A Little Honesty....a PERSONAL view

After using XP Home Editon for 2 months, I really don't see what all the hype was about. Prior to the upgrade I was running Win 98SE. MY particular installation of 98SE gave me absolutely no problems in the 2+ years I had it. There's the old "comfort" factor along with certain features with 98SE which I miss.

I especially DON'T like the "Activation" requirement with XP. The System Restore feature could be much more flexible by allowing the user to delete certain "check points" without having to loose all of them. It should also allow you to "RENAME" a checkpoint at any time. This would give you more control with identifying specific "check points" at a later date.

I don't care for the hosts of programs which run automatically in Windows Task Manager. I liked the option in 98SE to simply uncheck what you don't want and not have the system restart in that "special mode ". I've seen the "Black Viper's" site and it can be a bit overwhelming even for the experienced user.

As far as stability, I don't see any significant difference from when I was running 98SE.
Why does Microsoft have to be so "picky" as to what drivers you use with XP? It seems if a driver is not "certified" you almost can't use it. XP seems to be of the mindset that "Microsoft knows what's best for the user and they'll tell us how to run our system ".

Overall I really can't say I see what all the hype was about.

Again these are MY PERSONAL VIEWS and EXPERIENCES with 98SE vs XP.

 

XP is a different OS. It takes some getting used to. The thinking about the running tasks that we all tried to minimize in 98 needs to be modified for this services-based OS.

I find XP to be the most stable OS MS has produced yet. And replete with features I wish 98 had had.

The driver issue is an annoyance, to be sure, but Microsoft is hardly trying to control our choices by making sure that the drivers that heretofore were responsible for the vast majority of lockups and blue screens are up to snuff. You still have the option to install unsigned drivers at your own risk.

 

Hi AceH

There generally will always be a split in acceptance as you / me / us move from the old to the current to the latest and greatest. There are two mechanisms in play in respect to hardware and software. As hardware becomes faster and less expensive, it allows more robust software to facilitate more sophisticated features. This does come at a price in a number of ways. At one time many of us could maintain our own vehicles. Now days this requires specialized diagnostic tools and technically trained individuals to perform these tasks. The dynamics of the market place require the old be replaced by the new. Whether you label it capitalism or innovation, both promise new is better. To stimulate / motivate sales, you must keep re-inventing the mouse trap. With computers, communications and electronics so entwined in todays society this dialog / discussion will have a life of it's own. There is no right or wrong, it comes down to what your needs are and how you choose to meet them needs.

 

I drove stick shift cars for 20 plus years. 2 years ago I inherited an Olds, an automatic, and I still reach for the non existant gear shift, especially coming down a hill. I use XP Pro at home and XP Home at work (HUH??) and I stumble a bit on 9X and ME because they are unfamiliar now. My daughter has never "dialed" a phone, thinks all tvs come with color and remotes and has never seen a record album or a turntable. The technology changes, and we must change with it, fortunately, we are allowed to adapt at our own pace. That said, I love XP. It is easy to use, easy to find support, software and drivers for (It currently is the "standard ") and I can burn a cd for the car in a fraction of the time it used to take to make a cassette tape.

 

I agree with all the replies here, especially Steve's about better ram utilization of NT systems and XP's superior stability.

One more factor. Software makers are increasingly not updating their probducts for 9X systems. Case in point, ZoneAlarm. The latest 3.7 free version will be it for 9X OS's. Ran across that reference in the ZoneLabs forum by one of their moderators.

This trend will only accelerate as time goes on.

Regards - Charles