Are you ready to ditch XP for Windows 7?

zdnet ^ | June 1st, 2009 | Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

[longtermmemmory]

ATTENTION MICROSOFT:

make migration of my applications easy and smooth and we can talk about it.

until application migration is part of the upgrade, MS is wasting our time.

[Centurion2000]

MS logo .... looks like this

[Gondring]

Nah....ditched XP for a Mac last year.

MS is pushing me the same way, not away from XP, but by not making XP readily available. While they push their Edsel, I might just move on.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I very disagree. Windows is perhaps 50% slower for the overhead programs never used by the majority of consumers. Most everyone would be able to select from a dozen home “packages” based on their interests, just for home use alone. The legacy programs alone are just bloat for 99.9% of users.

How many consumers would opt for annoyances like DRM? Some would. Most of us would not. And there are a hundred other things that just suck down clock ticks. It’s not storage space that’s the problem.

[antiRepublicrat]

Windows is perhaps 50% slower for the overhead programs

That is only a matter of design. Something not used shouldn't be taking any memory or processor resources even if it is ready to be loaded by the system. Windows NT/2K/XP/Vista is also inherently slower than Windows 3.1 due to the architecture, but that also makes it inherently more robust and secure. Way back when, the suggestion was not to use NTFS unless you have to because of the overhead, but it is a far better file system than FAT32.

How many consumers would opt for annoyances like DRM?

None, but DRM is deeply ingrained, and even the slim "core" version would be hindered by it.

[antiRepublicrat]

This really rubs me the wrong way. I won't purchase an OS that requires me to do this.

Which to choose, Apple that ties the OS X to the hardware but requires no activation, or Microsoft that treats you like a criminal from day one. Yes, Linux, if you don't mind its problems.

[antiRepublicrat]

I would certainly consider the Mac OS if they would back off on their exclusionary licensing policy.

Then you wouldn't be getting a Mac. One reason it is more stable and seamlessly integrated is because Apple has control over the hardware and software.

[antiRepublicrat]

I use a computer mostly for internet ; email ; burning CDs ; watching videos ...basic stuff .

For that there is almost no learning curve. I do a bit more than that, and I was up to my Windows productivity in under a week, and way beyond it after that.

First suggestion, search up "os x keyboard shortcuts." That was one of my biggest problems, like what's copy/paste, etc. Turns out OS X keyboard shortcuts rock, able to do a lot more than Windows. Even the screen capture does what you have to buy a dedicated app for in Windows. The next version will be doing live-motion screen capture.

One more tip: Look at the buyer's guide before buying. Might be that waiting a few weeks can get you a lot more computer.

Bigger tip: With a few exceptions, always buy the minimum RAM from Apple. They rip you off. It takes seconds to replace the RAM with stuff you buy yourself for under half the price.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I doubt the veracity of problems with 3, BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE...I am not touting it...

as I said: I have had ZERO problems with SP3 - don’t know of any...would like to hear about them though?

My son is a sys admin for a library, and he says that although he personally never had trouble, he had heard people complaining of difficulty with the install of 3, possibly directly from SP 1. He himself had only upgraded from 2 to 3, never from 1 directly to 3. So that could be the conservative approach - do 2, then do 3 afterward.

[Publius6961]

And I have heard that there can be trouble with SP 3, and that I should only upgrade to SP 2. Do you have any comment?

SP3 nudges Media Player closer to the damned DRM Vista version.
Avoid it like the plague, if you are happy with the abilities of pre-SP3 Media Player.

[jessduntno]

“3. So that could be the conservative approach - do 2, then do 3 afterward.”

I approach nothing in any way other than conservative. ;^)

[shorty_harris]

Which to choose, Apple that ties the OS X to the hardware but requires no activation, or Microsoft that treats you like a criminal from day one. Yes, Linux, if you don't mind its problems.

Yep, they all have advantages and disadvantages...that's why I use all three!

The Macbook is for my non-computer-savvy wife. She's taken to it well (she previously used a linux desktop computer). My linux computer occasionally takes some fiddling, but it performs well, and hey, it's free! Windows...I bought the Win2K cd years ago on ebay for $80, and it's served me very well. The XP cd I got as kind of a 'loaner'.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Ping to http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2262253/posts?page=110#110

[sushiman]

Thanks for all the info . I’m hoping this old Fujitsu desktop with XP will hold on until the end of the year at which time I’ll delve into the world of Mac .

[Big Giant Head]

This really rubs me the wrong way. I won't purchase an OS that requires me to do this.

Which to choose, Apple that ties the OS X to the hardware but requires no activation, or Microsoft that treats you like a criminal from day one. Yes, Linux, if you don't mind its problems.

The good news is Linux distributions are really getting good. I'm no Ubuntu fan, but the last version that came out has been flawless. Mint is better. I'm a big fan of PCLinuxOS, the most user friendly distro IMO.

Linux is a legitimate alternative.

[Smokin' Joe]

I bought a full copy of the version before that (Or was it two versions back? Word 6/Excel 5) on 25 floppy disks, still sealed, at a rummage sale with all the manuals for two dollars. I did not have the computer yet, but I knew I was going to need the software.

Probably the single best deal I ever made on computer stuff!

[JoeProBono]

Remember when

[aMorePerfectUnion]

I run XP on my mac under VMFusion - won’t update
to any new version of windows, if I can help it.
(I’ve lost too much time and money dealing with
windows machines in the past)

I try not to use it except for two pieces of
software I need occasionally.

[Smokin' Joe]

I still have racks of them, and a few unopened 5.25s as well. I keep telling myself I'll get the data off them (probably better do that, if it hasn't degraded, but they have been in a pretty good storage area, cool, no direct sunlight, low traffic,...)

I have hard copy of a bunch of it, but the files would be good to have as well.

[antiRepublicrat]

My first home computer used one of these