Sunday, February 08, 2009

I don't have hopes for Windows 7


Before I begin, let's get this straight.

I am an avid Linux and Open Source Software follower. I also have not personally used windows 7, but I know plenty about it. I am also 17 years old and still in high school.

That said and done, I will now be talking about my opinions on Windows Vista  7.





So here's the scoop. Microsoft, after a carefully laid out plan and 5 years, released one of their worst operating systems since Windows Me. It really just sucked. I'm not trying to be funny or clever by bashing on it. I'll give you some examples as why it was so bad.

Vista Capable
   -Your desktop is Vista Capable I see....
    This was one of the serious blunders of their marketing programs. It was a neat thought, but it was one of the killers when Vista released. For those who don't know, Microsoft would slap a sticker on any computer that they deemed "Vista Capable". Then, due to many changes to the kernel (how the operating system determines interfaces and the such), a vast amount of those computers knighted as "Vista Capable" were no longer "Vista Capable" but "Vista Incapable". Microsoft made an early stab at the hopes of what is known as  "hype". Example.

    "Fred! I just got this bombin' new desktop today! It's even "Vista Capable"!
    "OH MY GOD THAT'S LIEK TEH BEAST COMPUTAR EVAR!!!!!"

Multiple Versions
    -Which one should I buy, Vista Home Basic? Vista Home Premium? Vista Home Basic Premium Plus?
    There were so many versions of Vista that it was ridiculous. I mean, it might seem like a clever idea if it was all the same price! You are buying a $100+ operating system that you want to make your computer "work". And by "work" I mean not sit there like a brick. You want the computers "magicks" to connect to your email, write a paper, edit a photo, whatever you do daily that only a computer can do to make your life easier. Each version of Vista was a difference of $100. And each one was THE EXACT SAME THING! With 3rd part applications, they all equaled to the same version of Vista!

Device Drivers
    -The reason why Geek Squad exists.
    I've had the worst experience with drivers ever! My first copy of Windows Vista came from my Dell XPS Laptop that I got for my birthday. Not only was I excited about having a computer with dual core (my other only had Pentium 4), I was excited to experiment with a new OS. At first, with the OEM installation, I was fine.

Then things got ugly.
  
    I bought Halo 2 for PC, and I spent a lot of my time playing it. Then one night, whilst playing on a stalemate of capture the flag on Coagulation, I got a disconnection error. "Ah, no problem" I said. I exited out of it, went down to network connections....
There was a little itty bitty icon. Just a little one. A triangle with an exclamation point in it.
"Awww... cute!"
I disconnected then reconnected and went back to Halo again. Needless to say, I got disconnected again shortly after.

Slow
    -As a snail some say...
    When first unveiled, Vista seemed like it would do well in a market where computers are getting cheaper and faster exponentially. It was an operating system that had been redesigned from the ground up to take full advantage of the new hardware capabilities that were emerging on the desktop market. Simply said, it was going to be "da bomb". When it finally did release many were.... disappointed. I know when I first started up my new laptop with Windows Vista, I was thrilled because it was going to be faster. And to me, a person who came from an old Pentium 4 desktop, it was! But now that I have had more experience of installing Windows XP onto the thing and Ubuntu as well, I've learned that Windows Vista...treats my hardware like it's an infant. A 512MB Nvidia card is nothing to laugh at, but Vista seems to think it's a comedic act. "Your graphics card can't handle games like these" was one of the first prompts that I encountered when installing Halo 2.



Now on to the main event.

    Windows 7 will more than likely be another failure. The formula is definitely set up right! Out of the four things that I have listed for Windows Vista's failure, 3 of them are going to be in Windows 7. How? Because Windows 7 will use the exact same kernel as Windows Vista. How can a new OS be faster if it's using the same kernel?

Multiple Versions
    -Didn't they learn from this?
    Here is is again, Windows 7 will have multiple versions. And do you know what the worst part about it is? Windows Starter Edition--the edition that will be used on the increasingly popular netbooks--will only allow you run 3 applications at any given time. Please excuse this outburst.

WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY THINKING!!!!!

    SERIOUSLY!!! ARE WE IN 1990 AGAIN? I don't know about you, but I have at least 10 or more applications running at any given time; Instant Messengers, Music Players, Firefox, Email, Open Office. I mean, I could understand a 3 application limit on cellphones, but on a laptop? That's just retarded!!!


Device Drivers
    -Still hasn't changed much.
    You know something? Microsoft has always been a pain in the ass to Hardware Manufacturers. "If you want a device to work with our OS, you have to do everything yourself." And that's what they still are going to do. Because Windows 7 will be using the same kernel as Vista, the Manufacturers will be given a slight break. Their Vista drivers would theoretically already work with 7 after a bit of tweaking.

Slow
    -Windows 7 is a pig with makeup.
    Many people who are currently using the beta of Windows 7 insist that it is faster. And that may be. But not when you start buying laptops and computers preloaded with Windows 7. OEM's always try to bring the price down of their computers by including 'crapware'. This 'crapware' is pre-installed and ready to start crappin' the first time you boot the thing. Windows 7 may seem faster, but in reality it is only because it's a fresh installation. However, I do admit that the Microsoft Team has made adjustments to help speed up interaction between the processor. It has also optimized the usage of RAM and graphics cards.

User Interface
    -Changes are a comin'...
    I once used Office 2007. Once. Everything was topsy-turvy, and I couldn't figure out how to do half of the things that I used to in previous versions of Office. Why? The Ribbon. Instead of getting some work done on my Essay, I spent half of the time trying to figure out how to double space it. This is from somebody who 'gets' things and how they work with a few short clicks. The Ribbon is a medieval torture device sent from the past to give it's users brain hemorrhages and break our keyboards. Younger folk should be able to get over this fairly easy. What about the old folk. The people who have been around so long they remember when "640K ought to be enough for anybody". The new interface will be a difficult transition for them, and more than likely they will be sticking to the soon-to-be-unsupported Windows XP. Another thing that the ribbon does is make 3rd party applications stand out. It is likely they will not be allowed to use the Ribbon interface for their programs, and even if they could it would be a pain to recode the entire application just so it could fit in.


    I'm not hopeful for Windows 7. Microsoft clearly hasn't learned from it's mistakes; not only do they still have the same crap as before, but they've added some new crap to the mix. Windows 7 could spell the end of Microsoft (I know that is a stretch), or more likely spell the end of it's dominance. If some changes aren't made before the final release sometime later this year, it will heftily effect it's hold on the market.

I do have an open message to Microsoft.

START LISTENING

You can fix everything if you would just START LISTENING to your users instead of insisting that your way is the right way and the only way.

That is all.

Posted via email from travist120's posterous