Related Sections: Microsoft Software
Windows 7 Release Candidate makes a good OS even better
As the blogosphere goes gaga over Windows 7, Microsoft throws gasoline on the flames by soon offering a Release Candidate (RC). This updated version could be available in April, with the real Windows 7 rumored to be ready to ship in its finished form in September. And looky here — the RC update to the almost-baked OS actually has some interesting new details added.
The Redmondian engineers point out a list of 36 improvements, topped by further refinements to the excellent "Aero Peek" capability, now adding the glassy enlargement of a window as you slide through a 3D stack of windows using Alt-Tab. Vista users, you'll know what we mean. The tweak list is lengthy, so take a look at it to get an idea of how much Microsoft is listening to its beta testers.
We've been rigorously testing beta build 7000 of Windows 7 on numerous machines of all stripes here at our Midwest Test Facility, and while we're impressed with the new OS, we're not gushing over it. Nor did we think Vista was as bad as the widespread propaganda made it out it to be. As long as an operating system doesn't crash much — which none of them do any more — it's hard for us to get too excited. It's just an OS, people!
By Old Man Dotes at 1:57 PM ON 02/27/09
The Aero desktop is designed for people who are more impressed with "bells and whistles" than they are with productivity. I want my OS to launch applications, help me manage my files by presenting a logical file manager interface, to not crash, and to not be intrusive (for example, when I start a program which launches slowly, and then start another one which launches quickly, I want the fast program to stay on top until *I* decide to look at the slow one; I don't want my OS to "steal focus" and put the slow app on top of the one I am working in).
I specifically do NOT want "Aero Peek" nor Aero Glass. It's garbage. It uses CPU cycles that could be doing something useful, like calculating updates to my spreadsheet, downloading or unzipping a file, rendering a video, or even playing a FPS game. The OS should be Spartan in appearance and in construction. Which is why *every* version of Windows sucks, and Vista sucks the most, so far.
Running Windows apps under WINE in Ubuntu (with fluxbox or another minimalist GUI) still makes more sense than buying Vista or Windows 7, for all those very reasons. Plus, if the app crashes, it crashes alone, and doesn't take the whole OS down with it.
By TEC at 4:23 PM ON 02/27/09
OLD MAN DOTES you make a good point. But the unfortunate thing about people is they are like monkeys. OOOOHHHH SHINEY. People just like "Stuff" that looks neat. Who cares if it works lol it just has to look cool. Personally though i think that if you turn off the extras in windows 7 it does seem to be alot more stable then most any of Microsoft's OS's so far.
By Jay at 4:46 PM ON 02/27/09
Old Man Dotes:
Aero uses the video card. DERP CPU CYCLES DERP... No... well, not as much as you'd think.
Aero Peek increases productivity insofar as previews will always make switching between windows at least in some way easier. I can either have Title Bar text or I can go one step up and have a preview, or go one step up and have live previews. Adding Aero Peek to the Alt+Tab is just a larger-view extension of the thumbnail view Alt-Tab added to Vista (or XP with Power Toys). Seeing a full window peek is so much better for swapping between many windows. I often keep dozens open at a time, so being able to Tab-Tab-Tab between them with a full preview instead of having to decipher from a small 1-inch square is GOLDEN.
Also, WINE doesn't work with everything. Maybe it works with most things, but seriously, the apeal of Windows is that most users can know little to nothing of computers and they can get it to work.
Also, I was playing around with a $800 PC at Best Buy the other day, and Vista (Vistake, Sh*tsta, whatever you call it) ran smooth, beautiful, and crisp. Everything was instant. When we get to Core 2 Quads, Extremes, i7s, etc. along with NVidia 8800s, 9800s, etc. suddenly the "wasted cycles" that Windows uses in comparison to Ubuntu just don't matter. They just don't. I'll run Fedora on my $400 system, but on the system where I play my Steam games, it's going to be Windows.
By budgethero at 5:25 PM ON 02/27/09
people expect computers to open the strings of the universe and allow them to mess with reality as they please. to help them dance on thin air and eat clouds and run 20 websites all on watever RAM. RAM!!??!!??? wats RAM? Ive never heard of that! people expect computers to everything they want them to, NOW, no matter who makes it, what it's made out of, or the limits of the tech. and if the computer crashes because ur simultaneously looking at 9 gif's of cats dancing and doing human things like an idiot, it's the OS fault for not handling it and not being A GOD enough.
By AIR at 2:41 AM ON 02/28/09
OLD MAN DOTES, disable aero interface! what's wrong with that? Use Win98 - it so fast! It will calculate updates to your spreadshit...
By dragon1 at 7:05 PM ON 02/28/09
Ding dongs vista rocks - 7 is vista+ - get rid of the pentium 4 or amd cpu, get a 4ghz warped systems i7 and you have cpu cycles in reserve. Soon you have 16 (8 of then synthetic hyper threading) cores in a few months and no app can use them - you can use them for aero and other stuff for free!
By Applekiller at 4:36 PM ON 03/13/09
Anyone have an Alienware? One of the new ones? What OS do all newer Alienware Computers com pre installed with? Go look it up if you must, I'll wait.......
If you said Vista, you get an imaginary cookie!
Now what are the best gaming computers on the market?
If you said Alienware, you get an imaginary gold star!
what is 2+2? If you can do that, you most likly can see my point
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
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Applekiller:
Anyone have an Alienware? One of the new ones? What OS do all newer Alienware Computers com pre installed with? Go ...More »