Windows 7 arriving early - M$ to show off OS on October 28

I agree 98 was a bit of a pain, esp. when it conflicted with system buliders "crapware." (Win 9x in general was a bother, esp. ME) but XP actually runs good on my HP Pavilion. (533 Mhz. P3, 30 GB HD, 256 MB of RAM) I upgraded it to XP around when Vista shipped to businesses in 06.

 

I posted this in another Windows 7 thread, but going on the fact that this is in many ways a reiteration of Vista, I'll be upgrading if there are performance improvements.

Totally right there with you.

 

LOL, yeah, I've barely settled down with Vista x64 myself, so I won't be switching anytime soon...

My principle is always to wait for the first service pack to be released before switching cause installing the release (RTM) version can sometimes feel like beta testing, so waiting for Windows 7 SP1 will give me some breathing space

 

Hopefully Win7 won't need an SP to really solidify it's stability and performance like XP and Vista.

 

Windows not needing service packs?

Roflbbqsauce.

 

Well, an SP can mean more than what it seems people think it means.

Look at XP SP2; it added new features, improving upon what was already there. Not necessarily fixing bugs. Of course, SP2 did address certain things, but the main focus of it was to implement new features.

 

im so used to linux releases where an OS update happening less than once a year is wayy too slow (i.e. ubuntu is every 6 months, gentoo is practically every week, etc)

of course if theyre building it from the ground up thats another story. props to them if they do so, i might consider checking it out then, but until it happens windows will just be my gaming OS

 

Query Unrelated to thread topic:-

I bought a dell that came with a licensed OEM Vista 32bit SP1. Now I want to upgrade to vista 64 bit. Can I download a trial version off Microsoft's website and use the 32bit Key i got or do I have to ask Dell to provide me with a 64 bit version of the OS.

 

As far as I know, you'll have to talk to _Dell. The OEM versions are not the same as the retail versions (which is what Microsoft releases directly itself) and the OEM keys generally will not work with Retail versions.

 

If you can "obtain" the 64 bit dvd through msdn or what have you, then the 32 bit key will work with 64 bit.

 

Syster is right. You cannot use a retail key for a OEM key. The stickers that manufacturers give you is a OEM. You can find OEM disk anywhere you will just have to look. Try to get one that has SP1 integrated into it.

 

Am I the only one who is concerned MS might be rushing again?

 

If you read this thread, no. If you knew how Microsoft intended to release things, and knew how quickly technology changed and as a result software should be updated, you would realize how silly it sounds that "3 years is rushing".

 

Yes, and no. Yes, because I think they got way too ambitious with _Vista, ended up not being able to stick to a realistic timetable, and finally dashed out a half-finished product. No, because, as CalebSchmerge points out, 3 years is an eternity as far as computers are concerned.

 

No joke. Ubuntu pwns Vista.

 

Lawl.........

 

LMAO!

As for other OS I respect Linux and Ubuntu but ultimately I don't find either of them as appealing as Windows. I'd use a Mac before I ran Ubuntu or Linux on a PC.

And yes MS is rushing this time around. They want to get rid of the negative emotions/press that surrounds Vista. So of course they'll push out what Vista SHOULD have been as soon as possible.

Really this is a lesson for MS. If they had simply delayed Vista and got their sh*t together then they could have released an awesome OS without any of the f*ckups that occured with the Vista launch. I mean when you think about it we waited long enough for Vista and it turned out to be a failure at launch. Would it have really killed anyone to wait a few more years while they got all the kinks worked out?

Instead we got a fault OS at launch and now we're getting a "new" OS in record setting time...

I love Vista but I was hoping when I bought it that it would last a while. And to be honest I'm pissed off that this new Windows 7 will be out basically next year. If MS is smart they'll make it a cheap as an incentive for people who upgraded to Vista recently....

 

Well Vista came out when late 2006 early 2007?

And windows 7 is slated for 2010 or 2011?

4-5 years, that's a little longer then the pre vista timetable.

Look at Win98, they re released that os a year later in Win98SE. So it's not like this hasn't been done before. And honestly if you have the specs to run Vista properly with SP1 then you shouldn't have any problems, unless you're a business (but that's more a compatibility issue with clients and programs that have accumulated over XP's 7 year reign).

 

Thanks for the reply. I will call up and ask Dell what are my options. But I am certainly not going to pay extra for the 64 bit, considering that its going to be replaced by Windows 7

 

Ganesh, see this thread about getting a 64-bit disc from Dell: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=254817

(And next time you have a query unrelated to the thread topic... start a new thread! Or search...)

 

i don't think it's rushing either... 3 years is enough

 

If they were building from scratch, then 3 years may be rushing, but it's using Vista's code base. Much like they had planned to use XP's code base for Longhorn (which looked amazing, btw). Hopefully they can deliver.

Vista SP1 was a good start. Let's see what they can do.

 

I don't know if this was already mentioned, but MS does have a "engineering Windows 7" blog. Yes this is probably marketing but still, they do have some pretty interesting posts:

http://blogs.msdn.com/e7

 

Thanks for the link. They do have some interesting things there.

 

I hardly think Vista was "rushed" out the door. The biggest fault of Vista's launch was the new driver models. Notice plural form. Not only did the video drivers have to be rewritten, the audio drivers had to be rewritten. And anyone that writes device drivers will tell ya that it is hard enough to make well tested device drivers. Even harder when you have to learn a completely new framework to develop in.

Notice the new scorched earth mentality they had when it came to security. Microsoft closed up a lot of security holes in the operating system. It broke a lot of programs at release. Notice UAC also broke a lot of programs at release.

This time around, Microsoft is going to be less ambitious and go a bit slower with the changes. It is no surprise that people hate change and computer users are no different.

 

That is a really good point you made there surfasb. I think this new OS will be a refinement of vista rather than something revolutionary. Expectations will be high, but not as high when Vista came out.

 

Very interesting points and a wonderful arguments till now, here in this thread I like it..

I personally feel Windows 7 is going to be more liked and well-received by the people... and looking at that blog (link posted couple of posts earlier) and also other news of the development, I think M$ is making some serious, sincere efforts to make it more likeable by the common man, rather than force us to use something M$ came up with..

I am looking forward to it I like Vista a lot.. (I didn't know I would before starting to use it, and in fact, I even had plans to getting in XP as soon as I got this laptop, but now I like Vista *a lot*)..

 

It is no surprise Win7 is going to be a rebranded Vista. The shock of a new OS is largely gone and forgotten. I remember people cursing up a storm when XP required people to install in a NTFS partition. I hear nothing of that now.

 

I look at WinXP as Stockholm syndrome. Most of the people who don't like Vista have fallen in love with their captor - they aren't willing to give Vista a fair try. I haven't seen many real problems with Vista, and those that were problems have been addressed by Microsoft.

 

However, the reverse can be said with just as much justification.

 

I agree with this.

The mistake MS made was letting one OS stay on the market for 7 years. Had there been no delay with Vista, XP would have already been long forgotten.

 

I think that argument is overplayed and bogus. There are many legitimate end users who have had their share of problems with Vista. Also the press and tech sites have been rather lukewarm to Vista.

I have 5 legit copies of Vista and have been using it since it was released. I still prefer XP because I still think it does more things right than Vista.

Microsoft better get Windows 7 right because they will have even more defectors on their hands who will go the OS X route or to Linux. To Microsoft's credit they are still supporting XP till 2014.

 

Vista was the mistake my friend!

 

Great Picture!

 

Please Vista bashing is just a stupid fad. Like others have said there weren't any big problems to begin with and the bottom line is that MS has already fixed any real concerns.

But hey feel free to move on to Linux or Mac OSX...lol. Or you can go thru the headache of getting XP to work on your laptop...which is becoming more and more difficult as manufacturers switch their hardward over to be more compatible with Vista as opposed to XP. And I highly doubt it will impact Windows sales anyways. Lots more people use Windows and will continue to use Windows regardless.

 

In terms of user experience the difference isn't huge between Vista and XP, certainly nothing like the jump from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 or from Windows 98/ME to Windows XP. The UI is very much alike with the exception of the Vista UAC and of course the Vista Aero theme for those who have that. Stability is pretty much the same as both OS:es are rock solid for normal home use. So what it boils down to in the end is hardware and software support. Older computers will for the most part continue running XP while newer computers will have to use Vista for full hardware support. I don't see why anyone would for instance run XP on a Core 2 Duo laptop (unless you're short on cash) nor for that matter why anyone would run Vista on an old Intel Celeron laptop.

 

^ look at me .. cause I run XP, and I'm extremely happy

 

Didn't the T61 originally ship with XP? The hardware support was already there.

 

Did we hurt your feelings? Maybe you work on the Vista team, LOL.

 

Nope I have no clue how to build an OS. I just think it's extremely pointless and another funny example of how evolution has gone backwards with some humans.

 

I used to be the biggest vista hater until I actually tried it ...

Is Windows 7 going to use Vista drivers?

 

Glad to see your feelings weren't hurt, loser.

 

I hear it's going to be based on Vista...not sure if that means exactly what you're asking...

Lol someone who probably spent days installing an old operating system that probably doesn't even work as well it should work is calling me a loser...

Lol. Just look in all these threads where people are saying they're going to replace Vista with XP. It looks like the vast majority of them manage to f it up really badly and end up losing features in their laptop.

To me that's quite retarded. Especially when Vista is so good right now...

But like I said before you're more than welcome to do whatever you want. To each his own. But it won't change the fact that most people like Vista now and will continue to use Windows...

 

I'm glad your enjoying Vista I really do. Others don't feel as you do and if that weren't the case Microsoft would not be entrenched in a PR battle with Vista. All of my systems with the exception of 1 was ordered with Windows XP. The only exception was my Vostro 1700 and it still runs Vista. Just because people don't like an OS for valid reasons doesn't mean they are haters. They will find better alternatives be it Windows XP, OS X or Linux.

I have given Vista a fair shot since the day it was released. In some ways MS managed to fix things that was wrong with XP and in other ways they managed break a lot of things. I prefer XP over Vista because I still feel it offers more pluses than Vista.

 

OK. Enough bashing each other. Lets debate without the personal insults. This need to be a place where we express our opinions about technologies and not at each other.

Anyhow I would say that Vista is starting to become the mainstream and in the last 6 months I have not heard anything at all negative with Vista. Vista runs pretty flawless now and with all the updates and the newest drivers I know that Vista is superior in every way than XP. Now I am not saying that XP sucks, but on newer hardware, Vista will be the superior OS. XP had a awesome run and probably one of the best in the history of OSes but it is time to move on.

Vista has paved the way for next iteration of OSes and when 7 arrives will for sure dominate. It will take all the cool stuff in Vista and make it ten time better. There will be new features that will make things better and the performance will be increased.

MS has done a best job in compatibility based on the demand for it and the variety of software out there. Yes it would be great if the would drop the NT kernel and start with something fresh but that would be a mistake. I can see in the future that they will probably do that and use emulation to ad compatibility but not for another 5 years at least.

 

I apologise if I repeat anything already stated as there are simply too many pages to read.

From what I understand, Windows 7 is basically an extremely polished version of Vista. They use the same kernel but the former is tweaked with some additional features such as touch screen. Some bundled software is also stripped out, perhaps to comply with European Competition laws, but can be downloaded free of charge.

I would not complain if they had to rewrite drivers since the current ones are not exactly perfect, and since this version strives to address the compatibly issues of Vista, they should be good.

The OS in October should be Milestone 3 at most. I am not a programmer but I think they still need an Alpha, Beta and 2 Release Candidates before arriving at the final product. I would estimate the release to be in Q2 2009 at the earliest.

In my opinion the statement made in the title of this thread appears wrong.

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=15729

 

I had to choose between XP and Vista

good thing is that t61 does have drivers for both OSes

 

I think the biggest reason why consumers are so adamant to sticking with XP is the same reason the sub $1000 laptop catagory is the fastest growing category in sales. As computers become more affordable, people want not just one fast computer. They want a fast computer, with a fast mobile phone with a fast computer they can carry around, with a fast computer in their car, etc etc.

Vista never completely addressed the issue of easy and simple home networking. The Network sharing center + Sync center was in the right direction and is a HUGE improvement over Offline File Sharing + Network Connections. But it isn't enough. The vast increase in the sale of smartphones shows a trend where our everyday devices are getting more and more complex. More and more people are exploring the option of attaching a Media PC to their TVs.

Vista did address security, which has been the largest change in the mentality of programming design since Win98. But now people want to be mobile.

I say the biggest features that need to become more accessible is remote connections, sync features and in general, networking and tethering more than one computer together. The ad hoc networking feature? It is a pain in the rear to use. Sharing a printer? Home users need to grasp the fact that Netbois puts everyone in different workgroups and that could prevent everyone from sharing resources. A PAIN IN THE REAR. The network neighborhood browser? A joke. Workgroup computing is so suspect and inconsistent.

I think Win7 is moving in the right direction here, making alot of components available through windows Live and in general, making Windows Live a more prominent feature. Email, bookmarks, photos, calender, and contacts that all sync together through Windows Live. They are almost there too, if anyone here has used Windows Live. It reminds me a lot of what Mobile ME was suppose to be.

I think Windows Live would be Microsoft's biggest weapon against Google if they make it more prominent.

 

Wow, you just lost all your credibility. It seems, too, that you proved the point that I made, and that CassilineKnight made. Good work.

 

I can't believe that we'll be able to start using Windows 7 in three weeks. Microsoft barely even showed it off. I don't think that it's going to be the major jump from Vista that they promised, though.