Posted 07/18/2009 at 10:05:48am

Normally I do not comment on the internet . . . but every once in a while I'm compelled to.  Usually it is because I have read something so crazy or just plain false it bears correction.  Like when a tech writer of Maximum PC doesn't understand the most basic underpinnings of Vista.  Now before I write one more word, I am in no means sticking up for Vista.  It is a turd, just like pre SP2 XP (anyone remember the complaints people had in '03?).  The authore wrote "a memory hog like Vista."  That is a MYTH.  It comes from when users look at Task Manager and see half of their memory being used.  Their knee jerk reaction is "since I don't have any apps open, Vista is using all of memory!  Vista Sucks!"  Again, False Thinking!  Tech writers should know that Vista uses free memory to cache or "preload" data it will likely use in the future . . . . resulting in a faster experience in many cases.  Check out the task manager yourself.  Mine says: cached - 943, kernel - 250.  Half of my memory is being utilized, but only 250 k is being used for the kernel.  Vista is using the memory for superfetch.  The thinking behind this is - you paid for the memory, so use it to make things load faster.