Windows 7

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Please, tell me what Earth shattering thing I am missing.  I have Vista on a test machine at the office and it is an abomination.  It does not do anything better than XP, but it does do many things worse.

Unfortunately hardware and software developers are already dropping XP support in many places which means you either upgrade to Vista/7 or stop using windows with new hardware due to lack of drivers.

Latest nvidia 3d glasses for example have only Vista support and this will only be a growing trend. This sucks because degrading support will be the only reason why XP should cease to be an option in the future.

[Masherbrum]

What is y9u'll?????

It's more intelligent than any single post that you've ever generated.  <no gay smilie needed>

[Fulmar]

Please, tell me what Earth shattering thing I am missing.

Don't you watch the commercials?  I can log on and set out how much time my offspring is on Myspace.  And it's pretty.  And, other stuff.

[Skuzzy]

Unfortunately hardware and software developers are already dropping XP support in many places which means you either upgrade to Vista/7 or stop using windows with new hardware due to lack of drivers.

Latest nvidia 3d glasses for example have only Vista support and this will only be a growing trend. This sucks because degrading support will be the only reason why XP should cease to be an option in the future.

That is a vaild concern.  Fortunately, I have not run into any hardware that is not also supported under XP and I just built a brand new computer.

It is just a shame Microsoft has not come up with a valid replacement OS to warrant it.  Personally, I have no issue with dropping Microsoft for my home computer systems(s).  I do mostly videographer things at home, and Linux is very well supported in that area.  Then again, come the day I have to wrorry about it, I hope to be retired.

I feel for those who are going to be stuck with such a sham of an operating system.  It is a Microsoft world and no matter how much they screw up, they will eventually get away with it.  Nice position to be in, for them.

[Getback]

I believe this will all backfire on MS at some point. I would love a system that can read all my memory and more. I don't understand why an OS should dominate the computer when in fact it is there to only perform basic functions. XP will be on my machine for the foreseeable future.

[Skuzzy]

Simple really.  There are people using computers today who have no idea what an operating system is.  They look at it like it is an application and expect, if not demand, everything be bundled up with it so they never have to buy another piece of software.

Those of us who have been fortunate to know the difference between system programming and application programming get frustrated at the whole attitude.  But hey, there are the same people who would spend hours using their phone to surf the Internet, rather than a computer.  Streaming Netflix to their phone thinking it is the best thing since sliced bread.  They actually brag about it like it is a good thing.

It is the next generation of computer users who really do not want to use a computer.  They want the computer to be their nanny.  They want it all preconfigured and all within a mouse click away.  They need it to be configured to protect itself from them so they cannot make an error.  They do not understand what bloatware is and they do not care about it.  They fully believe the more CPU's they have the more the machine can do at once, without any performance penalty.  They think 100 processes running in the background is not bad as long as they are all running where they cannot see them.  After all, if you cannot see it, it must not be bad.

Microsoft has delivered them an operating system that fits right up thier alley while completely ignoring the user who is actually competent to use a computer.

[BaldEagl]

Unfortunately hardware and software developers are already dropping XP support in many places which means you either upgrade to Vista/7 or stop using windows with new hardware due to lack of drivers.

Latest nvidia 3d glasses for example have only Vista support and this will only be a growing trend. This sucks because degrading support will be the only reason why XP should cease to be an option in the future.

Tell me about it.  I still have Win98SE on my old machine and my laptop.  I've gotta thank download.com for still having freebie Win98 apps that I occasionally need.

Simple really.  There are people using computers today who have no idea what an operating system is.  They look at it like it is an application and expect, if not demand, everything be bundled up with it so they never have to buy another piece of software.

Those of us who have been fortunate to know the difference between system programming and application programming get frustrated at the whole attitude.  But hey, there are the same people who would spend hours using their phone to surf the Internet, rather than a computer.  Streaming Netflix to their phone thinking it is the best thing since sliced bread.  They actually brag about it like it is a good thing.

It is the next generation of computer users who really do not want to use a computer.  They want the computer to be their nanny.  They want it all preconfigured and all within a mouse click away.  They need it to be configured to protect itself from them so they cannot make an error.  They do not understand what bloatware is and they do not care about it.  They fully believe the more CPU's they have the more the machine can do at once, without any performance penalty.  They think 100 processes running in the background is not bad as long as they are all running where they cannot see them.  After all, if you cannot see it, it must not be bad.

Microsoft has delivered them an operating system that fits right up thier alley while completely ignoring the user who is actually competent to use a computer.

Well, you can bash MS (not saying you are specifically) all you want but they have made it easy for even a total computer n00b to get on and do a few things.  Many are scared to death they are going to blow the thing up the first few times.  My older brother just got his first computer about a year ago and my phone was off the hook for months.

I don't think people nessesarily think having 100 processes running in the background is a good thing.  I think they probably just don't know they are and MS has made it possible to trim a lot of that back for the real computer users... maybe they just haven't gone far enough.

I really do thing that MS lost their way with Vista and if tweaking and refining it to trim some of the bloat is what Windows 7 is then it sounds like they are at least moving in the right direction again.  Let's see, I skipped Win2000 and WinME so I guess I'll be due again with whatever is released after 7.  Hopefully they move further in the right direction by then.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

That is a vaild concern.  Fortunately, I have not run into any hardware that is not also supported under XP and I just built a brand new computer.

It is just a shame Microsoft has not come up with a valid replacement OS to warrant it.  Personally, I have no issue with dropping Microsoft for my home computer systems(s).  I do mostly videographer things at home, and Linux is very well supported in that area.  Then again, come the day I have to wrorry about it, I hope to be retired.

I feel for those who are going to be stuck with such a sham of an operating system.  It is a Microsoft world and no matter how much they screw up, they will eventually get away with it.  Nice position to be in, for them.

Personally I used to think Apple was useless but the more I get to know it's audiovisual applications the more I like it. Even the built in garageband / iMovie are compatible to several expensive Windows applications.

Just updated my Kubuntu dual-boot yesterday also. The 8.10 and kde4 desktop is a serious Windows contender if you don't need to play games.

[iTunes]

Is it still possible to buy a new machine with XP? Or do they all come witgh vista now?

[Hajo]

Dell has license from Microsoft to have XP on some models of their computers.

So yes....you can get a Dell with XP Pro.  If you do order one make sure to stipulate you want XP as your OS not vista.

[1azbaer]

I am sorry Skuzzy if my Post came off wrong, but lets wait till the dust settles and see what Microsoft comes up with.
 
I was an early adaptor to Vista from XP. I am Field Service Engineer and was getting service calls from Companies and Home users that had bought Vista or Vista preinstalled on their new PC. Do I like Vista? It’s Ok, it works my only grip is that the steering wheel and gas pedals don’t work with Vista other than that not one issue but that’s my experience.  Hell, I still have Windows 3.11 for workgroups installed on my PC.  I boot to it just for kicks and chuckles.  I still have XP not a problem with it either, except as far as I’m concerned it’s dead. Microsoft has called it dead. 

Would you say that about 80% of the Aces II players have store bought PC’s with additional Bloat ware from the manufactures of their PC?  If they buy a new one from one of the retailers it’s going to have Vista.  I have also read where companies are charging $150 extra to downgrade a PC to XP.  So upon reading an echo chamber in the second post... Skuzzy said…  I had to respond, because I am using Windows 7 beta, and it’s nice, so far I can’t complain aboutit.  It looks like Vista but does not act like Vista. It took me only 20 minutes to install it.  Sure it’s bloated with typical Microsoft stuff, and new eye candy but HighTech doesn’t make a DOS base version of Aces II, so what choice do I have, again XP is dead. 

As far as Aces II, I used the regular windows installer and not the one label d for Vista.  I was not greeted with the endless User access control windows that kept popping up in Vista.  No spinning clipboard,  I hold a constant 60 Frame rate, XP and Vista it was all over the place for  12 to 75(rare) on a slow night.  My processor is taxed at times, my system an AMD 2.2 GHZ Athlon 64, not a dual core or triple core, 2GB of system memory (pc3200), an AGP Geforce 7600 video card. 

 In 2014 what are you going to do? Retire! Well Good for you Skuzzy!  I still have 20 years left before I can do that. I now work for a State Government and I also have Vista box running at work and  About half of our programs don’t work Vista or in internet explorer 7!  I refuse to be like the rest of my coworkers and claim “they can pry XP out of my cold dead hard drive” and hide my head in the sand thinking things are going to get better. I prefer my Ubuntu Linux box, but for the next 7 months I’m using Windows 7, and providing feed back when I can, wither or not Microsoft listens is a different story.   
 

[Fulmar]

By 2014, perhaps the linux marketshare on home PC's will be noticeably larger.  That is if Microsoft is still producing crap and the rest of society didn't sell their iSoul to the corpse of Steve Jobs.

[1azbaer]

 

Heres one for the XP lovers..... has any one tried to run AcesII on a Asus/Acer Netbook?

[moot]

Heres one for the XP lovers..... has any one tried to run AcesII on a Asus/Acer Netbook?

Yeah, what about Poland??

[Nilsen]

Running 7 beta now. So far i like it very much.

Havent installed AH yet, but everything else including drivers for all the components of this laptop works and was found right away. With XP i had to hunt down the drivers for many components but in 7 everything just works right out of the gate. Installation time was 20-30 mins.

Gonna wait a few weeks before i give it the  , but so far im very impressed vs vista and xp

Now i have tried AH on 7 beta and it works great. Noone has complained that i lag either. My fps are down just a tad on this radeon x600 chip but still smooth