[Hidden-tech] How much of the $2 Billion pie is going to be yours?

[Ron Miller]

I'm running Vista on what my son affectionately calls my "lab rat" PC. 
It's an HP Pavilion with 2Ghz Pentium 4 processor and 512 MB of RAM. 
Other than the fact that I can't resolve a video problem with the Intel 
on-board graphics, it runs fine. In fact, some tasks such as searching 
the hard drive, it does very fast.

Beyond that, after mucking around briefly, I don't see anything truly 
compelling about this upgrade. There may be features I haven't 
discovered yet, but it looks like the same old Windows to me with a 
gussied up front-end.

To be fair, I have hardly put it through its paces in any significant 
fashion, but early returns are that I'm not that impressed.

Ron

Ron Miller
Freelance Technology Writing Since 1988
Contributing Editor, EContent Magazine

email: ronsmiller at comcast.net
web: http://www.ronsmiller.com
blog: http://byronmiller.typepad.com

Jeff Rutherford wrote:
>    ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee.
>    ** You too can help the group
>    ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> 
> 
>>From what I've read re: Vista to date, I think that the majority of Vista
> sales will have to be OEMs, simply because Vista is such a resource
> intensive OS, it will slow 95% of currently configured computers to an
> absolute crawl.
> 
> I think Vista will have a much longer sales cycle than earlier Windows OS
> upgrades, but the majority of PC manufacturers will make a complete switch
> on January 30th, and every machine will ship with Vista.
> 
> It's just that Vista is so resource intensive, Microsoft won't be able to
> sell as many upgrades to existing computers unless you're using a high-end
> gaming PC with tons of memory, a top-of-the-line video card, etc.
> 
> Jeff
> 
> ------------------------------------
> Jeff Rutherford Media Relations, LLC
> Jeff Rutherford
> jeff at jeffrutherford.com
> 50 Delabarre Avenue
> Conway, MA 01341
> tel: 413 369 4128
> fax: 866 677 4108
> mobile: 413 475 0087
> AIM: JeffreyRutherfrd
> Skype ID:JeffRutherford
> ------------------------------------
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net
> [mailto:hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net] On Behalf Of Robert
> Heller
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 7:48 PM
> To: Nick Braak
> Cc: Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
> Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] How much of the $2 Billion pie is going to be
> yours?
> 
>    ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee.
>    ** You too can help the group
>    ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> 
> 
> At Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:28:25 -0500 "Nick Braak" <misterlister at nickbraak.com>
> wrote:
> 
>>    ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee.
>>    ** You too can help the group
>>    ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
>>
>>
>> A just released report predicts that the imminent launch of MicrosoftÂ’s
>> Windows Vista operating system will generate a staggering $2 Billion in
>> economic activity in Massachusetts in 2007. That's not Microsoft's bounty,
>> it's what they are calling the "Vista Effect" which will benefit many
>> related businesses and will add 5000 IT jobs this year alone. 
>>
>> The report from IDC makes for very interesting reading. There is a good
>> breakdown of the existing technology economy with some pretty impressive
>> stats. Please note that the report was commissioned by Microsoft, and
>> therefore must be taken as partial. Nevertheless the $ and headcounts are
>> big and getting bigger. Most of the activity is in the East, of course,
> yet
>> there must be opportunity for Pioneer Valley folks to get in on the
> action,
>> even the Mac and Unix types, as part of the knock-on or just the general
>> raising of awareness and opening of corporate/institutional wallets. 
>>
>> The full PDF report is here
>> http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/itanalyst/docs/01052007MassVista.pdf. 
>>
>> There are also reports for New York, New Jersey and Florida at the same
> site
>> http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/itanalyst/default.mspx
>>
>> The reports are quite easy to read and IMHO well worth looking at. If
>> nothing else the numbers are encouraging. Perhaps a much needed boost to
> the
>> area might come from this private sector activity, rather than traditional
>> economic development. And when it comes to the private sector you don't
> get
>> much bigger, or wealthier than soft and cuddly ol' Microsoft :-)
>>
>> Feedback is welcome.
> 
> OK, I have a few questions.  First of all I know almost nothing about
> Vista -- I've *NEVER* used any flavor of MS-Windows -- I am a 100%
> Linux person (migrated to Linux from UNIX workstations and migrated
> from VAX/VMS to UNIX before that).  Also I am wondering about the chart
> on page three (about Vista taking over from NT/2K/XP.
> 
> First question: do existing Win32 applications run as-is under Vista? Or
> is Vista really a completely different operating system?  One of the
> ongoing bits of Microsoft 'confusion' is the constant renaming of
> software and the abandonment of any sort of release versioning -- one
> has no way of knowing if the new operating system is a major upgrade or
> a minor upgrade -- Win95/Win98/WinMW => 2K == major, 2K => XP minor, =>
> Vista ???  I'm wondering if Vista will break applications or just be a
> (relatively) 'minor' upgrade.
> 
> Second question: given that many people *still* use Win95/Win98 on
> older systems and many people also still use 2K, how realistic is the
> idea that *ALL* MS-Windows users will in fact upgrade to Vista anytime
> in the short run?  Or will only people buying new machines be getting
> Vista and Vista upgrade boxes languish on store shelves (much as 2K and
> XP upgrade boxes have)?  In other words, how much (realisticly) will
> Microsoft's sales of Vista be OEM copies and how many will be retail or
> upgrade copies?
> 
>>
>> Nick Braak
>> Internet Strategist and Commentator 
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
>> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
>>
>> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
>> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members   
>> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
>> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members
>>
>>                            
>