Jan 1 2009

Windows 7 – a second chance for Vista?

Please don’t all freak out on me … but … i am thinking of trying out the Windows 7 beta.

I think it’s fair to say that Windows Vista did not quite meet all the expectations that Microsoft had for it in 2008. The user account protection was annoying, the visual effects to me smacked of “tried too hard” and i think a lot of Windows XP users felt it wasn’t different enough to be worth an upgrade. People took their new Vista computers back to “upgrade” to XP, Dell are selling computers with Ubuntu, and the netbooks available in the high street have pushed Linux further into public awareness than ever before.

Vista was late, but i think they released it too soon. I think Microsoft’s reputation took a knock, but they have a chance to repair it. Windows 7 is pretty much Vista done properly, and from everything that i’ve read so far, it looks as if they’ve actually done quite well this time. So i’m going to try and get hold of the beta and have a go at dual booting it. It certainly won’t be my primary operating system of choice, but it could be useful for running SecondLife and/or OpenLife and i will admit i’m curious to see for myself what it’s like.

16 comments on “Windows 7 – a second chance for Vista?”

  1. I’m looking forward to seeing what you think about it, because I’ve heard good stuff about it too! (Like, as soon as Vista came out they were like, “screw this, let’s just get to work on Windows 7 and fix everything.”)

    Reply

  2. It was like Windows ME – remember that? – probably not! “Millennium Edition” i think it was supposed to be. A really weird obscure operating system that came between Windows 98 and Windows XP. They quickly dropped it after XP came out. I can definitely see Vista going the same way.

    The problem with Vista is that it had a huge accidental competitor: Windows XP! Windows 7 will have to be really good to make it worth the switch, but i really think they can do it. I’ll have a go and give credit if credit is due.

    Reply

  3. I remember Windows ME. The worst OS ever created.
    It lasted about a year anyway, so not many people remember or knew of it to begin with.

    I hope that they make it W7 more compatible with XP-centric hardware, otherwise my comp is going to be very far behind.

    Reply

  4. Yes, a year seems about the right amount of time for a flop operating system!

    If Vista wasn’t compatible with your computer, i suspect Windows 7 won’t be either. They’re trying to make it have the same requirements as Vista, but no lower.

    Reply

  5. Vista Home basic was just about compatible, but nothing above that,.
    I might have to keep XP as is and dual boot a superior OS, like Ubuntu.

    Reply

  7. Windows ME! I’d almost forgotten that one. And I’ve actually got all four versions of NT somewhere too.

    I think Win7 will have to be (a) a serious upgrade from XP, (b) not too bloated and (c) not full of bugs, to avoid repeating the Vista fiasco. With MS’s record so far, that…may be doubtful.

    But I also think XP is perfectly adequate for almost all windows users, so even if Win7 is full of really useful, impressive improvements, a lot of users will reason they just don’t need it. But I thought that about XP with regard to 2000, and was wrong.

    I reckon I’ll still be using my personally cut down and customised verson of XP (called “Minim”) a year after Win7 comes out. After that, I’ll know whether an upgrade is needed.

    Reply

  9. I think Windows 7 will do pretty well.

    For those on XP who never bothered upgrading to Vista, i think Windows 7 is now worth the effort of upgrading.

    For those who struggled with Vista, they may want to move to 7 to get rid of the annoyances. However, there is the question of how much to pay for it. Some people are of the opinion that Windows 7 should be a free upgrade for Vista users. Many will have found a way to cope with Vista and will not want to go through another upgrade.

    For the millions of people who are trying the Windows 7 Beta, i expect they may grow to quite like it, and will potentially miss it when it expires in August. It is probably Microsoft’s plan that they will consider the release version worth paying for.

    Reply

  13. I agree, Windows 7 is going to be Microsoft's biggest shot because they're incurring losses, faces tough competition with Google OS coming up soon and Linux. I haven't tried out Windows 7 yet and as I've a P4, I've heard very positive reviews from people trying out Windows 7 on P4, they think it's better than XP. Many users have said it's faster, hopefully the final version is even better than the RC.

    Reply

Leave a comment