Windows release sparks complaints

FT ^ | 05/06/09 | Richard Waters and Nikki Tait

[TigerLikesRooster]

Windows release sparks complaints

By Richard Waters in San Francisco and Nikki Tait in Brussels

Published: May 6 2009 19:49 | Last updated: May 6 2009 23:29

Microsoft has stirred up fresh complaints of anti-competitive behaviour with its release this week of a late-stage trial version of the next Windows PC operating system.

The complaints, from some of the leading makers of web browsers, look set to intensify the software company’s regulatory headaches just as it is seeking to head off swingeing anti-trust action from the European Commission over a related issue.

[Still Thinking]

Ah, gotcha. I was thinking entertainment.

[mysterio]

And besides, isn't every business by definition anti-competitive?

No.

[mysterio]

I have Windows 7 on a laptop and it works great.

What DRM features made the test copy? Does it degrade streaming audio when you try to capture it?

[dennisw]

Freepmail me and tell me what programs I should use to test it out. I rarely do what you describe

[mysterio]

I was using freecorder, although there are better ones out there. You just install it, go to Rhapsody or Youtube, and hit record as the music is playing.

I don't use it very often, but I don't want my computer preventing me from doing so.

[dennisw]

Thanks...I’ll use it and see what happens. I’ll do on a youtube video. I’ll do it today and let you know

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

What will a new version of Windows do that XP or Pro 2000 won’t?

Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I think that computer graphics design peaked with Windows 2000, and everything in the industry has been downhill since then.

There are just a handful of things I'd change in Windows 2000 [most notable would be moving from a single-threaded GUI/Windows Manager to a multi-threaded GUI/Windows Manager], and some old bugs that I'd like to see fixed once and for all [for insance, it would be really neat if Microsoft would fix that stupid carriage return bug in NOTEPAD.EXE], but other than that, as far as I'm concerned, Windows 2000 is just about the perfect end-user experience.

[American_Centurion]

I think it’s pretty funny when OS bashers say things like, Windows runs better on my Mac, and then turn around and beat on MS.

Isn’t that a testimony to the great flexibility and hard work that has gone into MS products to make sure they’ll work well on a multitude of platforms with a gajillion different devices? How well does OSX run on a top of the line Thinkpad? Even IF you get it to run, Apple will send a lawyer after you if they find out.

[antiRepublicrat]

Just downloaded the latest beta and will slap that on today-tomorrow.

Why are you downloading a beta when the RC is out?

[TexasRepublic]

“Call me an old fuddy-duddy..”

Windows still lacks some useful features after all these years. For example, suppose I would like to print a list of all the Word files in my documents folder. In the bad old DOS days, I would simply type: DIR *.DOC > LPT1

[antiRepublicrat]

Anyone with the concept of “perpetual beta” needs to take a class in project management.

[dennisw]

RC it is. It is still a beta in the sense that it is for testing. This is not the final release candidate. But you are correct

Windows 7 RC (7100.0.090421-1700) Ultimate 32bit DVD - RC Public (torrent)

[American_Centurion]

I think the only reason it was actually necessary to “print” directory listings was because if the listing was very long and you had to scroll pages, you would need to start again from the top if you think you missed what you were looking for. So print it on paper you can study it again and again.

Now days, what useful purpose is there for printing a directory listing since you can scroll back and forth through the whole directory OR you can just search for files with certain names. Maybe I’m dense, but what possible reason would you want to print a list of files?

[CodeToad]

Very true. The same people who claimed MS was “closed source” then went on to buy Macs. Go figure.

[GoLightly]

I know what you mean, getting dragged into new operating systems after computers finally gave up their lives. I ran ME for something like 7 years. And that OS was pretty much universally hated.

Those who think they always need the latest & greatest seem to be the ones who whine the most & act all snooty, despite or because of their inability to make their OS work properly.

You miss *.doc, while I miss xcopy & despise the whole registry deal.

Can’t help with command for stuff on your drives, but there’s a program where net content can be combined in print jobs:

http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/482779-0-0-225-121.html?jumpid=ex_r602_go/smartwebprinting1/central

[NathanR]

And besides, isn't every business by definition anti-competitive?

No.

True. Some could not handle the buisness. It would swamp them.

[TexasRepublic]

I think the only reason it was actually necessary to “print” directory listings was because if the listing was very long and you had to scroll pages, you would need to start again from the top if you think you missed what you were looking for. So print it on paper you can study it again and again.

Now days, what useful purpose is there for printing a directory listing since you can scroll back and forth through the whole directory OR you can just search for files with certain names. Maybe I’m dense, but what possible reason would you want to print a list of files?

In the old days, I used XTree to visually manage files and directories just as we use Windows Explorer today. There are times when I am massively reorganizing a hard drive with thousands of files that I find it handy to print a listing of files sorted a certain way and then make notes or map out with a pencil what is going where. I can still do that through the DOS emulator, but with all the silly bells & whistles in Windows, such a useful (and former) function ought to be built into Windows itself.

[Big Giant Head]

You might want to rethink that. I have a P4 3.06 laptop with a gig of RAM, and it does indeed run W7. I think W7 is a good OS, but is it better than XP? XP on the same hardware will run better. Xp is mature, W7 is maturing.

I’m not telling you to NOT put W7 on it, but you won’t see any increase in speed or pep, boot times, or any of that. It’ll run about the same as XP. So, are the upgrades in W7 worth it? That’s the only difference.

I also put the W7 64 bit on top of my Vista installation, so i can see a direct comparison of speed, stability, etc. It’s more zippy between files and menus and such, but I run MS FSX and it is the definitive system test. There is maybe a slight difference in speed. Hard to tell.

W7 did find and install missing drivers off the internet without me asking it to. On the laptop, the wireless card wasn’t ready (no driver) and as soon as I plugged in the LAN cable, it went onto the internet and loaded my Cisco drivers. It’s one of those shovel-ready, stupid-ready OS’s. No brains required.

[MichiganMan]

It needs to. My XP laptop is getting long in the tooth and will be replaced this fall. I've been looking closely at Apple.

Just for fun's sake, before you buy the Mac, download and run the latest Ubuntu Linux LiveCD on that laptop and see if it fits your needs (I'd be curious about how it does with that USB antenna)  The LiveCD lets you run Linux without installing anything on the hard drive.  Even if you decide to go with the Mac, you might find that it gives your laptop a new lease on life as a second computer.