Windows 7 Officially Released To Manufacturing
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In my case the process was to go with a clone of my XP drive, upgrade to Vista, then to Win 7. MY saving was not with the OS install but to avoid all the applications configuration and customization I have to do. For Sony Vegas alone the last time I had to fresh install it, it took me three weeks of work before just that application was installed.
OT- I heard a rumor that Apple is planning to sell OS X direct soon. Talk about a win 7 killer. Tons of people would buy it just to get onto something other than Microsoft without having to buy Apple hardware that costs too much. ( BTW- I won't be one of them as I already have a Mac and don't like it that much. On second thought, I'd probably put it on my Dell Laptop)
OT- I heard a rumor that Apple is planning to sell OS X direct soon. Talk about a win 7 killer. Tons of people would buy it just to get onto something other than Microsoft without having to buy Apple hardware that costs too much. ( BTW- I won't be one of them as I already have a Mac and don't like it that much. On second thought, I'd probably put it on my Dell Laptop)
This would be great if true. I would install OS X on all of my home machines if this was to happen.
How much would they charge for OSX? Microsoft seems to charge outrageous prices for their stuff. The only company to seem more impressed with themselves (based on their prices) is Apple.
The upgrade to Snow Leopard is avaialable Monday will cost $29.00. I don'tt hink that is avaialble to non Apple owners---at least not officially
I've never been an Apple fan. My experience with their computers was that they were slow and even clumsy. Early Macs, the III and Lisa. Things are different now, no doubt.
I LOVE my iPhone.
But compatibility with our Windows only accounting system, and other company's MS Office versions (the Apple version is NOT 100% compatible) ensures we are MS captives. For the next few years, at least.
Vista was a non-starter with us. I still have one machine that simply will not see a printer. W7 so far is doing well. Sadly, there are several functional XP Pro machines that I know I will have to discard over the next year or so, and move to W7. They perform their function well, but support for XP, and desires for "more" will drive their retirement.
I LOVE my iPhone.
But compatibility with our Windows only accounting system, and other company's MS Office versions (the Apple version is NOT 100% compatible) ensures we are MS captives. For the next few years, at least.
Vista was a non-starter with us. I still have one machine that simply will not see a printer. W7 so far is doing well. Sadly, there are several functional XP Pro machines that I know I will have to discard over the next year or so, and move to W7. They perform their function well, but support for XP, and desires for "more" will drive their retirement.
Microsoft will continue to provide security updates to XP through the middle of 2014. Support for Windows 2000 is set to expire in 2010.
Yeah, things tend to change over 25 years.
You should see VMWare Fusion running in Unity mode on a MacPro with 8GB of memory. I call it a "bisexual" Mac. That's Word 2007 for Windows running next to Word 2008 for Mac, on the Mac desktop.
How would expanding sales of their OS X to a world wide market be interpreted as quitting the business?????
What you should realize is that Apple is in the process of expanding all their capability well beyond computers, soon to offer TV sets. Expect to see some amazing innovations, like we saw with an MP3 player and the iphone. PLUS with Steve Jobs turning the reigns over to a new leadership, the company will be venturing into new territory of expansion. I don't see them dropping computers at all but rather expanding into new markets. As a single business, they don't have the mfg capacity to expand the computer hardware 100 times, but software is a real easy no-brainer road to super revenue growth. I see this as the main new objective with new leadership.
Usage details
Not to bring the topic back on task, but let me share some hard usage details.
For the record, I didn't see a need to migrate from XP since it was still a VERY viable and stable OS. And after using Vista for the last few months, I had a dismal outlook for Win7.
But I will honestly admit I have been absolutely satisfied with switching to Win7, and in many ways I enjoy it more than XP.
Here we go.
-------------------------------
Dell Latitude E5500
Fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate (clean install)
The installation was for all intents and purposes, painless. First of all, it was fairly quick (~30 minutes). Next, I didn't have to go find any device drivers on my own. After the installation, WindowsUpdate detected and installed every device in the machine, so for once, it was basically a turnkey installation and setup. So far, the ONLY app I have had an issue with is my Verizon VZAccess, but I'll elaborate on that more later.
I believe the interface to be the best of both XP and Vista. During my day, I often have 20+ windows open at one time, so having them stack on the Taskbar keeps things ordered, but still easy to find by hovering over a stack and quickly switching between the previewed windows. I also appreciate the ability to drag and drop just about any objects in Win7. So it's very easy to customize your gui, or just move something around when necessary.
I bounce around many different networks, so I have my primary TCPIP settings set to utilize DHCP, but I set a secondary alternate set of IP info for my static network at home. Best of both worlds without having to change any network settings. The wireless networking is also very quick in detecting and reporting new access points. My only issue with the networking at all is being asked to set a network "type" every time you connect to a new network. I usually just cancel the prompt. Might be handy if you are concerned about security, but I want full access to any network I connect with.
For the last several months, Vista has killed me trying to use my Cisco VPN client. I use the Cisco VPN client to connect with many secured networks daily, and now have NO issue switching back and forth between networks. With Vista, I could connect to 2-3 different networks, and then my NIC would stop responding, requiring a restart to reset the card. Win7 has fixed this issue, much to my approval.
The SystemTray in the bottom right corner has been reworked to stack vertically instead of horizontally now. Not a significant difference, but does seem to keep multiple open applications ordered without taking up half your TaskBar.
I'm running Office 2007, and it has integrated perfectly with Win7.
I'm also running the free version of AVG with zero issues.
IE8 runs fine, but I use Firefox 3.5 almost exclusively, and all plugins have worked as expected.
As I said previously, the ONLY issue (no BS, I have been shocked at how easy this transition has been) I have had to date it was with my Verizon VZAccess client and getting my Aircard to work. Initially, Win7 would not recognize the card. I found a snippet on a Verizon forum about installing the VZAccess using the XP compatibility mode, which just meant right clicking on the installer. The installation process proceeded, once finished my card was immediately recognized and installed, and poof. Worked perfectly.
PowerArchiver, Quicktime, Media Player Classic, BlackBerry Desktop, Nero Suite 7, Yahoo Messenger, WinAmp, LogMeIn, even some DiabloII. All work as expected.
So far I have not found anything that will not run under Win7. However, I did encounter a technical issue that I was able to resolve with Win7. I have two different work applications which require different versions of Java. To run both on Win7, I installed the Windows Virtual PC, and created a virtual XP installation. So in my Win7 environment, I have installed one version of Java. When I need to run my other application+Java JRE, I crank up the virtual XP instance (and this could run any legacy applications or drivers which are XP specific) and have access not only to that application+JRE, but through the virtual machine it can access all my other Win7 local and network drives, USB devices, printers, network, etc, etc. Damn thing just works fast and well.
I would consider myself a "varied" computer user, in that in a ordinary day my laptop is connected to several different customer networks via a LAN/wireless/VPN/Aircard connection, then at home I have two wireless AP's and several LAN connections. Win7 is able to glide between all of these, connecting and disconnecting, then reconnecting network drives and shared printers without ANY delays. I know, it's almost impossible to believe, but I've seen this thing work like I would have requested from Microsoft.
Many of my customers and friends have asked me about Win7 since the news is brewing, and my report to date has been very positive. I installed it on my Mom's laptop, she is a VERY basic user, and she loves it. It's faster than Vista, easier to find things than Vista, doesn't stumble and stutter like Vista, and for a Microsoft product prior to Service Pack 2....that's saying something.
Good job Redmond.
B
Not to bring the topic back on task, but let me share some hard usage details.
For the record, I didn't see a need to migrate from XP since it was still a VERY viable and stable OS. And after using Vista for the last few months, I had a dismal outlook for Win7.
But I will honestly admit I have been absolutely satisfied with switching to Win7, and in many ways I enjoy it more than XP.
Here we go.
-------------------------------
Dell Latitude E5500
Fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate (clean install)
The installation was for all intents and purposes, painless. First of all, it was fairly quick (~30 minutes). Next, I didn't have to go find any device drivers on my own. After the installation, WindowsUpdate detected and installed every device in the machine, so for once, it was basically a turnkey installation and setup. So far, the ONLY app I have had an issue with is my Verizon VZAccess, but I'll elaborate on that more later.
I believe the interface to be the best of both XP and Vista. During my day, I often have 20+ windows open at one time, so having them stack on the Taskbar keeps things ordered, but still easy to find by hovering over a stack and quickly switching between the previewed windows. I also appreciate the ability to drag and drop just about any objects in Win7. So it's very easy to customize your gui, or just move something around when necessary.
I bounce around many different networks, so I have my primary TCPIP settings set to utilize DHCP, but I set a secondary alternate set of IP info for my static network at home. Best of both worlds without having to change any network settings. The wireless networking is also very quick in detecting and reporting new access points. My only issue with the networking at all is being asked to set a network "type" every time you connect to a new network. I usually just cancel the prompt. Might be handy if you are concerned about security, but I want full access to any network I connect with.
For the last several months, Vista has killed me trying to use my Cisco VPN client. I use the Cisco VPN client to connect with many secured networks daily, and now have NO issue switching back and forth between networks. With Vista, I could connect to 2-3 different networks, and then my NIC would stop responding, requiring a restart to reset the card. Win7 has fixed this issue, much to my approval.
The SystemTray in the bottom right corner has been reworked to stack vertically instead of horizontally now. Not a significant difference, but does seem to keep multiple open applications ordered without taking up half your TaskBar.
I'm running Office 2007, and it has integrated perfectly with Win7.
I'm also running the free version of AVG with zero issues.
IE8 runs fine, but I use Firefox 3.5 almost exclusively, and all plugins have worked as expected.
As I said previously, the ONLY issue (no BS, I have been shocked at how easy this transition has been) I have had to date it was with my Verizon VZAccess client and getting my Aircard to work. Initially, Win7 would not recognize the card. I found a snippet on a Verizon forum about installing the VZAccess using the XP compatibility mode, which just meant right clicking on the installer. The installation process proceeded, once finished my card was immediately recognized and installed, and poof. Worked perfectly.
PowerArchiver, Quicktime, Media Player Classic, BlackBerry Desktop, Nero Suite 7, Yahoo Messenger, WinAmp, LogMeIn, even some DiabloII. All work as expected.
So far I have not found anything that will not run under Win7. However, I did encounter a technical issue that I was able to resolve with Win7. I have two different work applications which require different versions of Java. To run both on Win7, I installed the Windows Virtual PC, and created a virtual XP installation. So in my Win7 environment, I have installed one version of Java. When I need to run my other application+Java JRE, I crank up the virtual XP instance (and this could run any legacy applications or drivers which are XP specific) and have access not only to that application+JRE, but through the virtual machine it can access all my other Win7 local and network drives, USB devices, printers, network, etc, etc. Damn thing just works fast and well.
I would consider myself a "varied" computer user, in that in a ordinary day my laptop is connected to several different customer networks via a LAN/wireless/VPN/Aircard connection, then at home I have two wireless AP's and several LAN connections. Win7 is able to glide between all of these, connecting and disconnecting, then reconnecting network drives and shared printers without ANY delays. I know, it's almost impossible to believe, but I've seen this thing work like I would have requested from Microsoft.
Many of my customers and friends have asked me about Win7 since the news is brewing, and my report to date has been very positive. I installed it on my Mom's laptop, she is a VERY basic user, and she loves it. It's faster than Vista, easier to find things than Vista, doesn't stumble and stutter like Vista, and for a Microsoft product prior to Service Pack 2....that's saying something.
Good job Redmond.
B
Who in his/her sober mind will buy a $1000 MacPro if you can install OS X on an Asus for a third in $$$? Officially!
And why does Apple fight Psystar so hard? And who will write the gazillion drivers for hardware that OS X doesnt support yet? Start with video...
I dont think there is new leadership at Apple. Nor will be. Ever.
Jobs is all in one the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. No matter how successful, Apple will remain a one man show.
And I am not alone at thinking this way, just look at its share price as soon as a rumour (!!) about Jobs health hits the web...
Diogen.
I have to agree that the drivers alone will kill the idea of sending it to market.
Now on the cost side, why do people buy a $1000 laptop when they can buy the Asus for a third of the money? People already do it today so why would that not continue?
Now on the cost side, why do people buy a $1000 laptop when they can buy the Asus for a third of the money? People already do it today so why would that not continue?
Because today that's the only way to legitemately (!) run OS X.
Making a Dell Mini run it is fun but can't be the basis for a business.
The moment Apple OS goes on sale by itself, Apple computer hardware business is dead.
Diogen.
Here is another advantage of Win7 over any other flavour...
If you are using the IPSec client, it won't run on 64-bit Windows.
But you can install 64-bit Windows 7 and virtual Windows XP (it's 32-bit only).
And you can run applications under Win7 using the VPN tunnel established by the IPSec client running under Virtual XP.
Not pretty, but it works just fine.
Diogen.
You didn't get my point. If high priced laptops and desktops will die off because of lower priced ones, why are their so many Intel and AMD systems that still cost $1000+? Just because you can buy cheap does not mean that everybody will. I personally like my macbook much better than any other laptop that I have owned (business or personal). I would not trade it for anything.
This also means that you know have to have to copies of Windows for your workstation. You also should be able to virtualize a 32bit OS on Vista 64, so that is not really a huge advantage of Windows 7.
No.
Virtual XP is a free add-on to Windows 7.
You don't need neither an XP licence nor a hypervisor.
Try it before you comment.
Yes, it is personal. Most people that shop at Neiman Marcus just love it.
Diogen.
