To Window 7 or Not.

[donsor]

I've had Win XP Home Edition all along and I'm happy with it. I think I was smart not to upgrade to Vista. Now that Win 7 is available, is it a better OS than XP or is it too soon to tell?

[EzyStvy]

If you can't list 10 or more features/functions of Win 7 that will make your life better or more enjoyable - you don't need 7

[vtfanmv5]

1. Pinning >>> QuickLaunch
2. Improved Aero Peek/Thumbnails
3. Improved multi-core support
4. Improved boot times
5. XP Mode
6. UAC isn't as bad as it used to be!
7. Improved battery/power performance
8. Jump lists
9. Windows libraries! (I really enjoy this one)
10. DX11/other software updates

[glc]

I've had Win XP Home Edition all along and I'm happy with it.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by vtfanmv5 1. Pinning >>> QuickLaunch 2. Improved Aero Peek 3. Improved multi-core support 4. Improved boot times 5. XP Mode 6. UAC isn't as bad as it used to be! 7. Improved battery/power performance 8. Jump lists 9. Windows libraries! (I really enjoy this one) 10. DX11/other software updates

Agreed on all counts. There have been plenty of situations in my life where I've been perfectly happy with something....until something better came along.

Where were these people when MS was handing out free betas and RC's like candy? Fact is, we can list 100 reasons why 7 is better than XP, but you're never truly going to understand how good it is, or how its improvements may pertain to you, unless you try it for yourself.

[vtfanmv5]

I wouldn't blindly say that it's the better choice for everyone. Those are just some of the reasons that I enjoy it. But I do agree that everyone should try it for themselves.

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by vtfanmv5 I wouldn't blindly say that it's the better choice for everyone. Those are just some of the reasons that I enjoy it. But I do agree that everyone should try it for themselves.

Oh, of course I wouldn't say it's better for everyone. But you don't know until you try it.

I just don't agree at all with the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality. If everyone had that attitude, there would never be any advances in technology...or in anything, for that matter. Just because something works well for you...doesn't mean you shouldn't keep your eyes peeled for something better.

I have a good job. Doesn't mean I shouldn't be open to getting a better one.

[EzyStvy]

But, for the people that know next to nothing about Win 7 and can't list 10 new features that would work for them...There really isn't a need to go out and spend 100+ dollars etc and move to Win 7.

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by EzyStvy But, for the people that know next to nothing about Win 7 and can't list 10 new features that would work for them...There really isn't a need to go out and spend 100+ dollars etc and move to Win 7.

That argument doesn't hold water either, Stvy. I knew nothing about XP when I first installed it having been very comfortable with 98se. All I knew was XP was "supposed" to be a better, more secure operating system. Until I gave it a try, I had no idea how many new features it had that I would find useful. Just reading about improvements isn't the same as experiencing them.

That being said, if you don't have the money for a new operating system (or anything else for that matter) don't create a financial hardship just so you can keep up with the latest technology (or keep up with the Joneses)

[EzyStvy]

Hey PR...Chevy just came out with a new Camero that cost 40 sumttin grand. Do you recommend we all go out and get one of those too Where do ya draw the line and is new ALWAYS Better for EVERYBODY?

I'm with glc on this one - if it ain't broke - don't fix it...No sense throwing away a perfectly good OS like XP just to get something new cause other people are buying it.

Now if you're going to order or build a new pc and "need" - have to - must - order a new OS then now might be a good time to order Win 7.

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by EzyStvy Hey PR...Chevy just came out with a new Camero that cost 40 sumttin grand. Do you recommend we all go out and get one of those too

I wouldn't recommend a Camaro for EVERYONE but, if I had an extra 40 sumttin grand layin around, I'd be drivin one o' them beauties. (Or maybe the new Challenger).

(The rest of your post we'll just have to agree to disagree)

[glc]

The purpose of an operating system is to support your applications. There are only 2 reasons I'd upgrade - if I need to run some software that's not supported with what I already have, or if the old OS is deficient in something like stability and the new OS corrects those issues.

I upgraded from Win 95 to NT 4.0 for stability reasons. I upgraded from NT to 2K for app compatibility issues. The only real reason I went to XP is I built a new computer and the motherboard I chose didn't have 2K driver support - and I was anticipating app compatibility issues coming up.

I could care less about operating system bells and whistles - if I want to do something, I'll find a way to do it with something. I am also very comfortable with the Win 95 - style interface, which is why I run my XP in the classic mode with all effects turned off. I do not like the Win 7 GUI, and it doesn't have enough classic options to satisfy me. Believe me, I played with the RC, I'm not just talking out my butt here.

[EzyStvy]

I saw one of those Challengers two weeks ago...WOW its bad to the bone...

At least when people go from XP to 7, the forum traffic will pick up.

How do I do XXX in 7...In XP it was easy

[mazz72]

I'm not recommending people just go out and buy windows 7 on blind faith. Even if you have a friend or family member who has it and you can go play around with it, just to at least check out the interface, added "bells and whistles", etc...at least you're trying it out.

The OP asked if it was better than XP. That's obviously a matter of opinion. I wouldn't expect them to just go out and buy it on a whim...but I also don't think they should just disregard it, just because they're "fine with what they have now". Like I said...there'd be no progress if everyone had that attitude.

GLC...You don't like it, but at least you tried it out before making that decision. That's all I'm suggesting to anyone who might be the least bit interested in it...which the OP obviously is.

[vtfanmv5]

Some people care about bells and whistles, some don't. While "quality of life (or at least, personal computing)" upgrades are not necessary, I'm not opposed to upgrading for them - depending on what exactly they are and how much they affect me.

Do you need to upgrade? No. Should you at least TRY it and see if it would improve your personal computing experience? I think so. I'm sure most of Best Buy's showroom computers are running Windows 7 by now...it's worth an hour of your time to go play with it.

Life would be so much simpler if everyone were the same. Yet kind of boring.

[Statica]

I wouldn't recommend going out to upgrade to Windows 7 either. As long as your applications are supported and your system is stable, there really isnt a need to throw money into it .. or worse yet, tear down a stable system and deal with the hassles of a new OS and all it's possible instabilities and incompatibilities.
If you were getting a new system, then yeah it makes sense to get a newer OS, or if you were getting new hardware that was unsupported by your old OS.

No amount of window pinning and UI peeking is worth spending $ on a non-existent problem.

[vtfanmv5]

I also expect there is a correlation between the younger generation and older generation here. Older folk might be more set in their ways and resistant to change, while also caring far less about bells and whistles. On the other hand, the younger crowd seems to put much more weight on the GUI and bells and whistles. Nobody is wrong here, just a difference of opinions.

I could certainly live without pinning and jump lists. Some of other features, though, like increased performance (SSD, multi-core, boot times, power) and functionality changes like libraries have quickly become quite important to me.

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by vtfanmv5 I also expect there is a correlation between the younger generation and older generation here. Older folk might be more set in their ways and resistant to change...

So much for that theory. I"m in the old fart category and looking forward to using Win7 as my daily cruiser. However, my reason hasn't been mentioned in any of the previous discussion. I'm upgrading for the same reason I upgraded to Vista and continue to use Vista every day. I feel I need to develop a complete familiarity with the Win7 so I can properly service my customer's machines. Several have contacted me regarding purchasing a new pc and I have previously advised them to wait until Win7 was released on Oct 22. Now that the introduction date has passed, I expect the phone to start ringing again and I want to be prepared for the nuances of the new OS. I'll continue to operate an XP machine as well as one running Vista so I can have access to those systems for comparison with customer problems but I plan to make my daily use machine a Win7 platform.

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by Panama Red So much for that theory.

Make that 2 "old farts" for Win 7.

[vtfanmv5]

Okay, theory failed. Maybe.

[donsor]

Any comments regarding Vista? Did MS produce Win 7 because Vista bombed?

[Alaron]

Originally Posted by donsor Any comments regarding Vista? Did MS produce Win 7 because Vista bombed?

Do some forum searches on that topic, there were plenty of lively Vista debates.

[glc]

They produced Win 7 to make more money. The length of the gap (6 years) between XP and Vista is very unusual for M$.

[EzyStvy]

Originally Posted by donsor Any comments regarding Vista? Did MS produce Win 7 because Vista bombed?

Windows always has been and always will be a "work in progress."

And then there's the part where manny people like myself LIKE Vista and use it daily.

As GLC mentioned - the gap was longer then usual and Vista to Win 7 is shorter then usual.

[systempat]

Originally Posted by vtfanmv5 1. Pinning >>> QuickLaunch 2. Improved Aero Peek/Thumbnails 3. Improved multi-core support 4. Improved boot times 5. XP Mode 6. UAC isn't as bad as it used to be! 7. Improved battery/power performance 8. Jump lists 9. Windows libraries! (I really enjoy this one) 10. DX11/other software updates

I love the #6 reason 'not as bad as the last one'! Sounds like the Apple computer TV ad with the Mac guy and the PC guy, where the PC guy is doing the flashbacks to say "we solved the problems in the last one" for Vista, then for XP, then for ME, etc. Of course it's a distortion, and it's not like Apple hasn't upgraded for the very same reasons. But there's a grain of truth in there too.
I'm always reluctant to pick up the new versions of the Windows and Office packages. Until they've been out on the street for a while and the issues become known. At this point I will be skipping Vista completely. Mostly because XP was serving my needs quite well. And I don't have a burning need for the new features - yet. The fact that it has been reported to perform better and be less of a memory hog than Vista sounds like a good thing.
On the #5 - XP mode. Does that require having an available XP license or is that a built-in feature?

[Force Flow]

XP does everything I need it to. I probably won't be upgrading for a while. Especially not before the first service pack. The only reason I may consider it is for my gaming rig to take advantage of DX10 and DX11, but from what I've seen, they don't make that much of a difference yet.

There were a few things I didn't like about Win7's GUI that I couldn't tweak away in the RC (a matter of preference, not bugginess)

[rwest]

No one's mentioned 64 bit support. I thoght that would be the best reason to go win 7. I'm not sure though, I've been considering win 7 for that exact reason. My newest system is 64 bit ready. My understanding; Xp is application troublesome with 64 bit while Vista did better but had driver and compatability issues with hardware.

Can anybody elaborate on 64 bit win 7? Shouldn't it have better 64 bit support than XP or Vista? Honestly, why would you buy a new OS with older technology(32bit)?

[bearcreek]

For all you that have not tried Win7 yet, isnt there a trial period on it? I have not tried it myself, but intend to when I get the time to install it (if there is a trial period before purchase).

[EzyStvy]

bearcreek, You can in theory downlodd a trial version. (its generally designed for large companys)

But, you should spend a few weeks reading up on it to decide if you "need" to upgrade.


rwest - 32 bit OS's aren't old technology...Currently, the main reason to use 64bit is due to it dealing with more then 4 gigs of ram...The number of 64bit programs that a typical user would use can be counted on one hand (slight exaggeration)

[bearcreek]

When I try new operating systems, I use a different hard drive. I have a couple of 10g hard drives laying around, so I just wipe them clean and install the new OS without messing up my computer. This way I can try the OS without any troubles.