Daggers optional...
Posted on 01/08/2009 6:03:39 AM PST by Red Badger
Microsoft Corp.'s next version of the Windows operating system is almost ready for prime time.
That's one message Chief Executive Steve Ballmer delivered on the eve of the official opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show.
The world's largest software maker also disclosed deals to make its Live Search programs the default search engines on more personal computers and mobile phones. And it announced a new version of its Ford Sync in-car technology that folds in the voice-operated directory service TellMe, which Microsoft bought in 2007.
For years, the opening keynote at CES belonged to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, whose status as industry pioneer justified the sweeping visions of the future he'd build into his speech. Gates passed the mantle on when he stepped down from day-to-day operations at Microsoft last summer, and Wednesday marked Ballmer's first time making the high-profile address.
"It feels like we've entered a period of reduced expectations, a time when we may be tempted to temper our optimism and scale back our ambitions," Ballmer said, in a nod to the recession. "But no matter what happens with the economy or how long this recession lasts, I believe our digital lives will only continue to get richer."
Ballmer said Microsoft would continue to invest more in research and development than its technology peers.
The CEO announced that a nearly final "beta" test version of Windows 7 will be available Friday for regular PC users to download and tinker with.
The new operating system - which could be available for purchase on PCs within a year - uses much of the same underlying technology as its predecessor, the much-maligned Vista. But Windows 7 aims to resolve many problems PC users had with Vista. For instance, Microsoft pledges to make it easier to install peripheral devices and to have the software pump out fewer annoying warnings and notifications.
Ballmer also pledged that Windows 7 will boot faster and drain laptop batteries more slowly.
"I believe Windows will remain at the center of people's technological solar system," Ballmer said. "We're putting in all the right ingredients: simplicity, reliability and speed, and we're working hard to get it right and to get it ready."
Ballmer is hoping to boost the number of people using Microsoft's Live Search engine, which ranks well behind Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. in popularity, through a deal with PC maker Dell Inc. Dell will put a special Live Search browser toolbar and Windows Live programs, including Microsoft's e-mail and instant-messaging applications, on most of the consumer and small-business PCs that it sells worldwide. That deal replaces a relationship between Dell and Google.
The CEO also announced Microsoft has formed a five-year partnership with Verizon Wireless that calls for the Live Search tools to be added to all Verizon cell phones in the U.S. that can access the Internet.
Among the other highlights from Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft: The company added Flash support - required for watching YouTube videos - to its cell phone version of Internet Explorer. And it created a link between Facebook and its own Windows Live social network, so when people update their status message or upload photos on Facebook, that information appears on the Microsoft site, too.
Except we actually have a superior product with a very prestigious pedigree of experience.
Trench coats and hats?
I read that recently and was a bit surprised. I don't see it as a negative except for people who don't know how or where to find the apps they might need. But that's what "geek" friends and neighbors are for right?
I played around with a cool math/calculator app on Win7 that I hope stays (called Math Input Pad or Panel or something like that). It looked like a notepad you could "hand-write" math equations on and it would solve them. Quite cool.
Absolutely! It works with XP Pro x64, Vista Ultimate x64, and Windows 7 (though I haven’t tried the 64 bit version I see no reason why it would not).
I don't mind it this way. Every couple of years put out a new version of your OS that isn't radically different, but adds enough features, speed and stability to be worth shelling out around $100 for. That way you get the income, and people get a better product, but not one that's so different that it causes problems.
Kind of like Apple does.
After the failure of Vista I was hoping Microsoft would get the hint. I’ll run Linux before having that resource-hogging DRM shoved down my throat.
That’s because Apple charges for service pacs and calls them new versions. How many times since OSX has Apple released a new version that cost the original users money?
XP users have gotten all the upgrades for the last seven years at no additional charge.
Daggers optional...
Very good question which would be answered 10 different ways by ten different people. I think the correct answer is situational - based on your hardware, what you will use the PC for, and what is an acceptible price.
If you want to run graphic intensive games, simulators, video editing, or CAD software - go big. A MINIMUM of 4gb of RAM, decent vid card ($100-$130), and Vista Home Premium 64 (DirectX 10).
If all you want to do is surf the web and write Word documents, aim a lot lower. Stay with XP SP2 on any PC that runs it smoothly. Wait for Win7 SP1 for the next upgrade - and expect a cost increase for the hardware from your XP machine.
My two teenage sons (and occasionally, I) play the most graphic intensive games (Crysis, Oblivion) on the highest quality settings on an $800 Vista HomeP 64 machine without a hiccup. (Of course the 22" monitor added another $200.)
My personal experience, and I understand that it does not represent the whole, is that my iMac does not “hang up” or “slow down” to the degree that my windows XP machine did.
I am a photographer, so i am dealing with pretty large files in photoshop and other graphically intense programs. They tend to be real memory hogs.
As such, I found that I was restarting my windows machine several times a day to clear out the memory—causing me a couple hours of lost productivity every week. With the iMac, I don’t need to do that.
For the normal office work (which I did for years on Windows) I found the MS products from Windows 3.1 to XP to be more than good enough.
I am not an Apple snob. I have always found it a good practice to use the best tool for the job at hand—and that has proven profitable in cameras, lenses, and computers.
Use what works best for your job.
See you in a week?
I remember the third one. Some people had tweaked their machines with various tweaking tools, bringing the innards of the OS into a non-standard configuration. The installer choked on this.
Apple has had five new versions of OS X. Each version was less than $100 The most current (10.5) is "certified" Unix. Each new version has had up to 10 services packs. Within each service packs, fixes come when ever they are needed. OS X was released in 2001. NT was released in 1993 and it has not gotten any better I hate to bust your bubble, but you are extremely ignorant.
Each were free.
All it has gotten is new eye candy and a fresher shade of lipstick
So what qualifies as enough features to be worth paying for and what is just a service pack?
I get regular free updates for Leopard that contain bug fixes and enhancements and then every few years it is time to get a new version of the OS that contains new features.
That’s what they say too. ;)
Apple isn't holy or perfect or completely bug free and if you don't like it fine.
But I've used XP & Windows 95/98 quite a bit (and DOS & 3.1) and life is much easier with a Mac.
And I have had no problems with Leopard nor do I know of anybody else having problems with it.
I haven't used Vista much but if it really was a great program MSFT wouldn't be coming out with Windows 7.
Have you ever used a Mac with OS X?
If you were using a Mac the built in spell check works in just about every program, including the post window on this forum.
Couldn't resist.
There is no same performance at any price, unless you hack your PC to run OS X.
Obviously something must qualify OSX versions as worth buying.
Since business users are among the most reistant to abandoning Windows, it is worth noting that the purchase of Windows covers at least a seven year span without additional cost.
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