Windows 7 ?

[buzz]

I saw several commercials on tv for Windows 7.  Did they even fix Vista yet ?  Anyone know what "new & improved" features this release is supposed to have  ?

[jfrickind]

From what I have read and heard Windows 7 is more stable, takes up less space, and runs faster than Vista.  It even has a virtual XP mode.  Here's a link with a bunch of different information (the website is pro-PC)

http://lifehacker.com/tag/Windows-7-Preview/

JD

[menace2society]

waaaay better.  Best Window OS yet.

[n01_important]

I heard it's almost as good as a Mac OS 9.   

For all you non-Mac'rs... since OS 9, we had OS 10.0 (Cheetah), 10.1 (Puma), 10.2 (Jaguar), 10.3 (Panther), 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard) and now 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Windows 7 is a make or break release for Microsoft.  Let's see if they deliver.

[BRoWN]

I heard it's almost as good as a Mac OS 9.  

For all you non-Mac'rs... since OS 9, we had OS 10.0 (Cheetah), 10.1 (Puma), 10.2 (Jaguar), 10.3 (Panther), 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard) and now 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Windows 7 is a make or break release for Microsoft.  Let's see if they deliver.

LMAO Wow. Microsoft should really pick up the pace at stealing the Mac  ideas.  

[Hogzilla]

I heard it's almost as good as a Mac OS 9.   

So true. 

[Vic0218]

There's an interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal written by Walter Mossberg that I thought might be worth sharing, especially for 'semi-techies' like me. I think it offers a comprehensive overview of features.

First few paragraphs below, but the full article can be referenced on WSJ's site or using the link below (which doesn't require an account to view):

http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/

A Windows to Help You Forget
October 7, 2009
by Walter S. Mossberg

In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade.

With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999.

After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft (MSFT) has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers.

[buzz]

Thanks Vicki

[Classof67]

If you're an XP user, this does not sound like an easy upgrade to the 7 platform. 
Home Premium Price Tag for most home computers: $120

Excerpt from WSJ article for XP users:

Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won't be able to do that. They'll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years.

Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they've got or wait and buy a new one.

[buzz]

Thanks Janie

[n01_important]

What about a comparison to Mac OS X or Linux?

Why own a wanna-be Mac system when you can own the real thing... I never understood that from the IBM'rs.

[OakParkSpartan]

What about a comparison to Mac OS X or Linux?

Why own a wanna-be Mac system when you can own the real thing... I never understood that from the IBM'rs.

Funny, as I am reading this, I'm working on a problem with AIX.  One of the processes has been running since last December.  That's the kind of stability that OS X or Linux will bring you. 

[Ted]

If you're an XP user, this does not sound like an easy upgrade to the 7 platform. 

Most people don't try to upgrade to new operating systems on their home computers.  Computers are like cars - people buy new ones every 7 years or so.

[Bonster]

If you're an XP user, this does not sound like an easy upgrade to the 7 platform. 

Computers are like cars - people buy new ones every 7 years or so.

To me they're like porn machines.

[Classof67]

If you're an XP user, this does not sound like an easy upgrade to the 7 platform. 

Most people don't try to upgrade to new operating systems on their home computers.  Computers are like cars - people buy new ones every 7 years or so.

That is so true.  I was thinking along the same lines.  I'll upgrade when I buy the next one.

[Classof67]

Holy Mac n' Cheese....uh-oh...Mac users are human!

Inside Snow Leopard's Guest Account Data Loss Bug

Rob Griffiths, Macworld.com

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 4:10 PM PDT

Since Snow Leopard's release, a few users have reported a scary data loss incident related to using the Guest account. Basically, after upgrading to Snow Leopard with an existing Guest account in Leopard, these users logged into their Guest accounts, then back into their normal accounts, only to find all of their data gone--none of their files were there, all preferences were reset, and all programs acted like they were being launched for the first time ever.

While the number of people affected by this bug is relatively small, the loss of data makes it a very serious issue. Cnet originally confirmed the existence of the bug with Apple, and an Apple spokesperson I spoke to on Tuesday told me the company is "aware of the issue, which only occurs in extremely rare cases, and we are working on a fix."

To better understand the nature of the problem, I set out to replicate it myself... and had no luck whatsoever. From what I've read on the problem, it's supposed to occur when you upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard, have an existing Guest account in Leopard, and then log into and out of the Guest account in Snow Leopard.

I have a test partition that was running OS X 10.5.8, so I activated the Guest account there (and tested it to make sure it worked). I then ran the Snow Leopard upgrade. After the upgrade, the machine booted and logged me into my usual account. I then logged out, logged into the Guest account, and used it for a while. I logged out and back into my main account, and found all the data was there. I then tried using the Guest account via Fast User Switching, but still, there was no harm to my regular user account.

Clearly this bug exists, based on the posts in the Apple Discussions forum and Apple's acknowledgment of the issue. However, it doesn't appear (at least based on my testing) that the issue affects everyone who had a Guest account in 10.5. Still, if you're presently using 10.5 and are considering an upgrade to Snow Leopard, there are two simple things you can do to protect yourself until this bug is fixed.

First and foremost, make sure you have a current, usable backup of your machine before you upgrade. This is good advice in general, but even more so any time you're upgrading the operating system. Second, if you do have the Guest account enabled in 10.5, disable it (in the Accounts System Preferences panel) prior to upgrading. After upgrading, you can then re-enable the Guest account, as apparently Guest accounts created in Snow Leopard itself don't cause this data loss issue to arise.

If it were me, though, I'd stay away from Guest accounts in general until Apple fixes the problem--unless you have a compelling need to use them in the near term, the risk seems much greater than the potential benefit at this point.

[n01_important]

Must be former IBM'r turned wanna be Mac users.

Anyone who upgrades their OS and doesn't back up is a dumb fuck... truly dumb.  Back in the old days, these dumb fucks would walk up to lion to pet them and get eaten... today they get stories written about them so the whole world can have sympathy towards them.

We live in a weird and irrational society. 

[OakParkSpartan]

There's a product called JungleDisk that does a nice job of automating backups.  It sends them up to the Amazon S3 cloud where you can retrieve it if you have a disaster on your computer (HW failure, stolen, whatever).

[Bonster]

http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2009/10/22/windows-7-party-with-seven-7x7-in-n-out-burgers/

[Bonster]

http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2009/10/22/windows-7-party-with-seven-7x7-in-n-out-burgers/

 
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