[Luna] Vista requirements

[Patrick Fleming, EA]

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Andrew Roazen wrote:


> There's been a lot of FUD about Vista's requirements. AFAIK it will run
> in 512Mb RAM, albeit not optimally. As a guy with a 256Mb laptop running
> Ubuntu/XP, 1Gb ought to be a base requirement for most new computers
> until such time as code optimization actually matters to runtime
> developers. Memory is cheap.

I don't know about FUD. MS states that you can run Vista on 512mb RAM
with a 800mhz processor. But with that you have essentially "ugly XP"

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

    * 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
    * 1 GB of system memory.
    * Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of
graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
    * 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
    * DVD-ROM Drive3.
    * Audio output capability.
    * Internet access capability.

So to me that means you will have to have at least those minimums to run
it "properly". A new basic computer these days will almost support that
with the exception of the video card (from what I've seen).

> 
> More importantly, 1Gb is mandatory for frameworks like Xen, and if the
> hype's to be believed, Xen is going to be a pretty big deal in both the
> MS/GNU worlds over the next few years.

If what you are talking about is http://www.xensource.com/ it looks to
me like a server product, although many a developer and everyday geek
will install it. And the minimums for Xen look to be 1.5Ghz cpu 1g RAM,
with 2g the recommendation.

I would think that Scott's approach is to look to the needs of the
spreadsheet jockey/administrative assistant/office grunt to see that a
1Ghz machine means lots of landfill. Especially when you consider that
many would have bought bottom end machines to run XP or even 2k on.
These machines are now obsolete for upgrade purposes but are perfect for
today's *nix installs, for dumb terminals or even to run as servers
depending upon load and applications.

>The major issue down
> the road is how successfully MS will be able to get people to abandon
> Vista once its replacement is ready: their track record on this is
> pretty awful compared to personal/business *nix users (OS X included).
> In the case of Apple, this is helped strongly by the amount of software
> (commercial and FOSS) which doesn't support OSes more than one release
> behind current if even that.
> 


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