Comments on: What scares me about Windows 7

Windows 7 beta is a fine operating system, but that doesn't mean it's not suffering from some issues. Don Reisinger takes a look at those issues.

[dougeg]

i like the new style of windows 7 the fell i have played with the beta and its alot of fun you get so may areas to work with the fell eveything but microsoft still has to address all the drivers for 32-bit 64 bit people befour they release like visa it finds all the drivers this one will just install the onces it think are corect as by defalt by microsoft i like that they are trying to update us but bill gates is all redy loaded we love all the new O/S but he shuld think about cutting people deals because when they goto an new O/s and when they upgrade so on they have a big problam will there same softwhere work on the same system will microsoft office work witch i can say yes :) will other programs work that people use on a day to day yes and no eveyone has there own softwhere we all dont copy eevyone i aslo rely enjoy the network grate invroment when u install it will let you pick a security code for your network so if anyone enter on your network with a copy of windows 7 it will ask for the security code in order to enter on the network but one thing we all hate on microdoft is that they release the new windows 7 and then they dont get all the bugs out of it and eveyone is in a place like why did i switch or microsoft puts them on all new computer new but what they also dont see in this is that when you get a computer 512 ram is stander on most laptops for vista they need to inprove it so people running on 512 ram eveything will work fast and not slow because of the hight resorse of the operation system theres alot too it lots of new stuff that i would like to see befour microsoft puch eveyone to use it they dont read the comments or read the post so they will not lisson to US people we no nothen they build it we use it and find all the bad problams with it and then we try to report it and nope sorry cant help you enjoy my feedback i would get it when it comes out and install it

[smilin:)]

"To open another window, I was forced to right-click the icon and click another option. For the veteran Mac user, that's expected. For the veteran Windows user, that's something new that will take some getting used to."

OH NOES. I was forced too! SteveB came out and put a gun to my head!

It's not that big of a deal dude. In fact I bet you naturally gave the right click a try without having to go find the manual didn't you? Some of us were even clever enough to realize you can just click the middle button once to accomplish the same thing. Face it...it's intuitive.

[smilin:)]

Wait I just realized... you said right clicking was expected of the veteran mac user but with the windows user it will take some getting used to?

Which OS has the right mouse button again?

[linuxgeek90]

Soon as I saw this article, I knew it'd be trash/FUD/whatever else. Because, after all, Don said something negative about Mac(sorta).

lol Great article!

[SteamChip]

It?s already expected that any backlog of old programs, games and peripherals probably won?t work on Windows 7. Changing the UI seems unnecessary, perhaps even wasteful especially since among the large teeming masses there are already vast pools of workers trained already in finding their way around XP machines.

By changing UI things around, support and productivity costs are suddenly added. Not only will these pools of laborers have to be retrained, either formally or on their own time, but computer technical support will also have to be trained in assisting users over the phone.

A customer calls technical support and the agent on the other end already knows what to do under XP: ??Ok go to Start, right click on My Computer->->->etc DONE.?

But the technican discovers the customer does not have XP:

?Oh you got Vista or Oh, you got Windows 7, uh, er, please hold while I research this for you.? Technician then disappears and tries to figure out how that task is done in Vista or Windows 7.

This is complicated especially since the sole test Vista and Windows 7 machine at the call center machine may not be fully operational or in use by another technician. Generally companies have all their phone support technicians already working on an XP workstation so at least on XP they can follow along with the customer as needed.

The consequence of this is not only is the support call dragged out costing the company unnecessary money (already running on razor thin profit margin per product sold) but in some cases, the customers are previously familiar with XP could have solved it on their own if they knew where to look.

Multiply that by 10's and thousands and millions.

[Brian]

Unlike Windows, you won't find those issues on a Mac.

Once you go Mac, you don't go back!

[wiredchicken]

They need to focus on not the graphics but how the os will be used for companies and at homes. Microsoft has gone way off track with making Windows vista look pretty!!!
But to be honest, I think the taskbar on the bottom of windows 7 is just a decoration and not a really a usable taskbar! If they want to make a better operating system then Windows Xp, then they are going to somehow build off of the xp toolbar and improve it! I have used windows xp long enough and want something better but just as useful as XP. The reason why everyone is still using Xp is because it works, and Windows Vista did't. First the prices were/are outragious and the operating system was too ahead of its time in terms of system requirements. Not many computers can use Vista and that is another reason its a failed operating system. Lastly, there have been to many bugs and issues with it. But, Microsoft needs to move AWAY from the MAC operating system and focus just on there own and stop COPYING mac. I am not sure if they fired the guy who designed Xp but they have just completely destroyed their repuation for their clean and featureful operating system!!!

[chrisl121212]

Microsoft is not doing a good job with their operating systems these days. Vista was terrible. The elegant design wasted a lot of ram. Vista's security was annoying. Every thing you did you needed an administrator's permission. I'm not expecting much from Windows 7. Windows 7 will have a much more fancier design (uh oh) which will kill a lot of ram. I will try the beta but I will certainly not give up XP.

Nice article Don.

[ipswich14]

sounds like this has to be looked at more and by antivirus/spyware people. i use xp as well as my brothers vista. i find minor things wrong with both.if your not smart enough to adjust and learn in a short period of time,say a couple three weeks,go back to the telephone. the info i've seen seems to be done by people that trying to rush to judgment [beat a dead line] and have not spent enough time studying it and may very well not be qualified to be in that position in the first place. i hate sport writers also. phil

[jmanb]

Don, all your article proves is that you are not really a good authority when it comes to writing about technology. This is complete FUD and sensationalism. Quoting numbers from PC Tools? What, are they paying you to promote their useless report? You should be ashamed of yourself for misleading your readers in this way. Where are your ethics man? What has happened to responsible journalism? At least give the context behind the report! Oh, I guess that would make the rest of your "story" moot.

[Ron Geiken]

Windows 7 is just an Operating System just like Vista and XP before it. I have used XP for years as a home user, and have had Vista for about a year and half, and right now in February 2009, it works fine, and any problems are lesser than the ones that I have had on XP or any of my i pods!!!! I use a whole lot of programs with Vista, and that is really the purpose of the O/S. It just helps programs to work properly and controls their operations somewhat. Windows 7 is probably a year from release, and by the time it is released, it may have significant changes. Vista was problematical in the first few months that I had it on my newest computer, but Microsoft seems to have resolved most of the show stoppers, and I now consider it the best O/S that I have ever had installed on a computer. I have disabled UAC as an self respecting power user should do, and now it works somewhat like XP only better. For the first few months when I left UAC operational, I got frustrated by it's constant intrusion. Now with it out of the picture, things work smoothly. I use Zone Alarm and AVG Free, and it seems like they have kept me pretty problem free. I also have a quad processor and 4 gig of ram, and run Diskeeper in the background which keeps the O/S disk defragmented. I don't want to read any more negative stories on Vista that aren't backed by any facts. That is how most politicians work, but thought that journalists should be held to a higher standard. I look to the Internet for information, but frequently find nothing but Screed when I read articles like this.

[denkile]

What is Scary ?......WINDOWS XP MAY BE ARBITRARILY PHASED OUT....
.....TO FORCE THE ADOPTION OF VISTA/WINDOWS 7 ! WHY ? NO GOOD REASON.
XP seens to be the prevailing standard in our institutions and society
and we have an established investment and interest in Windows XP.
With the phase out of XP it seems to be arbitrarily imposed obsolesce
of an omnibus of software, hardware, support, and experience that works.
Windows XP is the present standard for PC and workstation OS and interface
and it could be significantly improved in speed, efficency, ease of use, etc.

[cybergrace]

This is a comment from a regular user. My friend's who have installed Vista are all freaking out because their printers and software don't work. They almost all ask me to take off Vista and put XP back on so they can "work like they used too." I tell them, well, maybe you want to wait for Windows 7. Then I read articles like this saying "oh, it's pretty and looks like the Mac OSX." Please this isn't the breaking point for regular users. Will Vista work with old printers, scanners, video camera, digital cameras, etc.??? Yeah, enterprise users have tech support. Should I take the huge amount of time to switch them from Vista to XP -- or can I beg them to wait for Windows 7??? Thanks!

[pcdude2143]

Linux is ready to take off, but education is required to cut through the Microsoft FUD that's been spread throughout the years. My grandmother has no problem using Ubuntu Linux. I switched her over a few months ago and it's going smoothly. I'll try and make sure her next computer doesn't come with Windows. Any cut into Microsoft's profits can only help.

As for me, I'm entirely Ubuntu EXCEPT for one game, America's Army, because of PunkBuster. The rest I can play under Linux with no performance hit. I guess I'll just try to buy the cheapest version of 7 when it comes out. Or maybe XP off of Ebay.