As with all Windows operating systems, there comes that dreaded time when everything just seems to slowdown to a painful grinding halt. Windows Vista is not immune from this problem and people are already seeking answers in the form of tweakers and tune-up utilities that make it faster.
However, is it simply easier just to ditch Vista altogether and switch to Windows Server 2008? Many users are already praising Server 2008’s lack of bloated features and unnecessary components that slow it down but without losing the flashy graphics that make Vista look good. One such satisfied customer is Yamanb on Lifehacker who sums up it well saying:
Essentially, Server 2008 is what Vista should have been. It basically comes stripped down and you have to configure/add individual features such as Wireless Networking, Desktop Experience (Vista/Themes). I realize at the price of a server OS, this isn’t for everyone but so far my experience has been great.
As he points out, it’s certainly not a cheap option going up to $3,000 depending on which version you choose but if your company is paying for it, then you won’t be worried about that. Like Vista, Windows Server 2008 (known during its development as “Windows Server Longhorn”) is built on top of the Windows NT 6.0 kernel so you get all the advantages of Windows Vista without worrying about all the problems it suffers. Since the code base is common, it automatically comes with most of the technical, security, management and administrative features new to Windows Vista.
However, the major downside of Windows Server 2008 for those hoping for simply a “better” version of Vista, is that it doesn’t feature Aero which gives the latter its flashy transparency and 3D features. But if you can handle this lack of glitz, the upside is that Windows Server 2008 performs considerably quicker than Vista according to some users such as those at the Exo blog:
We were expecting to find little or no performance delta between the two platforms. So we were understandably surprised when repeated test runs showed Windows Server 2008 outperforming Windows Vista w/SP1 by a margin of 11-17%.
It might be an expensive option but if the boss is paying, and you can do without the bells and whistles, Windows Server 2008 may well be the answer you are looking for the banish those Vista slowdown blues.
Or you could just stick with XP and wait for Windows 7.
