Vista or XP, First Mac, Future Law Student...

[Cyroceon]

I am going to get my MacBook tomorrow and I will be buying a Windows OS. I know both XP and Vista, but I have to choose between the two. Also, keep in mind that I will be going to law school in a year and I need something that can run all the law school testing programs, etc... Should I go with Vista since SP1 is on the horizon, or go with the tried and true XP? There is only a $20 difference on Newegg for OEM versions, so all of your opinions will be very important to me in making my decision.

BTW, I will be going with Vista Home Basic if I get Vista, not Home Premium.

[Jopling]

Are you going to be using Mac OS at all?

[kch]

as a 1L, i can tell you that i've never once needed windows for anything. Any software you need to use should come in an OSX flavor.

also, see if your school has a deal with MS for software licenses. don't buy the full-price versions. I just got vista ultimate and office 08 for mac from our computer store for $20.

[Cyroceon]

Are you going to be using Mac OS at all?

I will be using OS X 98% of the time. The ONLY reasons I'm getting XP or Vista is to use them if/when I HAVE to run a program, like a law school testing program, in Windows. I have all the software I need for OS X, so Windows is just a "in case" thing to have.

as a 1L, i can tell you that i've never once needed windows for anything. Any software you need to use should come in an OSX flavor.

also, see if your school has a deal with MS for software licenses. don't buy the full-price versions. I just got Office 08 for mac and vista ultimate from our computer store for $20.

I can't get it from school, but whatever edition I am getting, I will be getting the OEM version, which is only around $100.

[mrbrown]

I am going to get my MacBook tomorrow and I will be buying a Windows OS. I know both XP and Vista, but I have to choose between the two. Also, keep in mind that I will be going to law school in a year and I need something that can run all the law school testing programs, etc... Should I go with Vista since SP1 is on the horizon, or go with the tried and true XP? There is only a $20 difference on Newegg for OEM versions, so all of your opinions will be very important to me in making my decision.

Before you shell out money for Windows, try to find out what testing software your law school uses. Mine, for example, uses Exam4 which has a Mac edition. I believe only one law school testing program is Windows only (there are three of them).

If you have to buy Windows, get XP. Most of the testing programs do not run or are not supported on Vista at this time.

[hodgjy]

Are you going to be using it in bootcamp or through virtualization? If Bootcamp, I'd probably go with Vista. If virtualization, I would go with XP because it's less taxing on system resources.

I generally like XP much more than Vista, but I don't demand a whole lot from my Windows environments. Vista has more of a future potential, whereas XP is starting to fade off into the sunset.

[Cyroceon]

Before you shell out money for Windows, try to find out what testing software your law school uses. Mine, for example, uses Exam4 which has a Mac edition. I believe only one law school testing program is Windows only (there are three of them).

If you have to buy Windows, get XP. Most of the testing programs do not run or are not supported on Vista at this time.

But in general, I will need a backup Windows for the MacBook, just in case. I will barely ever use it, but I want to have it. Maybe in a few years, with Mac going more and more mainstream, I won't need Windows anymore. However, until then, I am going to go with one version of Windows.

Are you going to be using it in bootcamp or through virtualization? If Bootcamp, I'd probably go with Vista. If virtualization, I would go with XP because it's less taxing on system resources.

I generally like XP much more than Vista, but I don't demand a whole lot from my Windows environments. Vista has more of a future potential, whereas XP is starting to fade off into the sunset.

I will install it on Boot Camp and virtualize it using VMWare Fusion. By the way, if I get Vista it will be Home Basic, not Premium.

[Techguy172]

Vista is stable as long as you didn't upgrade to it so you should be ok My brother did a clean install because he was having issues and now it works really well for him.

[phairphan]

The answer to your question will depend in large part on which law school you end up attending. For day-to-day tasks, OS X will be fine at most schools. The situation becomes muddied when you talk about exams. Most law schools offer computer-based exams and they use a wide variety of exam software. Whether you can use OS X, XP, or Vista will depend on the software and which features and compatibility options each school has utilized. Given how slowly our law school IT department adopts new technology (and academic IT departments in general), XP may be your safest bet.

Mac Law Students (www.maclawstudents.com) is a good primer on using Macs in law school. In particular, you may want to check out the exam software section: www.maclawstudents.com/blog/law-school-exam-software/

[hodgjy]

Well, if you're going to do bootcamp with linking to virtualization, as much as I like XP over Vista, I still recommend you get Vista. It has more of a future and Microsoft will eventually squash many of the bugs and annoyances. Remember this same type of debate when XP was starting to displace Win2000? Same applies here.

[Cyroceon]

The answer to your question will depend in large part on which law school you end up attending. For day-to-day tasks, OS X will be fine at most schools. The situation becomes muddied when you talk about exams. Most law schools offer computer-based exams and they use a wide variety of exam software. Whether you can use OS X, XP, or Vista will depend on the software and which features and compatibility options each school has utilized. Given how slowly our law school IT department adopts new technology (and academic IT departments in general), XP may be your safest bet.

Mac Law Students (www.maclawstudents.com) is a good primer on using Macs in law school. In particular, you may want to check out the exam software section: www.maclawstudents.com/blog/law-school-exam-software/

I have checked that out, and I found that at most, if not all, law schools an Intel Mac will NOT have any problems with Vista or XP installed.

[heatmiser]

People will still be using XP 3 years from now; many companies often stay one OS behind a release to ensure stability and compatibility. Get XP if you can, Vista if you can't.

[dt1027]

having just graduated from law school i'd go with XP, its easiest/stablest and just works better.

In terms of Exam software, contact your school, I know at some schools, Macs aren't allowed (even using Boot Camp and XP) and even now on the NC Bar, you can't use a Mac, should change one of these days but I know schools are still resisting.

[Cyroceon]

Thank you all for your replies. I aggregated the information and I came up with a decision to go with Vista Home Basic. I think that future stability, compatibility and overall longevity would be best ensured with Microsoft's flagship operating system.

[cohibadad]

Easy answer. Unless there is something specifically you need Vista for (which from your description would be no), choose XP. You will have far fewer compatibility problems. And unless you need 3D speed (ie games), virtualize it with Parallels or VMWare. This question is really a no-brainer.

[Cyroceon]

having just graduated from law school i'd go with XP, its easiest/stablest and just works better.

In terms of Exam software, contact your school, I know at some schools, Macs aren't allowed (even using Boot Camp and XP) and even now on the NC Bar, you can't use a Mac, should change one of these days but I know schools are still resisting.

This is what the FAQ at Examsoft's website, which was pointed to from North Carolina Bar Association's website, says:


CPU = 450 MHz Pentium III or Industry Equivalent
RAM = 256 MB
Drives = 50 MB of free space
Operating System = 32-bit Versions of Windows 2000, XP or Vista
Software = Internet Explorer 6.0 or greater
Internet Access for SofTest Installation, Exam Download and Upload
AOL Users - Version 6.0 or higher required
Screen Resolution must be 1024x768 or higher

Easy answer. Unless there is something specifically you need Vista for (which from your description would be no), choose XP. You will have far fewer compatibility problems. And unless you need 3D speed (ie games), virtualize it with Parallels or VMWare. This question is really a no-brainer.

I'm going to do exactly what your saying, but with Vista Basic.

[amac4me]

Mac OS X arguments aside, go with XP. It's stable, more reliable, and will have less compatibility issues with 3rd-party software.

BTW ... congrats on the decision to buy a Mac. You'll be a switcher soon enough :D

[cohibadad]

Thank you all for your replies. I aggregated the information and I came up with a decision to go with Vista Home Basic. I think that future stability, compatibility and overall longevity would be best ensured with Microsoft's flagship operating system.


I'm going to do exactly what your saying, but with Vista Basic.

LOL. I had to reread everyones comments about 3 times to see how you aggregated them and came up with Vista. You were made for Law School!

[Hankster]

Install XP, it's more stable than Vista and requires less resources.

[andpeo23]

here's an idea...check with the it dept at your school, some schools offer free or heavily discounted software for their students. just a thought.

[Cyroceon]

Ok, you guys convinced me. I will be getting Windows XP Home SP2 OEM version. Thanks alot.

[LiquidSpikes]

I used Vista for about 6 months on my Macbook Pro....

then it ate my partition after some updates...bit locker is crap.

I then had to format and reinstalled vista.

then I got the reboot loop of death with vista SP1

http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/hdw/?p=1701

Vista SP1 isnt going to make things much better... just keep with XP trust me... I wish I did

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=development&articleId=9064239&taxonomyId=11&intsrc=kc_top

and with the release of Windows only 3 years out I am going to try to buy a copy of XP soon so I can skip the rest of vistas glitches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7
http://www.news.com/2100-1016_3-6197943.html

[QCassidy352]

go to a law school (like mine!) that doesn't use that crap exam software! OS X all the way! :D

[stainlessliquid]

Youll be happier with Vista. It has a more pleasant UI which really counts for something. It being more unstable is ridiculous, both are very stable.

It would be nice if people would actually cite useful programs that arent "compatible" with Vista since it sounds an awful lot like FUD to me. I have been using vista since Beta 2 came out and have never seen a single incompatible program. You couldnt pay me to go back to XP.

[Cyroceon]

Youll be happier with Vista. It has a more pleasant UI which really counts for something. It being more unstable is ridiculous, both are very stable.

It would be nice if people would actually cite useful programs that arent "compatible" with Vista since it sounds an awful lot like FUD to me. I have been using vista since Beta 2 came out and have never seen a single incompatible program. You couldnt pay me to go back to XP.

Yea, but they, and a few others I've spoken to have good points. XP will be around for a long time, and it is probably my best option. I already bought XP on Newegg just a few minutes ago.

[clevin]

Talk about the future, and suggest an 8 years old OS? please, easy answer: Vista

resource hog? how? Vista need just as much of memory a Leopard, your MB runs leopard fine, and your MB runs vista fine.

Less stable? how?

Not to mention the security measures in Vista, windows search, DX10 (probably useless with a MB tho, lol), much improved UI and eye candy.

[Cyroceon]

Talk about the future, and suggest an 8 years old OS? please, easy answer: Vista

resource hog? how? Vista need just as much of memory a Leopard, your MB runs leopard fine, and your MB runs vista fine.

Less stable? how?

Not to mention the security measures in Vista, windows search, DX10 (probably useless with a MB tho, lol), much improved UI and eye candy.

Again, I've already picked up XP from Newegg a little while ago. However, in response to your comment, I don't think you are taking my needs into consideration. Like others have said, for some law school exam programs and other ambiguous items, I would rather have the 8 year old, tried and true OS. Thanks though.

[protozoa]

Lots of people talk smack about Vista, but I sort of like it. Three of the seven PC laptops in my family run Vista (although both of the ones I regularly use are XP). From the little I've played around with Vista, it's definitely a better looking OS [here is where people usually chime in and say "that's because M$ was trying to copy ideas from the Mac].

I admit that I'd be sort of torn on what to get if I were buying a new PC right now. On one hand, I'm comfortable with XP (particularly since it pretty much reminds me of all the Windows versions that have come before it). A second reason is that XP would offer a distinctly different OS environment than what you were running on the Mac.

On the other hand, why buy the old stuff when something newer is out there? You're just hastening the day when you will really be out-dated, and have issues finding tech support if you need it. Who wants to be the guy in the internet cafe running Windows that's three generations old? :D

[cohibadad]

Not to mention the security measures in Vista

cancel or allow gets old fast but the most annoying part is the whole screen dimming and forcing you to choose before it allows you to use your system again. Bad design. Turn off UAC and security = XP, leave it on and get used to the dimmer. Cancel or allow? Cancel.

[brop52]

File sharing for windows is terrible. I just spent all night doing it, bricked my router, and I realized you can't share your iTunes music because it's in your documents and settings folder which you can't share no matter what you do.

As for XP vs. Vista. I do think compatibility is an issue, but I do like the look of vista over XP. Of course it hogs resources, but just make sure you have the RAM to supply it.

And yes turning off the cancel/allow is simple.

[heatmiser]

The guy has already bought an XP cd, so it's all gravy from here.