demand right now, and you can't 
"convert" users of "legacy" software without offering 1) speed, 2) 
more speed, and 3) even more speed.

I am holding out for Windows 7 (yeah I know real imaginative name 
there). By all accounts that I can find, it is looking like a stable 
OS that is not going to be nearly as buggy as Vista.

At 07:42 AM 5/29/2008, you wrote:
>While we're talking about DeLorme...
>
>I've owned various DeLorme "Dove-Bar" GPS units that I've used with the
>Street Atlas and Topo series ever since they've come out (hey, and with my
><plug><plug> MasMils/PLUS Mine Location Disk) and been quite happy.  I was
>considering getting their GPS PN-20 stand-alone unit until I found you can't
>upload non-USA maps into it!  What a pain... I travel to Europe fairly often
>and was looking for a nice combination of software and hardware.  Great for
>the US, not-so-great for everywhere else.
>
>Gary
>Catspaw Minerals
>Home of the MasMils/PLUS Mine Location Disk
>http://www.catspaw-minerals.com
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
> > [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] On Behalf Of
> > Duane Matters, Jr
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 1:49 PM
> > To: rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com
> > Subject: [Rockhounds] DeLorme Topo 7.0
> >
> > I recently had to upgrade my computer and decided to use
> > Windows Vista. All the Vista vs. XP comments aside, I
> > upgraded my GPS antenna as it was not supported by Vista.
> > When I purchased the new DeLorme LT-40, I also purchased Topo
> > 7.0 as I was using Topo 5.0 and the Public Lands download is
> > not available for Topo 5.0...
>
>--
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Tim Fisher
Ore-ROCK-On!
Email address at http://OreRockOn.com