Microsoft Windows 7
Posted on 08. Jan, 2009 by Terry Reinert in Photography
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer announced during the CES keynote speech that Microsoft Windows 7 is almost ready for prime time. Are you freaking kidding me? This is what I have to say on the matter…
Microsoft released Windows XP in October 2001, Windows XP SP1 in September 2002, Windows XP SP2 in August 2004, and Windows XP SP3 in April 2008. Windows XP was built upon the Windows NT kernel and is the first operating system (OS) designed for home users that was built on that kernel. I remember the initital release was a bit buggy and had some issues but by SP2 it was a rock solid OS. Yes, it still had some issues and bugs but for the most part it was pretty darn good. So basically it took them 3 years from release to get a decent operating system that was reliable enough to trust your data with.
Microsoft released Windows Vista in January 2007. This OS was based on the Windows Server 2003 SP1 codebase which was a pretty good OS. Microsoft released Windows Vista SP1 in Febuary 2008. Windows Vista SP2 is currently in beta testing (entered beta in October 2008) and the release date is not yet known. I bought a laptop with Windows Vista on it right after Vista was released and six months later I bought my first MacBook Pro because I hated Vista so much. Recently I updated my Windows XP SP2 64-bit PC to Windows Server 2008 SP1 which is basically Windows Vista SP1 without all the blout and crap. So far I have been very happy with Windows Server 2008 SP1 but still unsure about Windows Vista SP1 since it still contains all the blout and crap that I couldn’t stand in the initial release.
It is important to note that Windows Vista was originally based on the Windows XP code base and after a few years of development they put that on hold and went forward with the Windows Server 2003 code base instead. There was a lot of cross breeding and insest involved with the code of all these OS’s to the point to where I do not think anyone fully understands what the true nature of each OS’s blood line really is! But it is known that Windows 7 is a continuation of the original effort for Windows Vista that was based off of the Windows XP code.
As you can see, the reality of Windows 7 is that it is not going to be an OS that is based on Windows Vista but instead an OS that is based on Windows XP with elements of Windows Vista incorporated into it. So we cannot really look directly at the time lines in the history lesson above to come up with a solid prediction as to how bad Windows 7 is going to suck or how great it is going to be. This is because the code base that Windows 7 is based off of started development just before Windows XP was initially released in 2001 and has been put on the back burner many times since then.
From what I can tell though it looks like Windows 7 is going to be a lot like what they claimed Windows Vista was going to be; a better, easier to use, and fun operating system. I would almost call it a Windows Vista SP3 without the Windows Vista part. It will probably look roughly the same and have a lot of the same features but it should be more stable and more secure. Note that this is all my hopefully optimism coming out.
So what is my verdict on Microsoft Windows 7? Buy a Mac with OSX. Seriously. The ONLY reason I keep my Windows Server 2008 system around is to play Windows only games on it and because a large percentage of the software contracts I work on require the Windows platform. Everything else that I do… web development, photography related tasks, internet use, school work, office related things, etc. is all done on my MacBook Pro. Even Microsoft Office for Mac is a hell of a lot better than their version for PC… Office 2008 for Mac is a completely seperate code base from Office for PC and it runs a lot better and has a much improved GUI.
But if you just cannot buy a Mac at all then my advice is to watch Windows 7 but do not jump too soon. Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 SP1 (it works great as a desktop OS) in the short term and wait until Windows 7 SP1 or SP2 comes out before making the final decision to buy it. Microsoft has a bad history of releasing products way before they are ready for prime time and I don’t want anyone to get screwed over like all the early adopters of Windows Vista.
Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.
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08. Jan, 2009
[...] Microsoft Windows 7 | Where Art & Engineering Collide [...]
adam hartung
08. Jan, 2009
How can anyone be excited by an announcement, after 2 years, to fix the weaknesses in a product that was launched two years late? Microsoft’s Windows 7 is more of the same, and that’s not going to drive sales. Read more at http://www.ThePhoenixPrinciple.com
Terry
09. Jan, 2009
I couldn’t agree more. One of the quotes I read was that Microsoft thinks they need to build on the growing excitement and should try really hard to release in 2009… growing excitement? How about growing resentment or growing uncertainty! As usual the large company mentality has blinded them to the truth of the matter.