Posted on 01/10/2009 6:29:49 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts
Microsoft servers got quite a workout on Friday from potential testers as the company opened public beta testing of Windows 7 to a broad audience so much so, in fact, that the company decided to delay the beta's opening until it can bring more servers online.
"Due to very heavy traffic were seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta," said a posting on The Windows Blog at around 3 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday afternoon. It included a promise to get the beta servers up and running as quickly as possible.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced on Wednesday night that beta test of Windows 7 would be broadened to the general public on Friday. It was made available to MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers on Wednesday.
Additionally, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) executives have planned a public beta with at least 2.5 million participants. However, apparently they didn't expect everyone to try to get in at once.
"It's starting to look almost like a land rush," said Michael Cherry, operating system analyst at Directions on Microsoft, told InternetNews.com.
As to where to look when the broad public beta is open for business, at press time, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company is referring users to The Windows Blog.
> That sounds good. It keeps consistency. One of the failures of Vista was that a large number of systems couldn't run the new interface and defaulted to a much cheaper one.
Yes and no. We're talking about different things, I think.
I like the Mac UI, for the most part. It's not ugly, and it doesn't constantly piss me off. One thing: if I had my druthers, I'd be able to make Finder display an outlined directory tree on the left and files on the right, like Windows Explorer with "Folders" turned on. I miss that.
I like the Windows 2000 classic UI. It's plain-Jane, but it doesn't constantly piss me off, and I can work speedily in it.
I hate the default XP UI, the Fisher-Price look and useless "task-group" menus. It's ugly and constantly pisses me off. However, on my own XP systems I brain-damage it back to Windows 2000 classic and I can use it just fine.
I hate the default Vista UI even more. It's not as ugly as XP's Fisher-Price, but it's twice as useless, and pisses me off instantly and completely. On my home Vista system, I was able to brain-damage it back to Windows 2000 classic and can use it with only minor issues.
However, Windows 7 apparently REMOVED the ability to change the Vista UI back to Windows 2000 classic mode.
If true, I will find that untenable.
I think what you were talking about was the consistency of SUPPORT for whatever UI a user wanted. Many lower-end systems could not run Aero, and the bogus "Vista Capable" logo mess was terrible. I agree that all systems that run Win7 should be able to run the primary interface, period.
But that's different -- I'm only asking that I be permitted to remove the extraneous eye-candy and the useless "task-oriented" and "personalized" menuing, and return me to a computer that shows me what I want to see, and does what I ask it to do. I prefer Mac OS-X and typically have more xterms or Terminal windows open than GUI apps.
But then, I'm a Unix-head, and I generally prefer a reference manual to a newbie tutorial guide... I'm not the Win7 target demographic, I guess.
And some think Apple did.
And some people believe Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen helped to free sniper John Lee Malvo from INS custody.
I just finished installing Windows 7 in a VM under Fusion on my iMac using the Server 2008 profile. Rumors are true, it is much faster and more responsive than Windows XP. I am thoroughly impressed on that. Startup is even pretty spiffy compared to XP. The install also went well, although it couldn’t find a couple of drivers. It had no problem auto-configuring the VM network though, and automatically getting online.
I think I’ll call Vista by the name “Windows 7 alpha.”
And you have to love the Beta in the fishbowl theme for beta software. Cute.
So far I’m not impressed with the UI, seems “painted and pretty” rather than designed with function in mind, yet remaining visually pleasing, like OS X. In a lot of places you can tell it’s Windows NT, but with prettier colors and maybe a few more choices. ODBC looked almost exactly like the XP dialog (exactly what it could look like with a different theme). Drop into the W2K theme (more on that later) and it looks like the W2K dialog. Services manager and many more things are exactly the same way.
Good news, Performance Monitor isn’t a mostly-useless Windows NT 3.5 looking MMC plugin anymore. Me likey. Event Viewer has also changed for the better.
But what’s with these configuration windows looking like you’re loading a web page? Annoying.
As far as going back to the W2K UI, I managed to set it up to look almost like W2K. Most of the eye candy is gone, although lurking underneath waiting to spring on you. With a bit more work I’m sure I could hide even more of the eye candy.
Fusion is one of the greatest all-time software apps.
> I think Ill call Vista by the name Windows 7 alpha.
Well, it was NT 6.0. Win7 is NT 6.1. Never trust the first release of a major version change. (From MS, Apple, or anybody else.)
> And you have to love the Beta in the fishbowl theme for beta software. Cute.
I have a friend who will probably get it for that alone.
> Event Viewer has also changed for the better.
That wouldn't be hard, IMO. I loathe Event Viewer. ;-)
> I managed to set it up to look almost like W2K...
That's very encouraging news, thanks!
Maybe I'll download it and play with it after all...
And a lot more think that Xerox invented the mouse.
Some fools even think Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse.
:’)
LOLOLOLOL!
If you're a *nixian, be sure to check out Powershell.
I’m using a mid-90s PowerMac 7600 (a couple of years ago I installed a 1 Ghz G4 Sonnet Crescendo), and the mouse is some Walmart laser mouse with PS2 connector, plugged into the ADB port via a (no longer made) PS2/ADB adapter from GeeThree. Works fine, better than the USB laser mice (which work without any adapter, other than the cheap PCI card I had to install). For the trolls in the audience, both buttons on the mouse work and do what they’re supposed to, as does the roller switch between ‘em.
As I am using Mac OS 9.2.2, *some* USB keyboards made for Windulls machines don’t necessarily support those function shift keys next to the space bar as if they were the alt/option/whatever (used to be open- and closed-Apple keys); I’ve never taken the time to ResEdit up an alternative keyboard map just to use some proprietary wintel keyboard. ;’) I could, I believe, but just don’t want to.
I continue to be appalled at the hostility expressed against Macs, Apple products, the company itself, and its customers — particularly by those who create ridiculous straw man arguments and then deny they have anything against the people toward whom they’ve been hurling abuse.
:’)
It appears to be rooted in envy and insecurity; I suspect the end result will be the same:
One of the local Sam’s Clubs tried selling iMacs when they first came out. Some jackass(es?) actually came up and vandalized the display models, including smashing one of the keyboards. And since then, I haven’t been very surprised by anything I’ve seen in the so-called computer wars.
It is quite literally the same idiocy:
Foreign Cars Targeted By Vandals (Detroit)
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/18272208/detail.html
They can’t make a better product or admit that they’ve been buying inferior product for so long that they come up with BS reasons or just plain smash the competing product.
I was so impressed that after a couple days I did an upgrade install on top of my existing Vista operating system which I had been perfectly content with.
All my settings and programs came through perfectly. I love the Windows 7 interface, the folder preview capabilities and disk management tools. It is the operating system I've been waiting for. Thumbs up!
How did you do that?
I read that other thread when you posted about booting from a USB and it got me curious to try a bootable USB Linux version and I got DSL on a USB and will try Mint 6.0 on USB. Now to get a driver for the Netgear USB adapter for the internet...
Tell me what you think of Win7.
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