Comments on: Why I can't get enough of Windows 7

Don Reisinger has been using Windows 7 beta for quite some time, and after working with it, he's surprised to say that he's excited for the final release.

[jackdaniels08]

Windows XP works fine. I really don't need another OS as I spend most of my time on the internet anyway. Everything is moving to the cloud and Windows concept is becoming obsolete. By the time Windows 7 comes out it will be out dated. Windows lost share to Apple OS this quarter.

[john55440]

I use Vista SP1 Preinstalled, and don't have any major complaints. It seems that Vista's most vocal critics are people who have never used it.

In any event, it's nice to see that Win7 is even better.

[DustoMan]

I've been using the Windows 7 beta since it went public on the laptop I use everyday and quite frankly I can't wait to have the final version on every PC in my house including my new HP Mini 1000. Bravo Microsoft for getting this release of Windows right!

[krycek1984]

To address _noise_, I have to agree that the Mac OS X user interface has not drastically changed over the past 8 years. Some changes yes, large changes, no. I had an iBook and often use my friend's mac mini from last year when I go over her house and I can confirm that indeed the user interfaces are not all that different, save some graphical goodies and the like.

Beneath the surface of the new Windows 7 GUI and to some degree Vista's GUI is not an "old" OS. People underestimate the large changes Microsoft made in Vista, especially with how it deals with grahpics and drivers. This is not Windows 95 with a pretty user interface. I want a netbook but I will probably just get a 13.3" notebook because I can't bring myself to go back to XP.

And really, anyone who uses Vista can tell you that security is so much better now...I haven't had one security issue at all since I purchased my first Vista computer in January of 2007 and now on my second.

And finally, ME this is not. I had ME. Vista is NOT ME!!! First of all ME was basically Win95/98. Vista is not basically XP. And let me tell you, ME was TOTAL POOH. Anyone who had an ME computer and now a Vista computer would be a fool to say ME was anytihng like vista!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[brimcgon]

I installed Windows 7 today. I have it installed on a P4 3GHz machine running with 2 GB Ram, onboard video card, network, and keyboard mouse connection.

The only issue ihad was getting the driver for the Video card. It was recognized in Vista upon install, but after upgrading to 7 Beta, it just saw it as a Standard VGA card only capable of 640 x 480 graphics.

After a little searching and k'noodling, I found the Drivers online, did the slowest download on the planet from the stingy bisnatches that make you sign up to download, and installed them.

Working better now. It looks fine, haven't noticed much difference in the system otherwise, but haven't used it much since that point. I also have Ubuntu installed on 2 machines withthe exact same specs, and it runs fine. I don't find it clunky, and running programs isn't that difficult. I now has a ton of driver support for almost anything I would want to use....I don't game, I don't care what software I use for word-processing, and I really don't get choosy over browsers.

If you are a picky person, you will most likely enjoy one over the other.

I'm still a mac fan, but windows is getting better every day. I say good job!

[slickuser]

on my system, Windows 7 failed to recognize couple of USB drives (8GB, 100GB USB drive)!
I still can't get them to work. The Disk Management app sees them but Win7 did not mount
them on My Computer.

That reminded me Vista again!

Same crap with new name and tweaks! Why can't they call it SP3???

[clhodapp]

I've used Vista off and on for various reasons and on various computers since it was in Beta (let me tell you Beta 2 was awful) and was using as my primary desktop OS since last January (I am now using 7 beta. Plus my laptop came with Vista. I have to say that this Vista hating is really getting on my nerves. Vista has been a perfectly fine OS since about 6-8 months after it RTM'ed (albeit with a few compatibility issues) and has been far more usable than XP since about last Fall (meaning Fall 2007), at least on new computers (i.e. computers made since it came out). I am using Windows 7 now, as stated and can honestly say that this is literally the same core experience that I have been having with Vista for about a year. It does do a little better on system resource consumption and file transfer speeds, but neither is very extreme (though I will say that all non-bug changes [mp3, msi, and flashing ie8 bugs I'm looking at you] are improvements). There has really been no excuse for choosing XP over Vista (unless you are running old hardware or old software that never updates) for a very long time now.

[subslug]

You claimed Win 7 matched the boot speed of your Apple but not the boot speed of XP. I doubt anyone cares how Win 7's boot speed is compared to an Apple but they might care to hear how it compares to XP.

Well, I can tell you.... it's still a lot slower. So in that regard Windows has still got problems. Shouldn't boot speed be a priority if you want to show case an OS's speed? Booting faster than Vista isn't hard to do, it boots as slow as hell.

[MongooseProXC]

The boot time for my machine with Vista and a Pentium 4 is two minutes flat. That is way too slow for me! The darn bios takes up probably a whole 30 seconds right there! I want my computer to turn on like a TV! If Windows 7 full version doesn't do that I will be returning it for a refund. Anything less than immediate is unacceptible!!!

[pithenumber]

@MongooseProXC
my old TV takes longer to warm up than Windows 7 takes to boot

my new TV still takes a while, the ASUS splashtop thing is faster, but no full OS

[homercles82]

Mongoose I hope you know that you can't return used software anywhere.

Also I have a DLP tv by Phillips that takes 60 seconds to get fully booted up, should I just give up and blow it up?

[rapier1]

OH DEAR GOD! Someone wrote a positive review of Windows 7. He *MUST* be a shill. There is no other explanation. He's obviously never tried ubuntu because if he had he'd be so in thrall that the only things that would pass his lips are hosanas in praise of Linus!!11!!1one!!

Has anyone seen my tin foil hat?

[applehazelnut]

Linux drivers for your 8800GTX:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_amd64_180.22.html

:)

[sysaud]

I do not rummage through folders to find my frequently used apps. I pin them to my start menu. They?re always there waiting for me. I do the same in XP. If the Mac had this feature, Apple would not need to clutter the bottom of the screen with all those icons.

Finding a specific window is easy with Vista. Vista provides a feature that roles large angled graphic reps of each window that are scrollable with the arrow keys. You then click on the one you want. Of course, the task bar is also displaying all my open windows as tab buttons. Same with XP.

In Vista, when you hover over a tab button, an image of the window appears above reminding specifically what it is.

Faster is always better. almost

I like user account control. It gives me peace of mind that if some unauthorized process attempts to start an app, I?ll have a chance to stop it. For example, HP update hosed MJ?s bios. On my machine, I can prevent the HP update from running.

[bourgtai]

"In Mac OS X, I'm required to right-click on the icon to find the window I want or resort to using Spaces."

You know that if you press F9, all of your open windows shrink down conservatively and you can see everything you've got running at the same time? Or if you press F10, the windows of your active application all shrink down conservatively? And if you press F11 you can see your desktop? It's this thing called Exposé, it's been around since, oh, 2002?

[openart2001]

It only goes to show that Don doesn't know a thing about Mac OS X. Sheesh! How can he say that four Macs were staring him while he was writing the article? Don, honestly how much did you bank out of this article?

[carlg113]

why do people get mad when someone uses a different OS than themselves?

It's just so formulaic. The fawning headline, followed by the up-front confession that "I own [some large number of] Macs, but..... now that I have seen [latest Windows version], all other computers are turds by comparison."

It would be nice if the Microsoft "media relations" department would provide a few different templates for hacks to use. Maybe they could include them in the beta distribution.

What's funny is how quickly all of these articles run out of steam after that. "It's my favorite OS of all time! Because.... um.... well... it doesn't suck anywhere near as much as Vista! And it does some things [almost as well as / slightly better than] my Mac! It's great! Incredible! Amazing! Can you send my check now?"

As an example, just let me quote:

"Though I enjoy using the Dock in Mac OS X, it doesn't compare on any level to the new Windows 7 taskbar. In Windows 7, I can find every instance of an app in a matter of seconds, thanks to outstanding usability and design. In Mac OS X, I'm required to right-click on the icon to find the window I want..."

Excuse me, I think it DOES compare on at least one level to the "new Windows 7 taskbar". Because you just made a very straightforward comparison.... and the difference is that with Windows 7, you can find the app in a matter of seconds, but with Mac OS X, you have to right-click on an icon.....

I just timed myself - it took me less than one second to right click on an icon on my Mac. Oh, boy. I can see how infinitely superior Windows 7 is, given this major usability enhancement. It would only take me a matter of seconds on Windows to do what I can do in less than one on my Mac.

It would be funny to read these things if they weren't so inherently sad.

[88guy]

The esctatic tone of this writer's article was so totally over the top that it I felt that the content could not be taken seriously.... Literally, it was laughable. This sort of hyperbole - when used to describe anything less less than one's first orgasm or a near-death experience in which one actually has lunch with God - has, absolutely (in my opinion), been purchased. For the love of God, it's a computer operating system... Anyone this excited about Window 7 - or, for that matter, Ubuntu - is either on Oprah Winfrey's new cocaine diet, or, getting more than " a penny for their thoughts" (from Redmond, I would presume). Good Lord.

[CristGarage]

There goes Don again, kissing Redmond's fat, bloated, overstuffed ass! Declaring his absolute obedience to an eye-candy beta! LOL

[88guy]

I am sitting here, literally, laughing so hard I am crying. The only thing this guy left out of this article was, "I'd kill my entire family to have this operating system on my computer....". It's crazy... Does this guy know that the polar ice caps are melting? I don't even hate Microsoft - but this is such transparently veiled "paid advertising" that it's.....well, crazy that anyone would take his comments very seriously.

[foldsomething]

Ok, in the interest of full disclosure and transparency, I currently use an '06 macbook and an '07 mac mini for the bulk of my computing tasks... but I do have an HTPC running vista and my fiance' uses vista on her notebook...

As for windows 7... ok, it works better than vista... and from what I've read here and other places, it's as good or better in certain respects when compared to OS X. I'm all for competition and improvement. But I just can't get excited about a new windows OS because I waited a whole year after vista was released, paid hundreds of dollars for a licensed copy... and it STILL was buggy!!! I haven't read anything about windows 7 that makes it a true "must have" over OS X, especially when it will probably cost another $200+ I just want an os that works reliably, and plays nice with quality software that I use... OS X does that for me 9 times out of 10.

[camp88]

Will there be a wide variety of Windows 7 and at various price points from which to choose:

Windows 7 Home Alone Edition
Windows 7 Ultimate Home Makeover Edition
Windows 7 Ain't Nobody's Business Edition?
Windows 7 Corporate IT Edition?
Windows 7 Pirate Edition

Because there's notthing like the simplicity of 7 versions of 7 to take me from "the clutches of Apple"* and bring me into the warm bosom of Microsoft.

* did the author really say that? The clutches of Apple? Similarly, what's with "resort to spaces"? It's hardly a feature that one has to "resort" to using--it's simply smart, effective and easy to use. That is, hey Mr. Reisinger, how about adjusting your MS rhetoric setting so it's somewhere below "stun."

[pairof9s--2008]

I agree with Don's assessment on the Win7 Task Bar in comparison to Mac OS X's Dock. The ability to mouse over an application icon to see what is currently open in that app is awesome. Although my new MacBook Pro's trackpad allows me to select a portion of it to replicate a right-click/contextual menu, it's still not as easy or as versatile as this Task Bar feature.

There have always been things about the Dock I've not liked, but 8 years of usage gets you to a familiarity that alleviates the frustration. However now seeing the Task Bar, that frustration returns. So I hope Apple returns the favor to Microsoft and rips off that functionality!

/