Why can't some people make Windows 7 work?
I feel fairly confident that Windows 7 will turn out to better than its predecessor.
I feel fairly confident that it will not turn hairy users bald, nor cause sane users to enter institutions of mental restructuring.
However, I have been watching these two pieces of film from Japan with some small prick of concern.
In each we see a television personality attempting to enjoy the touch screen facility and, well, finding the screen as frigid as a beer in a Reykjavik bar.
I don't speak Japanese quite well enough beyond "watashiwa kekong shtemasen" (no, I am not married) to know what is being said.
However, the fine Japanese news source, Japan Probe, was itself somewhat discombobulated by these two seemingly unrelated incidents of Windows 7 opacity.
I should say that both these clips appear to come from Fuji TV, so I hope that they didn't manage to obtain a rather duff copy of the operating system.
But there is something disconcerting about seeing the rather serious gentleman in the beige jacket and imposingly expensive watch fail to expand his view of the world. His face is so unbearably fixed, as if it too has been frozen in sympathy with what is happening on the screen.
It also affects one's blood pressure to see the chap in the waistcoat on the breakfast show "Tokudane", continually tap a file, then the Windows logo, then any and every part of the screen in a vain attempt to make for a little exciting television.
Indeed, one of his fellow televisual employees scuttles up and crouches down in front of the screen and tries to help him out. Yet still his screen finger skills bear as much fruit as, well, some fingers that attempted to make sense of Vista.
I am sure these were isolated incidents caused by inferior configuration or some kind of digital unfamiliarity.
However, I will be eagerly scouring the Web for sales figures from Japan.
Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. 






Fortunately, most wind up as middle management, celebrities, or work at that fast food joint. You know the one...
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#Infrared
This seems to be a SONY issue .. a driver issue with the Sony VAIO L Model.
If you didnt notice the only problems were with THOSE models!
Oh wait... the Apple HAVE a touch screen? Nope..
Oh, Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way........;-)
Apple has a great touchscreen on a handheld device, where it makes sense---not on a desktop screen where it doesn't make sense.
You aren't seeing the big picture. Touch is only a stepping stone. Just watch, a few years down the line Touch will merge with Project Natal. Then you won't even have to put your greasy fingers on the screen. Think "Minority Report." It'll be like that except you won't have to wear the controllers on your hands like Tom Cruise does in the movie. Touch isn't the goal. It's just a pathway to something better.
Inspires confidence.
Wasn't it better when they showed their 3D map tech with an Xbox360 controller? Didn't that make more sense?
Touch as implemented in Windows 7 is pointless - and doesn't even seem to demo well.
So what are we left with? Well we're left with "a better Vista". It's still not longhorn (all the "missing tech" is still AWOL) but at least it's Vista without the baggage (of negative opinion). This isn't even Microsoft's "Snow Leopard" moment - very little new tech, unlike Apple's "big cat". Apple's OS is all about the future (and I mean that in both ways, at present there is very little for endusers, but developers will love the new toys - the fruits of developers labours will make Snow Leopard worthwhile for endusers). Microsoft haven't introduced much that's actually "new" here. We're told that dragging a window to the side of the screen and it popping to fill that half, or to the top and it filling the whole display is somehow a huge innovation. Or shaking a window to hide the others will change our computing lives forever (really?!) Then there's "jump lists", the innovation here is they work even when the app isn't running (Apple have this - but the app has to be running, iTunes is an example) sure this is better. Otherwise I see little that's really new (maybe if I'd done the Vista thing I'd see more - I've used other people's Vista machines, never ran my own).
So what are we left with? Touch is pointless, the UI improvements are massively overhyped (by people who should know better) the rest of it is making Vista less annoying (UAC) and finally moving performance in the right direction.
Have Apple never overhyped a feature? Oh sure, "sheets" were a "huge innovation", that in reality make little difference (they are a little better - but really most of the time you'll want to deal with them right away anyway, I don't routinely have large numbers of sheets attached to windows).
So what's changed? Nothing, Apple still make to "cool" stuff, it costs a little more, but you'll end up loving it. PCs still range from "wow, that's cheap" that nobody could love, to "whoa - I could buy a Mac for that!" that's actually quite nice. Really if you care at all about your computer, Mac or PC it's worth spending a little more to get something well made and pleasant to use. If you need to run this or that Windows app most of the time then a PC running Windows makes sense, if you're a gamer, well it's a PC (but seriously - don't penny pinch, but honest with yourself, gaming costs more than a cocaine habit). If you still care about your computer but don't need this or that Windows thingy all the time and aren't serious about gaming - well you have a choice, Mac or PC (I choose Mac, but you can get some nice PCs - IMHO not as nice as Mac OS X but YMMV). If you're a developer, you probably NEED a Mac, and a Windows install DVD (and a download of a couple of Linux distros...)
However, if you're buying a nice machine - keep your greasy hands off the display!
Might be worth waiting for SP1, or 2...
And if thats the case, ever think it might be the VENDOR that has issues and not the OS?
Nope never crossed your mind did it? Maybe you didnt use it long enough...?!?!
You guys are missing the big picture. It's a process. Touch is not the be all end all. Just watch, a few years down the road touch will merge with Project Natal. So then you won't even have to put your greasy fingers on the screen. Think "Minority Report." It'll be the same type of thing only without the controllers that Tom Cruise wears on his hands in that movie. That's the direction that it's moving. Touch tech is only a stepping stone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpOvzGiheOM
Will you stand by this comment when Apple actually releases one?
I still remember when Steve Jobs said the same thing about watching video on a 2" screen
no offense but it is just that much easier to teach the elderly to press the screen than use a mouse
Touch-screens are one of those "Jetsons" technologies that everyone of 30 years ago thought we'd all be using by now -- like voice control and flying cars. There's a very good reason we aren't using touch-screens now, and that reason will still be as valid a hundred years from now.
I'm sure there are other good input technologies to come. Touch-screen ain't one of 'em. And Steve Jobs & co. know it.
Well, I have to admit, it made my blood pressure rise, too, but only because I was laughing so hard. I couldn't help wondering if the cameraman would assist by zooming in and out, thus simulating pinch-to-zoom.
I'd love to see Ballmer's face after seeing these. The phrases "veins exploding" and "flop sweat" come to mind.
I've been using the beta of Windows 7 for months on end. I received my Family 3 pack a day early and just like the beta, I have had zero problems with it. Win 7 performs better than Vista on the exact same hardware.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Unbuntu box, but trust me, Linux has a LONG WAY TO GO before it becomes truly consumer friendly.
trust me!
it is really useful for karaoke, playing media(any thing you can think of) and if more people create application that seperate the controls from the content would be nice.
Google has the idea. They are hoping that people will switch to using a small and simple OS that loads a browser (real fast) through which you run Web apps. No need for major upgrading like Windows. It seems that every upgrade is so complicated with proprietary OS's that they don't work as it should. All the complicated stuff is done on a Web server and delivered to you in HTML and Javascript which is what the browser reads natively.
Or perhaps it is just that Microsoft tried to fit too many bundled programs like the browser into the kernel of their OS.
Who knows, who cares.
7 is too similar to Vista, and both are merely facelifts to Windows in themselves. Aero Snap and Peek are nice, but aren't revolutionary. The new taskbar is nice, but is more form over function. Look at XP, it is loved by hundreds of millions because it is simple, it doesn't demand too much from hardware, and it is revolutionary instead of evolutionary like Vista/7.
I may disdain Microsoft as a company, but Windows is pretty decent- I just wish they would put forth the effort that it deserves.
On the other hand, for the Mac/Apple guys that are commenting here I just want to say one thing- grow up! So you love your Mac, great for you! But stop trolling around and commenting about how much you hate "Windoze" or pushing garbage about Unix/Linux just because you feel that you are the only person that can have an opinion. Sure, Apple makes a great OS but let's also keep in mind we need both companies to drive each other forward. If we didn't have Windows 7 doing favorably with users, we'd be stuck with 10.x for another 8 years (which btw, it's already been out since 2001, how much longer can we see rehashes of the same OS?)
Case in point- Macs are great and have their loyal fans, Windows 7 is nice but Microsoft really needs to make the next version a truly REvolutionary OS in order to ignite and excite the billion strong base it has
Think of a browser running Web apps.
Real fast and efficient.
No need for 10 million lines of code to run a lame program like Calculator or Paint.
Just a browser to run all sorts of awesome web apps and services.
What would be revolutionary is for an OS "upgrade" to strip out the crap, refine the essentials, and speed it all up. Will that ever happen? I'm not holding my breath with regard to Apple or Microsoft; true revolutions are few and far between -- that's why they call them "revolutions."
just wait until the network dies then we'll know what it really means to be in deep s***
there are people that need local access you know =..=
try doing engineering software over the web, we will need network infrastructures that are at least 3x the current size(especially when the rest of the world thats not using a computer yet catches up)
My point was that OS dev needs to go a different direction, rather than more of the same.
I just disabled the dashboard. It was using too many resources for something of really limited value.
at first when he was trying to open a folder he said its weird it worked just now how come its not working now?
and for the google earth thing the old dude said that mr.kimura from the yesterday show tried to access fuji tv just like ur doing now but its didnt work so beat it, looks like fuji tv hates u guys
at last they r saying some **** to cover the epic fail of windows
yea i forgot.. and that chick made a joke about whether its a chinese crap or not.. looooool
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/reviews/2009/10/windows-7-the-review.ars
At the same time I also have to shake my head at the fact that our expert Chris seems to think that putting up videos about computer equipment failures is a great idea when he can't understand a word thats being said in the video and how that relates to the issues they are experiencing. I guess doing your research is optional these days when the only thing that matters is getting clicks and comments for money. At a boy Chris, keep up the good work.
And of course everyone else who jumps on the bandwagon for a good laugh only to inflate their egos and satisfy their own personal insecurities about choices and preferences they make. Is there anyone here that is genuinely interested in furthering their knowledge and understanding of computers, OS's and systems that make our life better, or are we only here to look at every situation as another opportunity to ridicule other people, products and companies. It really can make a person long to seek out others who value a higher standard.
Which one of the trolls was watching the film with you?
Okay as you know may me as an AppleFanMan, but to be fair to WIndows 7 there are probably more people making it work than are having problems.
For the record, I've used Vista since the beginning. It's fine. I have 3 (soon to be 4) pcs running Windows 7---it's better. Still learning the ins and outs, however.
- by FF2009 October 27, 2009 5:28 AM PDT
- I hate that touch screen crap...but just for the record... @Haha Windowz 7 FAIL!!!!!
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