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Do you need Microsoft Vista?By Ken Doyle
The first point to consider is that any major OS upgrade should not be undertaken lightly. Expect some down time due to bugs and incompatibilities with hardware drivers, and additional time to learn the new interface. Also, if you purchase an upgrade copy of Vista and want to do a "clean install" of the OS by wiping out your previous installation first, you may run into problems with Microsoft's activation system. The next consideration is your hardware: All the cool interface effects and new features come at a price beyond the cost of the OS itself. If you decide to buy a new PC, which may be the most cost-effective way to get a copy of Vista in some cases, you'll get Vista preinstalled. However, if you plan to keep your existing hardware, there are several options available. Large companies will definitely benefit from Vista Enterprise Edition, designed especially with their needs in mind. It offers specialized features that are vital to supporting complex networks, along with Microsoft's volume licensing and software assurance programs. If you run a small businesses or are self-employed, you have several other options. • Vista Home Basic is a bare-bones version of the OS without the fancy interface and offers marginal improvements over Windows XP. If you're happy with the way XP and third-party security applications run on your PC, there's little reason to consider this edition. • Vista Home Premium is probably the first choice for home or home office PCs. It features the Aero interface with 3D effects and is supposed to make the user experience smoother. It also includes media center applications like Movie Maker and DVD Maker, and a few more games. • Vista Business is a no-nonsense edition that leaves out the entertainment applications, but offers several features that small businesses will appreciate. These include support for Windows domain servers and groups, virtualization support, an encrypting file system, and complete system backup and restore. • Vista Ultimate includes all the media center features of the Home Premium version, together with the Business Edition's extras. It also offers hard drive encryption, and the ability to run Unix applications - something that members of the scientific and technical communities will appreciate. If the new features are compelling enough for your needs and your hardware can handle Vista, it's worth considering an upgrade. However, the conventional wisdom in OS upgrades is to wait until the first Service Pack is released, which will presumably iron out many of the wrinkles in the current versions. And, in this instance, I won't argue with conventional wisdom. Ken Doyle is a principal consultant for Loquent LLC, a Madison-based company that offers technology training and consulting services. techtalk@loquent.net madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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