Windows Vista: vista rc2 and micrsofts new improvments to it.

Geeks are odd

Computer people (including myself) are strange beasts. We gripe and moan about how each successive version of Microsoft Windows is more bloated and demands new hardware purchases. We complain about how Product Activation and Digital Restrictions Managment complicate our lives and remove capabilities upon which we used to rely (think about backup, restore, and hardware upgrades). We know that running a machine with Microsoft Windows is more risky for the simple fact that it is a bigger target for the hackers. Many techs will joke about not being able to keep a Windows machine running for more than 30 days - even if it somehow manages not to crash, the constant barrage of security updates will usually require a reboot (very uncommon with Linux).

Yet, for all our knowledge, we continue to follow Microsoft like sheep. Every CEO is naturally reluctant to leave the pack, strike out on their own, and take a chance on a different o/s. There are good, solid reasons for staying with the Windows monoculture - especially for business.

Lately, it seems that whenever Microsoft takes away more 'rights' that we thought were ours, some brave soul will point out that we should all switch to Linux (or Macintosh) and we'd be out from under the cruel dictatorship of Redmond . . . and that person is absolutely right (though a little bit naive).

It doesn't take long for the Microsoft fanboys to trounce all over our brave soul with arguments, both good and bad, about how Microsoft is the only logical choice.

Frankly, I don't believe that any of these operating systems are the right choice for *everyone*. I will continue to use both Linux and Windows at work, but I chose Linux for my new PC at home. Here are the arguments that convinced me:

1. I like to tinker with my PCs. Upgrading components, trying new devices. This immediately ruled out buying a prebuilt PC with XP. As soon as you change too many things, your license becomes invalid. Just try convincing Microsoft that they should reactivate your license when you've upgraded your motherboard.

2. Cost. Have you ever priced a boxed copy of Windows? !!

3. Trust. Let's face it, Microsoft doesn't trust their customers. Their actions, based on that distrust, are causing enormous grief for us. How can they justify pushing Genuine Advantage Notification out as a 'critical' patch? What makes them think it is okay to use up my CPU and bandwidth with spyware? (spyware: any software that sends information back to the programmer without my consent and express knowledge of the contents of that information)

4. Security. The default security model for Linux is better because the user has limited rights. Moreover, there just aren't as many people attacking Linux - yet.

5. Performance. I'm a member of a grid computing project similar to Folding At Home. My new CPU is nominally 460 MHz faster than my old CPU. That's about a 19% improvement - but my linux machine is processing more than 10 times the tasks each day.

6. Licensing. This may seem like a repeat of argument #1 - but the Vista model deserves special mention. Activating XP was inconvenient. They've announced that Vista will be worse since they'll only let you activate it twice.

7. Freedom. It seems that Microsoft has been transitioning to a model where they'll let you use your computer as long as you follow their rules. It's *my* computer and Internet connection - not Microsoft's. They don't have the right to suck up my resources with services that spy on me or prevent me from using my machine as I wish.

I won't sugarcoat it. Not everything under Linux is smooth sailing. Sometimes I have to skip websites that refuse to work with anything but Microsoft (like CnetTV.com). But overall, my transition to Linux has been easy and fun. I'm still learning, but Linux was the right choice for me.