At 06:17 PM 2/13/2007, you wrote:
>Oh esteemed cutting-edge early adopters...Could I pose two questions?
>1. Windows Vista, is it all that great?
>2. How about Office 2007? Is it worth upgrading to? Is it that different
>from Office 03?
>Thanks in advance and I will post a hit--Mary Ann
I think the issue with Vista is one of hardware requirements. Vista
looks very nice, and has some nice new features (nothing that is
essential IMHO, just some easier ways of doing things and attractive
graphics) but it has some very stiff and exacting hardware
requirements if it is to run at anything like its intended
speed. Given that most libraries have computers that are at least a
couple of years old, Vista is (IMHO) a non-starter until new
equipment is purchased. I have seen Vista creeping along in a
fashion that could only be called 'galcial' on a machine that worked
fine with Win XP Professional. Remember that the system requirements
that are listed on the box are MINIMUM requirements....the absolute
bare minimum that Vista requires to load and function at all... NOT
what is needed for satisfactory performance. Realistic system
requirements for Vista to work as intended would include:
*At least a 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, and here,
faster is definitely a plus. Demonstrations of Vista I have seen by
vendors and Microsoft have ALWAYS used at least 2 GHz processors.
*1GB of system memory (more is better, esp. with circulation systems
that download large parts of a database for use at any given time)
*128MB of graphics memory (more if games will be used, or if any kind
of zooming or scrolling is used in a graphical interface, to avoid jerkiness)
*40GB of hard drive capacity for Vista alone, more of course if you
run any programs in addition to Vista, with 15GB free space
*A DVD-ROM drive
*Audio output capabilities
*Internet access capability
*The fastest network card you can lay your hands on
*A processor that runs Windows Aero (which Microsoft defines as a
DirectX 9 class graphics processor that supports a Windows Display
Driver Model Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per pixel)
*The graphics processor for Aero also must meet the following
requirements for graphics memory: 64MB of graphics memory to support
a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels; 128MB of graphics memory
to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to
2,304,000 pixels; or 256MB of graphics memory to support a single
monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels. LCD flat panel
displays should probably go with the 256 MB requirement.
Special note: As with XP when it was first released, there are
driver issues with Vista. Many 'older' (read: 1 to 2 years old)
peripherals will not work at all or will work only with a crippled
minimal set of features under Vista. Vista includes drivers for most
common peripherals currently in production, but not earlier models,
or speciality items like bar code scanners. This affects things like
scanners, printers, bar code readers, network cards, digital cameras,
even some monitors. If the experience with XP is any guide, few
companies will go back and write drivers for Vista for equipment that
is no longer in production.
New versions of Microsoft software should integrate tightly and
attractively with Vista, Office07 being the first such new
iteration. This may well mean that new versions of MS software will
only work with Vista, or will only work at a reduced level of
features with earlier versions of Windows. I have no direct
experience with Office07... I use Star Office and Eudora. I have
heard some complaints about Office07, though; mostly about features
from earlier versions that have been dropped in 07.
Hope this helps.
Mark Williams
Consulting Librarian
Professional Services for Conferences, Districts, Workshops
markwilliams@makaw.net
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