Spring Break
Windows Vista: Worth the cost?
LTS says upgrade not crucial, wait until buying new computer
Rob Weber
Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: Money/Health
Deciding to upgrade their personal computer could be a major financial choice for college students.
With the recent release of Windows Vista and Office 2007, students may be wondering if they need to upgrade their systems to stay compatible with what UW-Eau Claire will be migrating toward in the future.
Chip Eckardt, Chief Information Officer and Manager of Desktop Computing at the Learning and Technology Services center, answered concerns about the university's plans regarding Vista and Office 2007. He offered some helpful advice for students contemplating an upgrade to these new products.
"Basically, there is no one good reason to upgrade to Vista," Eckardt said, "but rather 200 little reasons."
Eckardt said Windows Vista, the first new desktop operating system from Microsoft since Windows XP, will most likely not be on campus en masse until spring 2008. Eckardt said Office 2007, however, will replace Office 2003 on campus computers as early as this summer.
Students purchasing new computers will most likely be getting a system bundled with Windows Vista, but Eckardt said unless a new computer system is needed, there is no reason to go out and purchase an upgrade.
According to Microsoft's Web site, since Vista is targeted for the new PC market, computers two or more years old may have problems meeting its minimum requirements.
Vista's features include advanced security and a more organized desktop and "start" menu system. The Microsoft Windows Web site includes several overviews of how Vista is different from previous versions of Windows and how to access the new features.
Freshman Lindsay Olson has already used Vista on demo computers at Best Buy and said she is pleased with the new features.
Among Olson's favorite features are the clean, new look of the interface and the ease with which music and videos can be organized.
"Still, there are more important things - such as tuition - to spend my money on right now," she said.
Students continuing to use Windows XP need not worry, however, since even after the 2008 campus-wide Vista upgrade, Eckardt said campus computing will continue to support XP for a least a year or more.
Along with a new version of Windows, Microsoft has also released a new line of Microsoft Office products. These include familiar programs, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Transferring documents created in different versions of Microsoft Office is supported, however.
Eckardt said there are already free, downloadable translators available that allow documents created in Office 2007 to be opened in Office 2003. He added that Office 2003 users would be prompted to install the translator if they attempt to open an Office 2007 document.
Office 2007 can also open and save to the Office 2003 format. This means students writing reports or making PowerPoint presentations on campus computers can safely open these same documents on their home PCs, whether they are using Office 2003 or 2007.
Macintosh users can also get a new version of Office, but it will not be released until later in 2007, Eckardt said.
With efforts by Microsoft and Eau Claire to make sure previous versions of Windows and Office can interact with each other, there is no definitive reason at this point to spend money on an upgrade if it is not necessary.
Senior Andrew Sazama considered upgrading his computer when Vista and Office 2007 came out in January. After hearing of Eau Claire's plans regarding the new operating system and of the ability to move files between the two versions, he decided against it.
"If I can just download patches to open Office 2007 documents in Office 2003," Sazama said, "I'm not going to spend money upgrading my computer."
For more information about Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, go to www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/default.mspx
With the recent release of Windows Vista and Office 2007, students may be wondering if they need to upgrade their systems to stay compatible with what UW-Eau Claire will be migrating toward in the future.
Chip Eckardt, Chief Information Officer and Manager of Desktop Computing at the Learning and Technology Services center, answered concerns about the university's plans regarding Vista and Office 2007. He offered some helpful advice for students contemplating an upgrade to these new products.
"Basically, there is no one good reason to upgrade to Vista," Eckardt said, "but rather 200 little reasons."
Eckardt said Windows Vista, the first new desktop operating system from Microsoft since Windows XP, will most likely not be on campus en masse until spring 2008. Eckardt said Office 2007, however, will replace Office 2003 on campus computers as early as this summer.
Students purchasing new computers will most likely be getting a system bundled with Windows Vista, but Eckardt said unless a new computer system is needed, there is no reason to go out and purchase an upgrade.
According to Microsoft's Web site, since Vista is targeted for the new PC market, computers two or more years old may have problems meeting its minimum requirements.
Vista's features include advanced security and a more organized desktop and "start" menu system. The Microsoft Windows Web site includes several overviews of how Vista is different from previous versions of Windows and how to access the new features.
Freshman Lindsay Olson has already used Vista on demo computers at Best Buy and said she is pleased with the new features.
Among Olson's favorite features are the clean, new look of the interface and the ease with which music and videos can be organized.
"Still, there are more important things - such as tuition - to spend my money on right now," she said.
Students continuing to use Windows XP need not worry, however, since even after the 2008 campus-wide Vista upgrade, Eckardt said campus computing will continue to support XP for a least a year or more.
Along with a new version of Windows, Microsoft has also released a new line of Microsoft Office products. These include familiar programs, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Transferring documents created in different versions of Microsoft Office is supported, however.
Eckardt said there are already free, downloadable translators available that allow documents created in Office 2007 to be opened in Office 2003. He added that Office 2003 users would be prompted to install the translator if they attempt to open an Office 2007 document.
Office 2007 can also open and save to the Office 2003 format. This means students writing reports or making PowerPoint presentations on campus computers can safely open these same documents on their home PCs, whether they are using Office 2003 or 2007.
Macintosh users can also get a new version of Office, but it will not be released until later in 2007, Eckardt said.
With efforts by Microsoft and Eau Claire to make sure previous versions of Windows and Office can interact with each other, there is no definitive reason at this point to spend money on an upgrade if it is not necessary.
Senior Andrew Sazama considered upgrading his computer when Vista and Office 2007 came out in January. After hearing of Eau Claire's plans regarding the new operating system and of the ability to move files between the two versions, he decided against it.
"If I can just download patches to open Office 2007 documents in Office 2003," Sazama said, "I'm not going to spend money upgrading my computer."
For more information about Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, go to www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/default.mspx
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