Windows 7 Beta released....

[Tango]

I remember when everyone was ripping on XP when it came out. Pretty much the same remarks I heard back then.

[sluggish]

Windoz ME was a steaming pile of feces compared to 98 (resource hog too).  XP fixed a lot of the issues.  Yes, very familiar goings on...

[Elfie]

Windoz ME was a steaming pile of feces compared to 98 (resource hog too).  XP fixed a lot of the issues.  Yes, very familiar goings on...

I had Windows ME on a computer for a week, non-stop system crashes. Went back to 98SE and didn't upgrade again until XP.

[Skuzzy]

I remember when everyone was ripping on XP when it came out. Pretty much the same remarks I heard back then.

That's because when XP was released there were still over 60,000 documented bugs (according to Microsoft).  Windows XP brought much needed improvements in memory management and file system support.  Those alone were worth the upgrade.

Vista brings squat to the table.  Unless you count all the DRM in it.  Maybe the lack of DirectSound is a plus to you?  Maybe the compatibility problems is a plus to you?  Maybe you like being nannied to death?  I could on and on.  And maybe all those companies, who write applications for Windows, are moving from the "Program Files" folder for giggles and grins?

There is absolutely nothing added to Vista Microsoft could not have added to XP, except for all the DRM garbage.  The memory manager in Vista is ripped right from XP.  It even has the same bugs in it.

This is all about marketing so you will feel all warm and fuzzy when you hand over your cash to them.  Windows 7 is nothing more than another service pack added to Vista.  A fresh coat of paint to make you feel like you are getting something wonderful.  If that is all it takes to make you happy, then good for you.

I am a little more demanding than that.

[Angus]

I have a computer I bought in 2000, still running on WinME, and has not yet been formatted!
However, XPpro is by far my favourite, and the only thing I hear of Vista is horror stories.
Now this all smells of moneygrabbing. New paint over something (if anything) inferior to old stuff. Am I right that WinXP is being phased out with all this, or will it carry on being available and updateable?

[soda72]

I would hate to be a OS software engineer for microsoft.  There hasn't been anything really new that the average computer user will need that XP doesn't already provide.  Can anyone really name one thing that would make it worth it shelling out $300.00 to $500.00 on a new OS?
 

[sluggish]

I would hate to be a OS software engineer for microsoft.  There hasn't been anything really new that the average computer user will need that XP doesn't already provide.  Can anyone really name one thing that would make it worth it shelling out $300.00 to $500.00 on a new OS?
 

Make it less intrusive and less resource intense.  Let it just be an OS and not a mandatory application and I'm in.  It seems MS has forgotten what an OS is and with each subsequent release gets further and further away from what an ideal OS should be.

[Simaril]

Unfortunately, that's more of an open source philosophy than a business model.

Microsoft sells software, and if they make a clean simple OS without bells and whistles then there'll be no reason for established customers to buy more product. It'd be the best thing for customers, but the bean counters and managers need to show continued sales growth to justify their existence. With the market for PCs saturating, new OEM sales aren't really a growth category anymore.

Add to that the reality of Microsoft's effectively having a monopoly on OS -- and its hard to see the evil empire doing anything else. They call it new features, but in reality its an excuse to force customers to buy their OS over and over.

[bozon]

Perhaps Vista/7 is an OK OS. What I do know is that Ubuntu linux can run on a system below microsofts minimum specs with all the graphic whistles and bells and ubuntu is not even the hard-core super-tweaked version of linux. It looks absolutely stunning and smooth on my laps tops that have no graphic cards in them (the standard intel onboard adapter). If this can be done with an free open source project, I can't see why microsoft can do it with a commercial product.

I find that ubuntu is excellent for everything except games. It may have some hardware compatibility issues with some hardware. If it held 90+% of the market I am sure somehow all hardware manufacturer would have the drivers for it and actually adjust their product to work with the software and not the other way around. Give windows the finger and work with linux.

I am so happy I didn't pay for my windos (xp... dual boot). My employer installed it for me. The only use for it is... games. Ubuntu handles all the work

[Nilsen]

Make it less intrusive and less resource intense.  Let it just be an OS and not a mandatory application and I'm in.  It seems MS has forgotten what an OS is and with each subsequent release gets further and further away from what an ideal OS should be.

Well from my few days of testing win7 that is what has happened. It runs faster on my old lappy than Vista did (even feels abit more snappy than XP) and its less bloated with all kinds of crapware than Vista is. Yes it still has a way to go before its really snappy on older machines but whatever anyone sais... its a step in the right direction versus Vista.