What's so special about Windows 7?

[macJC50640]

What's so special about Windows 7? I hear a lot of people saying really good things about it and some even go as far to say its better than OSX. Now, I haven't actually used it, but the new taskbar just seems like its a blown up version of quick launch. You see pictures of what windows you have open instead of words. Big deal. I have to admit the whole dragging windows to the edge of the screen thing is sort of cool. But just that won't make most people upgrade. Its nice that it's not supposed to throw stupid secutity messages at your face all day, though. What's the HUGE differance between Vista and 7?

What am I missing?

 

[boobooq88]

Mostly stability and speed

 

[sal]

. What's the HUGE differance between Vista and 7?

I don't think there is a HUGE difference. There are a few tweaks and changes that make windows7 worthwhile and better than vista. Biggest difference I noticed is that it windows7 is less of a system resource hog than vista was. Very lightweight.

 

[boonlar]

There are videos on youtube of people running win7 on 800mhz pentium 3s. I think this OS will be very successful and will be what XP users have been waiting for.

 

[econoline06]

There are videos on youtube of people running win7 on 800mhz pentium 3s. I think this OS will be very successful and will be what XP users have been waiting for.

haha, alright then. The huge difference? NONE. Its Vista SP2 man, just a marketing gimmick to get away from the tainted reputation of the name "Vista". Microsoft has been promising the same thing for every single OS release they've ever done. Its not going to be anything special. I have the beta and its extremely underwhelming. The whole look and feel is just...cheap.

 

[buddhaface]

Windows 7 is snappy. Kind of like the old Windows 95 on a fast system. If you turn off window animation* in Win7 you'll be a bit startled at how fast Word starts and pops up a window. The second you click it, it's there (and I'm using it on a 1.33ghz PC laptop with Intel graphics). In a rushed, old school kind of way. You just don't get that feeling ever in Vista or OS X.


* (Go to Performance Options in Control Panel --> Adjust Visual Effects --> Turn off animate windows when maximizing and minimizing)

 

[FX120]

What is the difference between Vista and 7?

Two and a half years of development.


Oh, and Leopard was what Tiger should have been.

 

[decksnap]

What is the difference between Vista and 7?

Two and a half years of development.


Oh, and Leopard was what Tiger should have been.

??
Leopard may have a couple more features bolted on but Tiger is no Vista. In many ways Tiger feels better than Leopard. It is a rock solid OS.

 

[buddhaface]

The huge difference? NONE. Its Vista SP2 man, just a marketing gimmick to get away from the tainted reputation of the name "Vista". Microsoft has been promising the same thing for every single OS release they've ever done. Its not going to be anything special. I have the beta and its extremely underwhelming. The whole look and feel is just...cheap.

Whatever dude, you can say the same stuff about OS X for 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, and the upcoming Snow Leopard.

Win7 is definitely a better update over Vista than Vista was over XP for me.

 

[buddhaface]

??
Leopard may have a couple more features bolted on but Tiger is no Vista. In many ways Tiger feels better than Leopard. It is a rock solid OS.

Agreed. I like Tiger more than Leopard in fact, Leopard has been nothing but trouble for me, especially with Wifi and finding networked computers. Not a huge fan of the gray Leopard UI either (too much like OS9's Platinum).

 

[FX120]

??
Leopard may have a couple more features bolted on but Tiger is no Vista. In many ways Tiger feels better than Leopard. It is a rock solid OS.

My point was that you can always look back and say "well this is what that should have been"... I would have loved to have a E46 M3 with a V8 in it that was available to the public, but there wasn't. Now that there is the E90 M3 with a V8, it would be stupid to look back and say "Well this is what the E46 M3 should have been." It's called progress, and it takes time.

It's not like Microsoft had Windows 7 in a box all ready to go when Vista was launched. And if there hadn't been a Vista, 7 would be experiencing all the problems that Vista experienced at launch right now, mainly a shortage of drivers and application incompatability due to restricted privileges.

So to say that 7 "is what Vista should have been" is a retarded statement, and I wish people would stop saying it. The same goes for "7 is Vista SP 2, LOL!".

 

[MacsRgr8]

TBO, Win 7 suffers the usual über-positive treatment whenever a new OS (especially a public beta) gets launched.
Mostly, the enthusiasts download the OS, and these users get excited because:
a) a new look gives it a nice appeal,
b) installing a clean new OS usually delivers better performance,
c) it's only beta, thus minor issues a looked over,
d) enthusiasts love a new OS anyway... (same goes for new Linux distro).

Must admit Vista had so many issues, that Windows 7 can't have been worse. Good marketing on Microsoft part....

I just wonder, if people were to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 while having the same "skin" really would result in the same optimism.

Still, it's good for Apple to have serious competition when launching Snow Leopard. Vista was simply too easy....

 

[I'm a Mac]

I downloaded the beta, and although I can't say I'm really disappointed, because VMWare lacks Aero support and 3D hardware acceleration doesn't work, there's not many fun things to do. (Unless anyone can think of some)

 

[Stridder44]

haha, alright then. The huge difference? NONE. Its Vista SP2 man, just a marketing gimmick to get away from the tainted reputation of the name "Vista". Microsoft has been promising the same thing for every single OS release they've ever done. Its not going to be anything special. I have the beta and its extremely underwhelming. The whole look and feel is just...cheap.

Well at least you aren't a troll/Apple kool-aid drinker.

 

[zombie1210]

I have personal experience with 5 different PC's that are running Vista. I hate to say this, but none have had any issues whatsoever. I had way more issues with XP. Vista is not the EVIL OS that it is made out to be.

That said.....my personal machines have Leopard on them, and I MUCH prefer them.

Windows 7?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

 

[gkarris]

What's so special about Windows 7?

What am I missing?

Ummm, it's Microsoft's next Operating System?

Software companies do that from time-to-time, come out with a new version...

 

[elgrecomac]

Lets not be so cocky...

Win 7, from a corporate standpoint, is a compelling offering for the hundreds of millions of PCs in businesses around the world that are currently running Windows XP or Vista. I have been testing both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Win 7.

* It is fast, and though I don't have the benchmarks to proved it yet, it seems as fast as OSX...and I am running Win 7 under Fusion 2.01 while accessing the most popular desktop apps.
* For a beta, it is quite stable.
* The arrogance of the Mac user should be tempered by the fact that the OSX have moved Apple from 8% market share to 10% market share in 3 years. At this pace, the Mac will be a major force in the corporate world by the year 2020. Big deal.
* The ease of use gap that Apple so proudly touts (and rightfully so!) is being narrowed with Win 7.
* And the kicker is that Apple remains significantly more expensive that a comparable PC. Corporations still vote with their pocket books and it is difficult to justify my MPB at $3000 when a Win 7 Dell or HP will cost more than $1000 less.

I got tired of using XP and having to deal with the stability issues but if Win 7 actually has addressed the stability and speed issues, well, Apple will remain a niche player in the desktop world.

------------
iphone 3G 16Gb; MBP 17" 2.6 Ghz 6Gb Ram 30" Cinema display

 

[tehpirate]

Whats up with Windows 7 really is that its not so much a redesign its that it adds on and improves what vista has built. In mac terms you would call it Windows 6.2 because where xp switched from the 9x architecture to basically being NT 5.0, then vista redesigned major parts of the OS kernel (xp did too but vista was more severe) and made major changes to the look and feel (being in computer sales and repair i can tell you THIS is what people hate about vista not the performance. Unless they are a system admin.). With Windows 7 the push isnt towards a major change. They have faced unfair scrutiny from all corners of the industry. You hear the people who need performance from their computers complaining and think well they know what they are doing so vista must really be bad. Then they come into a retail store/repair shop and say i hate the vista its really bad and the only experience theyve had with it is hearing their friend complaign about it. With the increasing popularity of OSX and the need for style in an OS windows made a mistake in putting more effort into changing the feel (your "dumb" users hate because they have trouble doing what they already know) and less into keeping performance in their criteria (your "smart" users hate this). This all kind of snowballed into what vista is today. A solid OS with a bad reputation. So why as microsoft would you not want to do windows 7. The look and feel has a slight change from vista. Its more towards the stylish look that has fueled OSX. And they have been working on improving performance. I personally dont feel the performance is much improved in gaming but i havent run benchmarks or even run any higher performance games. The outside games performance i have noticed. Apps load quicker. Things seem more responsive and snappy. Note i did do a fresh load of vista with the load of 7 to make sure i wasnt bias due to age of use. To sum it up windows 7 is windows vista with new features an updated look and feel all while still capturing the essence of windows. I really think its best described as going from 10.x to 10.x+1 in OSX.

 

[dkeninitz]

I installed it on my Mac Pro last week, and I'm not running it under VMware Fusion 2.0. I don't find the interface to be tremendously different from Vista, which in turn I didn't find that radically different from XP. That said, Win7 overall is more elegant, more user-friendly, and definitely MUCH snappier than Vista (and, I think, XP as well).

I don't find it by any means to be superior to OS X, not even close. It's still burdened with the registry, and I've had it crash a half-dozen times already with a newly installed version of MS Office 2007 (it may be the fault of Office, but Win7 handled the crashes poorly, as I wasn't even able to terminate the apps using Task Manager, but rather had to shut off my Mac - I was using BootCamp rather than VMware at the time, so I couldn't simply switch back to my Mac OS).

The bottom line for me is that Win7's superiority over Vista and XP inclined me to decide to keep it on my Mac Pro using Fusion. There are a few apps I want to run under Windows, and one that I must run - Excel, because there are times when I need VB/macro support - and Win7 is more than decent compared to its predecessors.

 

[Eidorian]

Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008 in retail.

 

[econoline06]

Win 7, from a corporate standpoint, is a compelling offering for the hundreds of millions of PCs in businesses around the world that are currently running Windows XP or Vista. I have been testing both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Win 7.

* It is fast, and though I don't have the benchmarks to proved it yet, it seems as fast as OSX...and I am running Win 7 under Fusion 2.01 while accessing the most popular desktop apps.
* For a beta, it is quite stable.
* The arrogance of the Mac user should be tempered by the fact that the OSX have moved Apple from 8% market share to 10% market share in 3 years. At this pace, the Mac will be a major force in the corporate world by the year 2020. Big deal.
* The ease of use gap that Apple so proudly touts (and rightfully so!) is being narrowed with Win 7.
* And the kicker is that Apple remains significantly more expensive that a comparable PC. Corporations still vote with their pocket books and it is difficult to justify my MPB at $3000 when a Win 7 Dell or HP will cost more than $1000 less.

I got tired of using XP and having to deal with the stability issues but if Win 7 actually has addressed the stability and speed issues, well, Apple will remain a niche player in the desktop world.

------------
iphone 3G 16Gb; MBP 17" 2.6 Ghz 6Gb Ram 30" Cinema display

You know NOTHING of the corporate world, I on the other hand am a veteran. We are looking at Mac's more than ever. Windows 7 is a horrible JOKE to IT people, even compared to Vista. No one is compelled to switch. Get a life.

Ummm, it's Microsoft's next Operating System?

Software companies do that from time-to-time, come out with a new version...

Nice update. NOT. Good job. Stay off the forums. Get a life. Use a Mac. End of story.

What is the difference between Vista and 7?

Two and a half years of development.


Oh, and Leopard was what Tiger should have been.

WTF are YOU talking about? Tiger was great. If you are SOOOO knowledgeable about what tiger "should have been" then you'd work at Apple. FIN

I downloaded the beta, and although I can't say I'm really disappointed, because VMWare lacks Aero support and 3D hardware acceleration doesn't work, there's not many fun things to do. (Unless anyone can think of some)

Parallels offers all of that and Windows 7 beta still sucks hardcore.

Okay bottom line: fathers been in IT for over 25 years. Used my Windows 7 beta last night: almost barfed. From an IT standpoint: IT SUCKS HARDCORE AS MUCH AS WINDOWS ME DID. GET OVER IT. USE A MAC.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Agreed. I like Tiger more than Leopard in fact, Leopard has been nothing but trouble for me, especially with Wifi and finding networked computers. Not a huge fan of the gray Leopard UI either (too much like OS9's Platinum).

If you are still having issues with Leopard, then you are doing something wrong.

But yes, Tiger was so far the best OS that I have ever used, and finally bumped OS9 down to second.

Whats up with Windows 7 really is that its not so much a redesign its that it adds on and improves what vista has built. In mac terms you would call it Windows 6.2 because where xp switched from the 9x architecture to basically being NT 5.0, then vista redesigned major p...to do windows 7. The look and feel has a slight change from vista. Its more...uring the essence of windows. I really think its best described as going from 10.x to 10.x+1 in OSX.

Paragraphs dude. I am sure what you said would have been the answer to everyone's problems even if they weren't related to the thread, but I am sure no one wants to or can read what you wrote. Paragraphs where invented for a reason.

Win 7, from a corporate standpoint, is a compelling offering for the hundreds of millions of PCs in businesses around the world that are currently running Windows XP or Vista. I have been testing both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Win 7.

* It is fast, and though I don't have the benchmarks to proved it yet, it seems as fast as OSX...and I am running Win 7 under Fusion 2.01 while accessing the most popular desktop apps.
* For a beta, it is quite stable.
* The arrogance of the Mac user should be tempered by the fact that the OSX have moved Apple from 8% market share to 10% market share in 3 years. At this pace, the Mac will be a major force in the corporate world by the year 2020. Big deal.
* The ease of use gap that Apple so proudly touts (and rightfully so!) is being narrowed with Win 7.
* And the kicker is that Apple remains significantly more expensive that a comparable PC. Corporations still vote with their pocket books and it is difficult to justify my MPB at $3000 when a Win 7 Dell or HP will cost more than $1000 less.

I got tired of using XP and having to deal with the stability issues but if Win 7 actually has addressed the stability and speed issues, well, Apple will remain a niche player in the desktop world.

------------
iphone 3G 16Gb; MBP 17" 2.6 Ghz 6Gb Ram 30" Cinema display

Nice, but not really accurate or justified. I agree, but moving from 5% market share to 10% is no laughing matter. I think it's what's making Apple care less and less about the pro market and diversity. Their growth is larger than any other PC company and they are making more money while selling less stuff.

Nothing is being narrowed with Win7 since it's not out yet, give it time. And the price for the Macs is a whole nother story, especially when looking at the performance of certain models.

Back on topic, Windows 7 has shown me that Microsoft can actually create UI changes that differ from those used in OSX, and by doing so provide a bit more functionality over the Mac. There are some caveats, but it's been fun watching the videos and seeing how Win7 doesn't look or feel like any version of any OS that I've used, Vista, OSX, Ubuntu included.

 

[contoursvt]

And if you're such a know it all when it comes to windows, you'd be at Microsoft making the big bucks.

BTW with the way you're speaking to others, I dont think you have a speck of knowledge about the corporate world because if you did, you'd know how to speak to others instead of throwing insults at anyone who has a differing opinion.

WTF are YOU talking about? Tiger was great. If you are SOOOO knowledgeable about what tiger "should have been" then you'd work at Apple. FIN

 

[Stridder44]

If you are still having issues with Leopard, then you are doing something wrong.

Well then I guess it must be my fault Apple can't make a damn proper Airport driver that works and doesn't drop/has a weak connection.

(I've tried all kinds of routers, settings, etc.) Oddly enough I bought a Hawking N wireless USB adapter and, guess what!? Internet works perfectly! But no, clearly I must be doing something wrong.

 

[gkarris]

You know NOTHING of the corporate world, I on the other hand am a veteran. We are looking at Mac's more than ever. Windows 7 is a horrible JOKE to IT people, even compared to Vista. No one is compelled to switch. Get a life.



Nice update. NOT. Good job. Stay off the forums. Get a life. Use a Mac. End of story.



WTF are YOU talking about? Tiger was great. If you are SOOOO knowledgeable about what tiger "should have been" then you'd work at Apple. FIN



Parallels offers all of that and Windows 7 beta still sucks hardcore.

Okay bottom line: fathers been in IT for over 25 years. Used my Windows 7 beta last night: almost barfed. From an IT standpoint: IT SUCKS HARDCORE AS MUCH AS WINDOWS ME DID. GET OVER IT. USE A MAC.

I've been using Macs for as long as your Father's (that's the correct usage/spelling) been in "IT"..

(oops, don't feed the troll....)