Posted on 10/04/2009 5:41:20 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 7 computer operating system hopes to pull off a major trick with memory.
Not computer memory, but ours.
It's supposed to make us forget Vista.
The Vista operating system, which Windows 7 will officially replace later this month, had a terrible reputation almost from the time it debuted in 2007.
Because of Vista's technical foibles, sluggish operation and inability to play nicely with some other programs, consumers and professionals shunned it in droves, refusing to update from Microsoft's old, reliable XP operating system.
Apple Inc. made fun of Vista in a set of hilarious TV commercials, and Microsoft struck back meekly with ads that proclaimed Vista wasn't as bad as you thought.
The Windows 7 upgrade, which will sell for $119 for the Home Premium consumer version, is a chance at redemption. But it's also a campaign to head off the first real competition Windows has ever had in the PC field.
Next year, Web giant Google Inc. will introduce its first operating system, Chrome OS. Because it will be a so-called cloud computing system -- with many of its operations living on the Internet -- it's already hyped to be extremely fast, with the ability to constantly evolve.
Like Windows, Chrome OS will work on PCs. But unlike Windows, it will be free.
At first, Chrome OS will be just for the small laptops known as netbooks. But if it is successful and is expanded to full-size laptops and desktop computers, it could be a formidable challenger.
Which is perhaps why, although there is nothing revolutionary about Windows 7, Microsoft has striven mightily -- and in some ways successfully -- to at least catch up with and foresee the competition when it comes to user friendliness.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
W2k works for most stuff, XP for slightly more.
Is there a specific date yet or just later in the month?
Key tasks? How retarded.
Seems they ought to just plain give it away. Charging the poor vista customers to get away from vista?
c’mon.
ms is making a good product w/ 7 but has made so many enemies it will be tough to actually compete - if that day ever comes.
jmho
I’ve been holding off an purchasing a new laptop until factory installed Win 7 is out there. Looks like that was a good strategy.
Given the economy there should be some screaming deals for Christmas.
Think I heard October 22
Evidently, Microsoft has decided to follow the 3 Stooges’ advice, “If at first you don’t succeed, keep on sucking ‘til you do succeed.
Odd numbered Windows have always been better that even numbered Windows.
I know, that’s like saying, Carter will always be a better President than 0bama.
I dn’t think mine came with an upgrade to Win 7
That's as bad as cable television companies charging people to watch their commercials that are already paid for...A sucker born every minute.
I don't care. My work is done on my desk on my system by my hardware, right here. I don't use online backup services either. HDs are cheap, and I have Terabytes of them. I still consult with other peoples' IP under Secrecy Nondiscosure agreements. I just don't dare.
I could be wrong, but there are some intuitive warning bells that go off for me. It's a peace of mind thing.
Besides, it's Google. I do not want to be watched by a bunch of Obama fans and enablers.
Bought a new computer a few months back. Will get a free upgrade to 7 from Vista. Vista is ok.....But I get blue screens every once in a while. Never had them with XP.
I agree with ya. Google has some good stuff but they are all about monitoring you and selling that info.
Win 7 still looks like vista, and the fact that win7/vista bury so many things I want to get to behind overly helpful wizards and other things, just annoys the Hell out of me.
Windows is just plain becoming a PIA to deal with AfAIC.
And RE-booting.
I still have nightmares about DOS 4.0.... the LAST Microsoft product I ever bought without a year on the shelf.
Will I have a Vista laptop that I require to support them until Vista completely dies? Yes.
Will I use it primarily for propping doors open or keeping the lid down on an exceptionally active homebrew? I'm fairly sure.
That's the most useless $500 I ever spent, and it was on a factory refurb. I've supported 3 customers with it since Vista came out.
I used to use it to watch DVDs until the catz blew out the external audio port (don't ask, 9% humidity sucks for laptops, catz don't help).
/johnny
Because of the many Problems with Vista and XP I am now a Powerbook user
Microsoft needs to stop writing code and Congress needs to stop writing bills.
I currently have an HP notebook PC, windows vista, AMD turionx2, and NVIDIA GeForce GO 8200M graphics.
No problems so far. I was forced to buy it about a year ago when my previous laptop fried. Overheated CPU I think.
I think I will be buying a new one in about 6 months. Just to be safe. I don’t want to get stuck with a fried laptop ever again and forced to buy another without time to shop around. I tend to be hard on them since I use them in un airconditioned and dusty places at times.
What am I doing wrong? (or right?) never had trouble with Vista. I guess I got the super-secret insider version.
Most beta users including myself are very pleased with Windows 7.
My son is a linux wiz kid. As long as he loves me I’ll keep using it. All kidding aside I installed it myself (it was very quick and easy”. My printer,scanner,camera,external sound card,usb phone card,mouse, in other words all my hardware,old and new,was actual plug and play.It cruises the internet great. I have a virtual box installed within ubuntu to run a few windows programs with. It has been installed for a year without a sign of corruption or slowing.
We need a "Bill Tax" on congresscritters. $1/word, paid by the congresscritter from his own pocket, nondeductible. / s
Let me officially say: OY VEH!
Hugging my Penguin.
"blue screens" What's that?
(Back in the 80's I worked on real time embedded controllers. Even written in partial spaghetti assembly code, our only reboots were due to EMI-hardware issues that were eventually overcome.)
I did a brief consult with a potential customer to help with an Asterisk appliance, and the network was hosed. I whipped out my venerable (ancient) CentOS laptop and figured out his network for him. No way I could have done that on a Windoze boxen. I had 7 or 8 shell windows open running scripts on an old boxen that wouldn't support XP. But it does what I need, when I put on the network hat. All of my personal laptops have a version of Linux on them.
/johnny
Mac
It is great as long as you stick with Leopard. I am running 10.5.8 and it is very stable. I tried Snow Leopard and got kernel panics, so after a week of that, I reverted the system back to 10.5.8. I’ll upgrade to Snow Leopard when they come out with 10.6.2 and upgrade the kernel beyond 10.0.0.
“W2k works for most stuff, XP for slightly more.”
That’s the issue... what ELSE do you want an OS to do for you?
Microsoft hasn’t had a new innovative idea for at least a decade (some would say “ever”). Now they face serious competition for their office suite, server suite, and O/S markets from “free” alternatives. So, if you’re gonna change, why spend serious money for something that you don’t really like, and causes your computer to run slower?
Cuz it's purty.
I guess you don't run layer-2 network utilities or change network connections 50 or 70 times a day. Or need access to bare-metal kind of registers or things. How's that IP-v6 working out for you?
Which is ok. Machines for users don't need the functionality that I require.
Windoze of any version has never been my cup of tea, but I do support customers that use windoze, so I have to have a windoze box, in each major flavor that shows up. They don't get much use.
/johnny
But is it better than XP?
“I still have nightmares about DOS 4.0.... the LAST Microsoft product I ever bought without a year on the shelf.”
Microsoft Bob
Windows ME
Any version of Windows before 3.1
And yes, many techs have been fired for selling rumored future Microsoft products to management, only to find out that they were never released, or if released they don’t have many of the features, or if they do have the features then they don’t work. Server 2000 Active Directory, anyone? When is NT 5 supposed to come out again? Rip out Novell eDir in favor of a much slower early edition of Active Directory, or GroupWise in favor of Exchange that promptly got hacked?
I haven’t tried the snowleopard yet. I am happy with what I have and what I bought my wife.
I got her a Macbook and I only have to answer questions like: How do I do a screen capture?
With her old Toshiba laptop with Vista, I had to do so much tech support, getting rid of the thing was worth it.
I have it on three machines, including a netbook that could never run Vista.
It's been pretty near perfect. No BSOD, plays well with other programs and drivers, thrifty with resources and pretty fast.
My kids have just ordered it for $30 and get Window 7 Pro because of their .edu email addresses. Microsoft is targeting students in an effort to avoid loosing people to Apple and the new Snow Leopard pgm. I can buy licenses for my three machines with the $150 Family Pack deal.
I think Microsoft has a winning product here and that people are going to love it.
I like SUSE Linux w/KDE (10.2 64 bit.) The only problem I’ve had is with some Windows games, everything else has been fantastic. Linuxiso.org is a great place to DL live evals or the installs. Its never crashed, had a virus or failed in any way for me. To be fair its on a dual boot pc with 32 bit XP that’s worked great too except for a virus or two. Both have been running for about a year.
Never made it to Vista.
Apple products are great but expensive.
I use Freenx for remote desktop to my Linux systems at the office. Few people understand the true potential of the NX technology - I believe it could shake the technology world.
Expensive once.
Like a wise man once told me:
Yeah, a cheap tool is the most expensive thing you can buy.
That’s because Vista is shit. Never had more blue screens in 15 years until “Fixit”.
aaaaaanddd..... memory dump
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