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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 18 > Windows 7: Maybe not so bad
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Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 17 2009 : 11:07PM
Since Windows 7 Release Candidate is completely free until sometime in February 2010, I decided to re-partition my external drive today, install it in the new partition, and sample it just for kicks.
Unlike a lot of people, I happen to like Windows Vista. I like it better than Windows XP. But given that good Vista drivers haven't been written for some of my peripheral devices, I thought that Windows 7 -- because it has an embedded XP mode (i.e., not just in virtual-PC environment) -- would be a meaningful improvement.
Although I realize that it's still in a state of development, Windows 7 appears to suck. This impression stems mostly from the fact that Windows 7 seems less customizable than Vista. An example: I like a clean desktop, so, in addition to using the quick-launch bar to start applications, I also use it for shortcuts to Windows Explorer, Control Panel, Recycle Bin, and a variety of folders. However, in Windows 7, it seems I cannot pin these particular shortcuts to my quick-launch bar or drag and drop them there either. A locked task bar is not the problem -- it's unlocked already.
Anyway, I thought I'd kvetch. The quality of Windows 7 doesn't affect really affect me, as I can wipe the extra partition and repartition at any time -- but it is somewhat of a disappointment.
---------------
Edited to change "April 2010" to "February 2010".
Edited by - bob on May 19 2009
Edited by - redish on Oct 2 2009
Proxy
Member

38 Posts
5/09
Posted - May 18 2009 : 12:18AM
I would not base too much on this release candidate. I too have not had as many problems with Vista as some have. I also blame a LOT of the the problems of Vista on lazy MFG's and shitty drivers written by their lazy as shit coders.
(see what I am getting at?) I do also blame MS for packaging the "built for Vista" logo on systems that were NOT even remotely developed with Vista in mind or at least with not the version they came with.
An example is saying "Built For Vista" on a system running 64-Bit vista and really the drivers and system runs best with 32-Bit.
You will be able to pin it to the QL and you may be doing something wrong now...as I can but I am running a server release dedicated so who knows.
skronker
Notable Legendary Icon

Scopophiliac
9780 Posts
9/02
Posted - May 18 2009 : 12:39AM
Bob, why do people deal with WINDOWS when it's such a hassle? Do you just like it, depsite the issues? I could not wait to ditch it and switch back to Mac when I had the chance.
ChodeMasterJ
Perpetual Marxist

5405 Posts
4/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 1:15AM
Me --> <-- OSX
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 1:43AM
Skronker --
Some reasons I deal with Windows despite the downsides:
-- I enjoy building and tinkering with PC's and Mac's don't afford me that option.
-- Steve Jobs and the closed systems that he perpetuates bother me even more than Bill Gates does.
-- A cousin of mine works for Microsoft, so I can get retail copies of Windows and Office for next to nothing.
 
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 2:07AM
Here's a recent article on <uTom'sGuide.com</u entitled "25 Windows 7 Release Candidate Features: Build 7100 Is Here".
I just read it. As it turns out, only maybe 2 of these features would be the least bit helpful to me -- and even then, barely. I'm pretty sure I won't bother migrating even if the obvious bugs get worked out. I like Vista.
jrv
Senior Member

1266 Posts
2/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 4:38AM
Few hardware manufacturers have standing armies of programmers to write device drivers and none of them have unlimited budgets. The constant churn of driver model changes in Windows has meant that device drivers are always in a "settling down, not quite there" state. The reason why XP drivers tend to work better is mostly because the driver models didn't change for several years after XP was released.
Microsoft *does* have standing armies of programmers and this is why they don't "get it" on the need to minimize churn. It may be different now, but up until XP the senior guys could always get as many programmers as they wanted to work on an idea - there was no real budget constraint per se, and those guys had no clue how it worked in the real world.
Of course, that begs the question of why you need two sets of drivers in the first place. A hacker will tell you that you get 5% better performance or such that way. Competent management (and I include senior technical staff here) would realize that by choosing an OS architecture that doesn't require two drivers you wind up with a higher quality driver that is better tested, and that whatever the sales guys say in their up-sell pitch, a few percent of CPU speed doesn't matter much any more.
OSX Leopard used this approach of one driver. I've heard Snow Leopard does not, which is a mistake for Apple: if companies don't budget enough for a pair of quality Windows drivers they surely won't for a pair of OSX drivers.
A big question for Windows 7 will be "How Windows compatible is it?". Vista had serious Windows compatibility problems and I'm wondering if Windows 7 will be better or worse - will Windows software run on Windows 7? The fact that it needs an "XP box" suggests it isn't very Windows compatible at all.
Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 1:32PM
Bob, is this a serious review, or were you just trying to give Skronk and CMJ boners?
You go from Windows 7 sucks, to Windows 7 sucks because it's less customizable, to Windows 7 sucks because I can't figure out how to make it do this one particular thing that I want it to do. Come on.
Proxy
Member

38 Posts
5/09
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:16PM
First statement, I disagree with. In a past life I work for Nvida and HP we had "armies" of programmers that wrote drivers. Granted 2/3 of that army ended up being in India.
32 bit and 64 bit and addresses to specific hardware performance. With 32 bit I can't address memory past what 4GB. That in itself is a limitation...now, if you are suggesting that if 64 bit is the "answer" for all of this, maybe...but interestingly Aplle is now only catching on...but then again...Apple has acquiesced and is now a PC with the Apple OS.
The compatibility is really an issue of 32 bit apps running in a compatibility mode for the 64 bit systems. Vista 32 I never had a problem, getting 64 bit to run drivers in compatibility mode big problem. Actually having the drivers written by any major mfg, to work well with 64 bit...a real crap shoot.
Here is an example of the stupidity of hardware mfg's
http://www.insidetech.com/news/articles/1655-creative-says-custom-drivers-are-stealing

Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:33PM
My first belly-laugh of the day!
Harri,
I started a topic on ADT. Did I suggest that my post consituted a serious review? Of course not.
I installed the OS yesterday and spent the afternoon playing with it. Right off the bat, I found nothing that improved my Vista experience and several things that worsened it. Then I read some source material about the "new benefits" and found almost nothing that I actually regarded as beneficial. Of course, I'll keep track of the development of the new OS until the end of February 2010 (at which point the system will supposedly reboot automatically every two hours in order to encourage you to shit or get off the pot with regard to a paid-for license).
Anyway, is it really so terrible of me to have started a topic just for the pure joy of kvetching?
After all, it's not as if I said that Windows 7 was even gayer than double-anal.
K
Smitten Kitten

Cloud 9
530 Posts
2/06
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:35PM
Actually, Bob, XP mode is a virtual machine, though that may be disguised to the casual observer with the increased integration, and there will be a performance hit because of it.
Come to think of it, unless Microsoft have provided Windows 7 virus scanners with special access to this VM instance, you might need to install a second scanner in the XP machine. Otherwise, the higher level of integration could prove an unfortunate extra avenue of attack.
Disclaimer: I haven't actually looked into this. It just struck me as a possible issue. Check what Microsoft has to say.
BTW - and not that l'm trying to convert you, cold, wet birds cavorting on your hardware isn't for everyone - if your tinkering is more about getting a deeper understanding of the inner workings of computers in general, rather than learning how to work around the eccentricities of a given version of Windows, and you have the time and patience to persevere, a less … beginner-friendly Linux distribution (e.g. Slackware, which, while not for the computer novice, is as rock-solid as they come) could be worth some of your tinker-time.
Microsoft -- -- Windows user
Windows application developer -- [o\|]
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:47PM
I guess I misread.
I suppose, though, that the technically correct characterization of XP mode is unimportant to me as long as level of integration is high. It if works much better than Windows VM, great; if not, not great. I don't mind installing a second virus scanner, because I buy multipacks for my wife and kids' use anyway.
I've been thinking about playing with Linux. Thanks for the recommendation of Slackware, K. Sounds like it's just about my speed.
--------------
Edited by - bob on 5/18/2009 5:51:14 PM
jrv
Senior Member

1266 Posts
2/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 6:55PM
Virus scanners typically work at the I/O level and not within processes. so Windows 7 anti-virus programs, when they appear, should work.
jrv
Senior Member

1266 Posts
2/03
Posted - May 18 2009 : 7:44PM
HP has a rather larger budget than most vendors...
Even at nVidia I'm surprised eyebrows weren't raised whenever 3-4 programmers were req'd for something that wasn't a Windows driver or a silicon project.
Sure you can - Apple supports 64-bit apps & 16GB RAM on a Mac Pro today with a 32-bit kernel & drivers. You just have to make sure to call copyin/copyout instead of directly dereferencing points to userland, plus a few other "minor details" such as physaddr_t being wider than void *, etc.
skronker
Notable Legendary Icon

Scopophiliac
9780 Posts
9/02
Posted - May 18 2009 : 7:49PM
My MacBook Pro crashed today but I fixed it in less than 15 mins. I'm an idiot at tech. Just goes to show you.
Bob ... I HATE tinkering with computers. But I forgot you're a hobbyist.
WEHT to Double Anal? Is it the Gary Coleman of sex acts?
 
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 19 2009 : 1:58AM
Fell into a black hole?
K
Smitten Kitten

Cloud 9
530 Posts
2/06
Posted - May 19 2009 : 9:22AM
Best of luck with Slackware, if you do go that route, Bob.
But I wasn't kidding when I said it wasn't beginner-friendly. You'll get no fluffy, namby-pamby, hand-holding GUI tools to help you configure the thing. But you may just learn much more about how IP networks, TV cards (if you've got one) and the like work.
Not necessarily.
Scanners are not able to detect viruses in a Virtual PC setting. At least not the ones I deliberately tested it with some months ago. So attackers would just need to get it into to the VM undetected. Perhaps an https session, if you ran a browser instance in the VM.
Of course, if XP mode, unlike other VMs, does not have its own virtual hard drive (again, I haven't actually looked into it), the problem might not be so likely to occur.
OTOH, XP mode should, AFAIK, get direct access to USB devices, so infections could spread through mass storage devices, iPods, cameras, etc. Both going into the XP mode VM and back the other way by infecting other USB storage devices.
Zoid
Senior Member

Boobies and Anal
2004 Posts
5/04
Posted - May 19 2009 : 3:29PM
I had the same impression from reading various articles on Win7, and yet lots of people seem to be optimistic about it. Doesn't really make any sense. I'll be upgrading my pc in a few weeks, so I guess I'll get RC1 and see for myself.
NewRomancer
Deactivated User

under THEIR avatar
738 Posts
7/08
Posted - May 19 2009 : 6:29PM
XP Mode? As in one would be able to run old games on it?!?!? (Unlike Vista)
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 19 2009 : 7:57PM
Learning is good.
Bornyo
Deactivated Member

803 Posts
12/04
Posted - May 19 2009 : 9:03PM
Hi Bob. (I'm drinking).
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 19 2009 : 10:27PM
Hey Bornyo.
You're drinking? Good idea. What's your poison?
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 19 2009 : 10:33PM
I think I'm going to pour myself some Wild Turkey Rye.
Here's to you.
Bornyo
Deactivated Member

803 Posts
12/04
Posted - May 20 2009 : 1:22AM
Beer is my poison tonight. The Wild Turkey Rye sounds better.
I can't help you with this computer question but I admire your ambition.
Have I ever mentioned my pornographer friend from NY who also sails, travels the world, hunts wild quail, is an expert on whiskey and knows everything about everything? He has a website and I bet if you submit your reservations there about W7 he could clear them up for you post-haste.
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 20 2009 : 3:07AM
^^^
I didn't realize that the two of you had gotten close.
I think I'll have some more whiskey.
 
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 20 2009 : 3:09AM
Take it from me, being a know-it-all is thirsty work.
BigBobxxx
Senior Member

2681 Posts
5/04
Posted - May 20 2009 : 7:39AM
^ I know.
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 20 2009 : 7:20PM
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 20 2009 : 7:41PM
JohnW
Senior Member

1351 Posts
6/08
Posted - May 24 2009 : 7:32PM
I'm running it now and not really noticing any big difference from Vista. Yes, Quick Launch is gone, but there is still a trick to enable it. Yet when you install programs and they offer to make a QL shortcut, they will not to it even after you enabled it.
The taskbar is also a bit annoying, you only have icons for whatever programs you are running now, no text. And there are icons there for programs you are NOT running so you can start them from there. I guess they wanted to merge the taskbar and QL (which makes NO sense whatsoever to me productivity-wise or usability-wise).
Other than that, it seems to be working quite fine.
Edited by - JohnW on 5/24/2009 7:33:27 PM
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 24 2009 : 9:25PM
What's the trick?
Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 25 2009 : 8:42PM
Is this what you're talking about?
link1
link2
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - May 26 2009 : 2:03AM
^^^
Thanks, Harri. Much obliged!
Butchie
Member

11 Posts
7/09
Posted - Jul 2 2009 : 5:38PM
the desktop enhancement are the only things i notice the difference with my win 7 from my vista. Amd hyperthreading wont work on me unless i use intel which is not gonna happen :)
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 1:41PM
 
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 1:44PM
If I were starting this thread today, I'd give it a less negative title. I'm becoming intrigued with Windows 7.
Redish All-Star Supporter
Poetic Moderator

Long and Cursive road to the Ivory Pagoda in the province of Loraine
4076 Posts
12/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 3:15PM
How's that Bob ?

Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 3:32PM
Thanks, Redish! You're a pal.
Left to my own devices, I probably would have kept the original title, "Windows 7: Just Like Vista Only Worse", as is -- but that's only because I'm a contrary motherfucker.
The new title is definitely better, more suited to the direction the thread is going in, less misleading for the interested reader.
:)
BigBobxxx
Senior Member

2681 Posts
5/04
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 5:57PM
But, will Windows 7 do IR?
Redish All-Star Supporter
Poetic Moderator

Long and Cursive road to the Ivory Pagoda in the province of Loraine
4076 Posts
12/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 5:59PM
Not til she gets more money ...
Hardware All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

Your other left
14594 Posts
3/02
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 6:41PM
I confess to being put off by M$ ads using a small child to promote this operating system. I could not care less if she thinks it's the greatest thing since "My Little Pony".
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 8:13PM
^^^
That ad was incredibly offensive.
Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 9:09PM
Kylie's quote is way lower than Seinfeld's, and she moves more units.
Seriously, why is it "incredibly offensive?" Why is it even mildly offensive? Why is it any more offensive than using cute kids to sell Oscar Meyer bologna, Life cereal, or any other product?
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 9:58PM
^^^
How the fuck should I know? I'm a reactive mofo.
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 2 2009 : 10:05PM
Although part of it is that the target audience for most "cute kid ads" is other children -- whereas I assume that children aren't the target audience for the Windows 7 ads. Do they think I'm stupid? That I'll buy Windows 7 because "even a child can use it"? That's the sell, right?
Offensive. Maybe even incredibly so. But maybe not.
Truth be told, I'm often guilty of hyperbole.
Hardware All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

Your other left
14594 Posts
3/02
Posted - Oct 3 2009 : 8:47PM
Who said it was? The vast majority of advertising is based on the premise that I am an idiot.
Yes, yes, I understand the Bell curve, so let's not go there.
Bornyo
Deactivated Member

803 Posts
12/04
Posted - Oct 12 2009 : 8:48PM
Hey Bob I'm back. Still running and recommending XP on the machines that pay the bills. I have Vista on this box. I could take it or leave it. All MS is doing is adding cupholders.
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 2:33AM
Hey Bornyo. Nice to see you.
My wife's computer runs XP. She's happy with it; she hasn't wanted me to migrate her to Vista. Each to their own.
jackthetreacleeater
Senior Member

Shame on you!
2003 Posts
10/06
Posted - Oct 26 2009 : 4:01PM
If one happens to have a hooky copy of Windows XP Professional, and that certainly isn't me of course. If you run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will it also run the Genuine Advantage program to see if the copy of XP is legit?
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 26 2009 : 4:37PM
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 8:26PM
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