The Vista Experience

Okay, so I finally bit the bullet and upgraded my PC to Windows Vista this last week. No, I didn't mistype there as I consider it an upgrade from XP. I really have to laugh when I hear the criticism about Vista. Sure, there might be a few compatibility issues with some very specific hardware or some backwards compatibility issues with older software, but those type of issues are always there when upgrading to a newer version of an operating system. The funniest thing about the criticism about Vista is I usually hear it from people who have no clue what they're talking about. They aren't IT professionals or even people who have upgraded themselves to Vista. The criticism is usually from people who read something somewhere on the internet and decided to pass it on, usually from a misinformed or biased source.

Getting your PC & Windows information from Apple is like going to Toyota and asking them if they think buying a Dodge truck is a good idea. Of course they'll tell you their product is better. A lot of people don't quite understand that upgrading your operating system is only a good idea if you're also upgrading your hardware too. Microsoft designs their operating systems to work on certain hardware specifications. Running an OS on lower grade hardware will only result in a lower grade experience.

Windows 98 was designed to run on a 66 MHz processor with 16MB memory. Windows XP was designed to run on a 300 MHz processor with 128 MB memory. Vista's minimum requirements are a 1.5 GHz processor and 256 MB memory. Again, those are minimum specifications. In my experience, any operating system needs at least 4 times the minimum specs to get a good experience out of it. When I ran Windows XP I had at least 1 GB of memory, 8 times the minimum requirements and I never had performance problems with it. I've seen some people try to run XP on the minimum specs before...it's not a pretty sight. The main reason I held off upgrading to Vista was I wanted to have my computer upgraded to the levels where I could be sure performance wouldn't suffer. Too many people out there think Vista isn't good because they try to run it on the same hardware they ran XP on. That's just not a good idea. Some people don't like Vista because they need to upgrade their hardware just to be able to install it. To use the latest and greatest operating system you're going to need the latest and greatest hardware. That's just a fact about software. If you're okay with old hardware, then stick with an older operating system. But if you're going to insist on upgrading to the newest operating system, don't whine because you need to upgrade some parts to be able to run it (CPU, memory, video card, etc.).

Now that I've had Vista for a week or so, I have it configured the way I want it. I've got my User Access Control (UAC) configured the way I like it. I've got my software installed. All the applications I used on XP installed just fine on Vista. The only issue I had was with Nero (DVD & CD burning software). I had to get the newest version of it because the version I had was written before Vista existed and hadn't been designed for it. That wasn't such a big deal. All my hardware works fine with no incompatibility issues whatsoever.

Sure there are different choices out there when choosing an operating system for your new computer. People need to stop listening to advertising campaigns and go with what they need and what suits them. I chose Microsoft's operating system because
a) I like to play PC games (there just isn't a market out there for non-Windows games)
b) I write software for Windows based PC's.
c) I'm already familiar with how Windows works and am comfortable with it.
If all I did was browse the internet, check my email, and use a word processing program then almost any operating system out there would suit my needs. Computers have been able to do that basic functionality for the last ten years, so any old PC would work.

My main reasons against using a Linux based computer is the learning curve associated with Linux. Yeah, I've used Linux machines before and I could probably handle the switch okay, but I don't think my wife would enjoy switching over. As for using an Apple product, I just can't justify having to buy an entire new system every time I wanted to upgrade my computer. This last upgrade I just had to upgrade my CPU, memory and video card -- that's it. With Apple, if you want to upgrade your operating system you're going to basically just have to junk your current system and buy a whole new one from them. That's another thing I can't stand with Apple, is that they are the makers of both the hardware and the software. With a PC, Microsoft makes my operating system, but has no say in what hardware I use. Apple doesn't want you using 3rd party hardware to run their software. They basically want a monopoly on your computing experience.

Overall though I'm very pleased with Vista. The interface works superbly. For anyone who is already familiar with Microsoft operating systems, you're going to love Vista (provided you have the right hardware). The sidebar is very handy to have. If you have never used a PC before and are looking at getting your first one ever, then look at what you're going to do with it and decide on that. Just ignore the TV ads when trying to decide. No matter who puts them out, they tend to be very biased (that's the point, isn't it?).

And on a final note, I had to laugh when I saw Microsoft's new advertising campaign for their new operating system that launches July 29th. Essentially, they showed people who had previously bought into the Apple 'Get a Mac' ads (entertaining, but mostly flat out lies about PC's) the new operating system and then asked them what they thought of it. The people loved it. Then the Microsoft guys told them it was actually Vista. Funny, eh?

Why I hate hurricanes

Sure, I guess hurricanes aren't the most lovable of things, but I really hate them for reasons that are mine and mine alone. It isn't the strong wind, pounding rain or massive destruction they cause. No, it isn't that. I've been through stuff like that. Growing up on a tropical island I've had my fair share of tropical storms and typhoons. We even lost a Thanksgiving turkey one year due to the power getting knocked out by Storm Zelda (Yes, that is the coolest name for a tropical cyclone ever).

No, the reason I hate hurricanes is a purely selfish reason. As you probably noticed in this earlier post, my Xbox 360 died and had to be sent in to Microsoft for repairs. Microsoft, in their all-knowing wisdom, decided that their repair facility would be in southern Texas, right in the path of most hurricanes that develop in the Gulf of Mexico. So, this last week I mailed my Xbox 360 off to Microsoft and got this in the UPS tracking notes.

ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS / THE MOVEMENT OF THE PACKAGE WILL RESUME AS SOON AS THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ALLOW

So, that is my main reason for hating hurricanes, especially Hurricane Dolly.

Mere

As it turns out, one of my friends actually went and got famous. My friend Kyle plays bass guitar for a band Mere. Recently they were selected to be part of the official Team USA Olympic Soundtrack. So, just to reassure everyone that I'm not, as Kyle puts it, "a communist who hates Team USA" I've included the support pic on my blog for the time being.

Red Ring of Death

That phrase has come to mean the inevitable death of an Xbox 360 console. It seems Microsoft went cheap in trying to get the initial release of consoles on the market, and in doing so, sacrificed quality on some key parts. It's almost inevitable that if you own an Xbox 360 that this will eventually happen to you. At least I have the hope that Microsoft extended their warranty on consoles presenting the Red Ring of Death error and that I will get mine fixed at no cost. It just means I'll be without my 360 for at least two weeks.

Maybe I'll cut that short and go out and purchase a second 360 while waiting for the first one to get repaired. We can put the second one in our bedroom with a wireless network adapter and then use it as a video playing machine (I've backed up tons of DVD videos to our PC).

What's Your FPS Strategy?

In a first person shooter (FPS) video game, there are many playing styles favored by different people. Whatever style you choose to play with has its advantages and disadvantages. But all styles come down to two basic strategies, offense and defense. For offense you want to maximize your capabilities and for defense you want to minimize your vulnerabilities.

Run & Gun - This type of player usually favors rapid fire, highly effective weapons, maximizing their offensive capabilities. Not much is used for defense here, except the element of surprise. This type of player likes to spend their game constantly moving, relying on their quick reaction time to dominate any encounter they may face when running around a corner or into a room. For those players with great reflexes this can be a very effective style of play.

Stealth - This type of player favors silent weapons when available. They prefer not just to surprise their opponents, but to overcome them before they even know they've been attacked. This player uses as much defensive capability as possible to remain hidden and undetected. Many games offer this type of player the ability to mask themselves from opponents' detection using camouflage or radar jamming.

Sniper - This type of player prefers the long range encounter. This may be due to exceptional prowess with long range weapons or just because they like a slower paced game. This style of play also makes it very important to remain undetected, not by stealth, but by distance. This type of player can be easily overwhelmed by a 'Run & Gun' player if encountered in close quarters.

Camping - This type of player needs teamwork to be effective. In a FPS game, the matches are on a closed area. There is only so much space to work with. With all the obstacles on a game map, there arises natural choke points--common areas that players come through. This type of player prefers to find those locations and let their prey come to them. Camping doesn't require any specific type of weapon to be effective. You can camp with long, medium, or close range weapons, they all work. But this playing style does have the significant disadvantage of being very predictable. Once a camper is recognized, using longer range or explosive weapons should easily remove them from their campsite.

In my opinion, these are the four basic styles of game play exhibited by all gamers in one form or another. Some players prefer to use one style of play for an entire match, while others like to switch it around depending on their situation. No single playing style is better or worse than another. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. The key is recognizing what style your opponent is using and what best to counter with.

My FPS Gaming Style

Back when I was in high school I went to a basketball camp at a major university. The coach there made a statement that has stuck with me to this day. He said "I'll tell you the secret to winning every game you ever play in, against any team. Just score one more point than your opponent." That's it. That's all it takes. Sure, the coach was talking more about free throws than anything else, but that motto can be applied to any type of competition where score is kept, including video games.

My preferred style of gameplay, when I'm with the right teammates, is camping. Camping takes advantage of that simple strategy the coach laid out so long ago -- just score one more point than the other team. Almost every game nowadays has a time limit attached to it. There's nothing requiring me to reach the maximum kill limit in a game. I just have to have one more point than my opponents when time expires. When we have a good team that can communicate well, camping works best, especially when our opponents (almost always) fail to recognize that we are camping and don't use a different strategy to counter ours. All too often we find ourselves sitting in front of a doorway that our opponents repeatedly feel they need to run through, dying on our bullets over and over again.