Comments on: Windows 7 demo at D6: Really? That's it?

Multitouch schmultitouch. Show me the bones. Plus: Check out the Microsoft video of Windows 7 and chime in with your thoughts.

[coyoteboyuk]

Although its a pretty cool interface for tools such as coffee tables and in-car nav programs, who (that uses a PC intensively) wants to have to keep wiping their screen so that they can continue to write code/documents without gazing through fingerprints? With modern LCDs being even harder to clean well than the old damp cloth on a CRT, its a step towards the useless for me.

[codevalley]

that seems to be a really lame reply, that you need to "wipe" your display. In that case, we wud never have a keyboard, "it makes too much noise", or mouse, it scratches your desktop...its the next logical level of user input.
But overall, I don't know how much this will reach the masses, the way the globe roomed on to the city map showed the power of the hardware's GPU. But I hope they would also evolve, 2010 is the release time given by Microsoft. So it looks appealing.

[feranick]

One of the really worst features in Vista is the high hardware requirements. Ballmer seems to think the problem with VIsta is the UI. No, it's the insanely high memory, CPU, GPU requirements. Are we expecting new PC to have at least 4 GB to run Windows 7? If so, Microsoft should expect another timid acceptance from the public.

[celticbrewer]

-Are we expecting new PC to have at least 4 GB to run Windows 7?

Yeah, why not? $85 for 4 gig is no big deal. I remember running windows 3.1 on 4 MEG of RAM that cost about $160. Do PCs not evolve and become cheaper? If you want to do more, you need more. If not, then you don't need to upgrade.

[jeitzen]

4 gigs of mem is not so much any more. Get it for under 200 bucks.

[Penguinisto]

To the other two folks who replied: Personally, I'd rather spend my RAM on the apps, not on a bloated OS that will suck the gigabytes down and demand more. Sure, RAM is cheap, but I prefer to put it to work where it belongs... on the things I use my computer for.

[Lerianis]

High hardware requirements? You have GOT to be kidding. Vista can be run on a relatively fast single-core processor that is 8-almost years old.
As to the memory requirements..... 4GB's of memory is CHEAP today, so I cannot blame Microsoft for raising those hardware requirements, though I am hoping they will 'tone them down' for the next version of Windows by removing some of the useless stuff from the operating system. GPU requirements? Get real, the requirements for Vista are NOT really that high, any notebook computer or desktop computer even with integrated graphics can run Vista with full Aero.

[SuperSport1966]

This sounds like another one of Steve Jobs Apple robots. Vista keeps getting a bad rap from people that probably have not even tried it.

I've been using it since it's release, and yes, there have been little issues, but not even close to what the media portrays! Are you going to try to tell me that your OSX or iPhone has not had these same issues? I've used them both, and I can tell you, NOT any different... I've run Vista successfully on everything from a 6 year old dinasaur with 768MB to my modest AMD Dual Core 2.4G with 3Gig Ram. Yes there are upgrades needed to use the new OS, but if not, where would we still be? I'm glad I'm not still running Windows 2.0, aren't you?

It really is a shame that Vista has gotten such a bad rap that they now need to defend it with advertising. It's just another ploy from the people that hate Microsoft.

By the way, NO, I'm not a huge Microsoft fan, I use most OS's, but I'm tired of Microsoft always getting a bum rap just because they are successful and provide a good product. It's sort of the way the media is attacking the candidates this year. VERY biased. Apple is the worst at this, their Negative Ad Campaigns are really bad business. I refuse to support any company, or candidate, that spews negativity on a regular basis. Shame on them!

[feranick]

One of the really worst features in Vista is the high hardware requirements. Ballmer seems to think the problem with VIsta is the UI. No, it's the insanely high memory, CPU, GPU requirements. Are we expecting new PC to have at least 4 GB to run Windows 7? If so, Microsoft should expect another timid acceptance from the public.

[jmdunys]

1. Cool interface but Apple has already got this touch metaphor on their iPhone, Ipod Touch, and laptops


2. Touch screen computers are not new. Having the drivers built in the OS is OK, but requires new hardware. In order to use Multi-Touch, you have to buy new hardware (only monitors?)


3. Apple managed to keep its touch interface within good system performance, and that is due to their graphics core. Systems do not need to be pricey to perform properly (Mac Mini does not have a 'cut-down' interface compared to a high specification MacPro). We saw with Vista, that if you want to have the 'full' interface, you need a PC with higher specification than XP needed. I would be extremely surprised if tomorrow's mid-range PCs will manage to run the multi-touch interface properly


4. I hope that Microsoft has learnt that, in order to make the interface really useful, ALL the applications (or at least MOST) need to make use of it. The problem with Windows in the past, is the lack of interface cohesion and coherence between applications

[justdenny]

So my girlfriend has to cut her fingernails off, and I can't eat chips anymore while I sit at my PC and edit photos and burn cds and view the big telescope in the sky...sounds like just what I wanted

[phantomlord78]

MS is trying to push what is nothing more than a device driver as a new Operating System. Really, how is this any different than having a new "Human Interface Device" ??? You can not make me believe that multitouch will not work in Vista, or Windows XP or Linux for that matter - given the right set of applications/drivers to support it.

[phantomlord78]

MS is trying to push what is nothing more than a device driver as a new Operating System. Really, how is this any different than having a new "Human Interface Device" ??? You can not make me believe that multitouch will not work in Vista, or Windows XP or Linux for that matter - given the right set of applications/drivers to support it.

[hotsnot]

Anybody else think the pic of the kid in the video is somewhat unsettling if not downright creepy ?

[dmhagwood]

Apple could easily just add a multi-touch adapter for monitors and make a multi-touch screens in their newer models and their OS should already be ready to utilize that already. If their track pads are already made to utilize multi-touch gestures, then all that would need is screens made to sense multi-touch gestures. In other words Microsoft hasn't made anything new. Of course the idea has been there for a long time. It's just the Apple who has put it to smart use.

[DrtyDogg]

Apple's use of the gesture based trackpad comes from fingerworks, a company they purchased who used to make touchpads for both macs and windows. It is less a part of the operating system and more just a driver. www.fingerworks.com to see whay they used to offer.

[silvershadow18]

Thats the most useless technology for PC computing. Its upside is nill moreover i can't c myself just clinging to the screen every 5 seconds to do anything!!!!!!!!
This belongs to handheld gadgets, remote access etc but not the best idea for the PC.
Think again MS

[Lerianis]

Actually, this is the best way for the PC, for everything but data entry/word processing.

[manlyd]

Sorry, I have to disagree with the gist of this article. While many of the underpinnings of Windows are indeed important, the interface alone is huge. Let's not forget what the original Windows interface date for personal computing. If Microsoft can get this right, this is truly a game-changer (that is, if Apple doesn't beat them to the punch). Take a look at what Jeff Han is doing at Perceptive Pixel (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/65), and maybe you'll begin to appreciate what the future multi-touch might bring to the world of computing (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/65)

[onlyauser]

So you have stock in Windex?

[edmalloy]

The only thing that the "original" windows interface did for personal computing is tell us all that stealing is "ok."

If Microsoft can get this right .... hmmmm

[DarkHawke]

I don't think this interface will require more horsepower from your computer. Unless there's a lot of tricked-out hardware under the hood, it seemed to work fine with a laptop not known for killer performance. I agree that it's not that impressive a demo in the current technology landscape, but I disagree with Rafe's concern for "cloud computing." Seem like another way of saying, reduce the features of my most used apps, make them less accessible and, by the way, put all my data out there where it's fair game for any hacker with a mission. I've found it a disturbing contradiction that so many folks are bound and determined to hang themselves out there digitally for all the world to see in so many ways, yet loudly proclaim concern about privacy and security. Call me a dinosaur, but that seems like more than a bit of a non-sequitur, and I would rather have Window 7's security tightened up than opened up.

[Penguinisto]

The interface? Of course not... but the underlying OS is a descendant of Vista (they've already stated that it's not the MinWin kernel), which in turn is a bit on the bloated side. Since MSFT apparently no longer has the skills to slim down its internals, one can only guess at the increased bloat and ravenous appetite for hardware that this creature will exhibit. Also, privacy and security are two different things, and both are shades of grey, not an either-or proposition. Privacy, to me, is the right to release only the information that I want to release, not whatever can be hoovered out of my computers for the benefit of marketing. Security is the means by which to prevent private information (or resources) from leaving my personal control without my permission. Also, as per Windows, they seem to be going about security from the wrong angle, and privacy not at all (after all, Windows does 'phone home' once in awhile whether you like it or not). Other OSes are currently far more secure, and do not require onerous activity on the user's part, nor require excess system resources to accomplish a secure state. For Windows to match these conditions, Microsoft will have to rebuild the OS from scratch, which they seem inherently unwilling to do (Vista is after all a descendant of Windows Server 2003).

[bdardin]

"Cloud computing is obviating the need for much of what the OS does" - Wow, you obviously are clueless about operating systems. Last time I checked, "The Cloud" was not an option in my BIOS boot options.

"Network-delivered user interfaces can do a lot of what the desktop UI has traditionally done, but only when the user is online." - The UI is irrelevant as the majority of operating systems can be modified to run whatever UI shell you want.. It's the underlying OS that provides the necessary functionality to allow you to connect to a network.

It kills me when I read stuff like this from supposedly tech-savvy authors. The Windows 7 kernel will be a refined version of the kernel in Windows Server 2008 which is highly modularized already. It currently allows you to install a complete OS without any graphical UI whatsoever... but good luck trying to use your Google Docs from a command prompt.

[bekercher]

I don't really see the point. Until an OS stops its occaisional "freezes" as a result of various background activities - antivirus software, network fiile or drives going offline, application hangups, this can only be a recipe for selling more displays. I can see frustrated users all over the world driving their finger harder and harder into the display to "get the computers attention" resulting in mechanical failure of the display.

And I really hate greasy fingertips on my display, too. Do I want to have to wipe off the display after some greasy-fingered PC tech comes by to update, fix, or demonstrate some application or setting. Yuck.

[Altansukh]

Win7 has impressive look and the feel that I had with my iPhone. Being a gadget junkie, I'd still want it. I know it will not serve me a coffee or be a impressive developer machine, but for casual browsing, reading books or photo browsing it's quite a fit. DIY desktop for gaming, Linux laptop for a developer and MacMini for multimedia. Expensive, but works well. To me, the biggest challenge with Vista was that security hightmare and game compatibility. I liked the UI for a change.

[mjconver]

This interface is already boring. Without tactile feedback, it's just a one-trick pony.

[jaw762]

It almost seems like the crooked windows and photos were made so intentionally, as if to say "see how cool and out of the box we are!? Are windows don't even line up in here!!" Just looks sloppy to me. Typical windows of late... show us something pedestrian and try to convince us it's amazing by spending lots of money on bad marketing.

I wonder how the interface would operate on a real live machine, like most of us use... with other programs running in the background, and half the recommended RAM/CPU/ hard drive? Crash much? Cool toy, but not a revelation, to say the least.

[johnericanderson]

This interface will revolutionize automated processes. Current hardware controls can be simulated on a screen. Multi Touch is mandatory in automated processes.
I already use a host of apps that will benefit from this.

BTW, folks once thought the mouse was boring.
"Why do we need a mouse? How stupid.
I can type anything I need to at the command prompt.
Why do we need books?
Everything was much easier when we used scrolls."

"Apple already has that..." No they don't. MULTI Touch. MULTI.
Try touching 2 things simultaneously on your expensive iPhone and get back to us.

BTW, my WM6 phone PPC6800 has a touch screen. (Not multi.)
Has had it for years.
The iPhone is a newcomer in this area, not the innovator.

[danielgary]

Seriously? Multi-touch is a feature of the iPhone. You can, in fact, touch at multiple places at once on the screen. I don't even have an iPhone. Maybe do some research before you start a rant next time.

[Norseman]

You know that trick on the iPhone where you "pinch" using two fingers to change the size of something on the screen? That uses TWO fingers. That's MULTI. MULTI Touch. MULTI. Touching two things on the screen simultaneously. MULTI. Got that?

[castrensis]

Way to rip off the demonstration of the multi-touch display from TED 2007! In order to be used to its full potential multi-touch display technology requires a redesign of the hardware, eliminating the mouse & keyboard, and an overhaul of the GUI to accommodate this revolutionary human interface technology. When shiny interface technology is used to distract customers from the lack of any REAL information about W7 you can be sure there's a fly in the ointment.

[Magallanes]

DAMN!, it's just a vista tablet version with multi touch abilities.

The problems with xp tablet version is the price of the hardware, a tablet pc can cost the double that their counterpart with mouse.