Windows 7

[E]

Does this mean we can officially pronounce Vista dead?


Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer showed off new Windows features based on software it calls "multi-touch" that will be part of Windows 7, the next version of Windows, which Ballmer said was due out in late 2009.

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2731847620080528

[ultrafilter]

Remember that new file system that was supposed to be in Vista?

[Renaissance Man]

Does this mean we can officially pronounce Vista dead?
No.

[Phil]

Once Windows 7 comes out, then I'll feel safe about upgrading to Vista.

[Incredible Hulctuary]

I thought Vista was Windows 7.

Windows 3.11
Windows 95 = Windows 4
Windows 2000 = Windows 5 (I just typed ver at the command prompt in Windows 2000 and it showed "Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]")
Windows XP = Windows 6
Windows Vista = Windows 7

[mlschop]

I thought Vista was Windows 7.

Windows 3.11
Windows 95 = Windows 4
Windows 2000 = Windows 5 (I just typed ver at the command prompt in Windows 2000 and it showed "Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]")
Windows XP = Windows 6
Windows Vista = Windows 7

typing "ver" at the command prompt in XP gets 5.1.XXXX, so that's probably where you are wrong.

[Tight Tin Foil Hat]

Some predictions: 1) Apple will beat them to the punch 2) Widespread acceptance of companies to manufacture touch screens on laptops for Microsoft's operating systems will be sluggish and 3) with a 30-inch touch screen on a game of Dune 2 or Starcraft will give the user 9 extra digits compared to a mouser hence creating an unfair advantage - awesome!

[E]

Some predictions: 1) Apple will beat them to the punch 2) Widespread acceptance of companies to manufacture touch screens on laptops for Microsoft's operating systems will be sluggish and 3) with a 30-inch touch screen on a game of Dune 2 or Starcraft will give the user 9 extra digits compared to a mouser hence creating an unfair advantage - awesome!

I'm also skeptical that the touch interface will be practical. It's difficult to imagine it increasing productivity in most current applications of desktop computing. And to the extent that it's laggy or unstable, it will cause a good bit of frustration.

I would really like to see MS tear down the 50+ million lines of legacy code that Vista was built on, and design something more stable. It would be nice if the design team focused on making things more efficient rather than making things "look cool."

[ultrafilter]

I thought Vista was Windows 7.

Windows 3.11
Windows 95 = Windows 4
Windows 2000 = Windows 5 (I just typed ver at the command prompt in Windows 2000 and it showed "Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]")
Windows XP = Windows 6
Windows Vista = Windows 7

NT is a separate product line from the earlier Windows family. Here's the breakdown:

Windows 3.1
Windows 95 (4.0)
Windows 98 (4.1)
Windows ME (4.9)

Windows NT 4.0
Windows 2000 (NT 5.0)
Windows XP (NT 5.1)
Windows Vista (NT 6.0)

There are earlier products in both lines, but they're obscure.

[Tight Tin Foil Hat]

I'm also skeptical that the touch interface will be practical. It's difficult to imagine it increasing productivity in most current applications of desktop computing. And to the extent that it's laggy or unstable, it will cause a good bit of frustration.

I would really like to see MS tear down the 50+ million lines of legacy code that Vista was built on, and design something more stable. It would be nice if the design team focused on making things more efficient rather than making things "look cool."

I'll agree with you in terms of productivity. Mouse speed or accuracy can't possibly be the reason why Western civilization isn't advancing faster.

Also, maybe folks don't mind mouses(sp?(ent?)) that much. I know I'd rather sit slouched in my chair with my elbows splayed across the table than have to sit upright, and REACH to click a link. Barbaric in my opinion.

But then again, perhaps the Chief Software Architect at Microsoft will foresee this hindrance and allow people to toggle this ephemeral novelty off.

Really, the only possible reason why consumers would desire universal touch screens is gaming.

[Actuary321]

Also, maybe folks don't mind mouses(sp?(ent?)) that much. I know I'd rather sit slouched in my chair with my elbows splayed across the table than have to sit upright, and REACH to click a link. Barbaric in my opinion. This reminds me of the story my best friends dad tells. When there was talk of getting an in door toilet, he said he could not imagine eating in the same building that he took a dump in. I imagine he would have thought it Barbaric.

[ahow]

I think the combination of keyboard, mouse, touchscreen would be great. When I am typing a bunch of crap in various cells of Excel, it would be nice to use my fingers on the screen and a 10-key rather than swapping back and forth between the 10-key and locating the pointer on the screen when going to the mouse. I've already started using my mouse with my left hand for this reason.

One thing I don't want to do is have my arms up in the air the whole day touching screens.

[CtrlAltDelete]

Does this mean we can officially pronounce Vista dead?



http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2731847620080528

Was Vista ever alive?

[Will Durant]

Once Windows 7 comes out, then I'll feel safe about upgrading to Vista.
Exactly!

[Brad Gile]

I would really like to see MS tear down the 50+ million lines of legacy code that Vista was built on, and design something more stable. It would be nice if the design team focused on making things more efficient rather than making things "look cool."

:iatp:
Win XP with SP2 is incredibly good, but did need improvement in security. VISTA went nuts on trying to provide both security and new bells & whistles.
The result was a fubared mess, IMO.

[Bama Gambler]

1. XP had issues when it first came out. Vista has already improved and will continue to improve to the point beyond XP.
2. Vista was announced 20 gazillion year before it was released. Windows 7 will be the same way.
3. Microsoft can not trash all of its code b/c so many businesses use it (unlike Apple). If they completely rebuilt the OS, then none of the businesses would buy it b/c they wouldn't be able to run all their programs.
4. Windows sucks. Get a Mac. :)

[E]

1. XP had issues when it first came out. Vista has already improved and will continue to improve to the point beyond XP.
2. Vista was announced 20 gazillion year before it was released. Windows 7 will be the same way.
3. Microsoft can not trash all of its code b/c so many businesses use it (unlike Apple). If they completely rebuilt the OS, then none of the businesses would buy it b/c they wouldn't be able to run all their programs.
4. Windows sucks. Get a Mac. :)

I think we're in a dual product world right now. XP machines are best for business use (particularly larger businesses where there are many users), and Macs are superior for home use (or home office use). I don't see a great market for Vista anywhere in between until MS finally forces our hand by dropping XP support.

My next computer will be a Mac.

[Phil]

I plan to add this to my VBA event handler:

Private Sub Screen_Touched(ByVal Target As Range)
Msgbox("Get your cruddy hands off my monitor, you slob!")
End Sub

Finally the computer can reprimand the person, so I don't have to.

[GadgetGeek]

I plan to add this to my VBA event handler:

Private Sub Screen_Touched(ByVal Target As Range)
Msgbox("Get your cruddy hands off my monitor, you slob!")
End Sub

Finally the computer can reprimand the person, so I don't have to.

And then they'll touch your screen again to press the OK button. :swear:

[JMO]

I plan to add this to my VBA event handler:

Private Sub Screen_Touched(ByVal Target As Range)
Msgbox("Get your cruddy hands off my monitor, you slob!")
End Sub

Finally the computer can reprimand the person, so I don't have to.

:sg:
And then they'll touch your screen again to press the OK button. :swear:

aaarrrggghhhHHHH
(I have a friend who is germ-a-phobic. He hates to use buttons on the elevator. . .)

[Renaissance Man]

1. XP had issues when it first came out. Vista has already improved and will continue to improve to the point beyond XP.

Agreed, and a point that gets lost in the flaming.

2. Vista was announced 20 gazillion year before it was released. Windows 7 will be the same way.

Probably not. Vista was partially rewritten at least once, which delayed it considerably. The groundwork for Windows 7 has already been in the pipe for some time. I doubt MS will repeat the mistake.

3. Microsoft can not trash all of its code b/c so many businesses use it (unlike Apple). If they completely rebuilt the OS, then none of the businesses would buy it b/c they wouldn't be able to run all their programs.

MS has already done this before when it wrote 2000, and it was quite expensive. Compatibility is a millstone 'round Microsoft's neck.

4. Windows sucks. Get a Mac. :)

I avoid Mac hardware like the plague. That said, I had used FreeBSD (on which MacOS is based) for years and would be happy to run MacOS (provided it could run on something not built by Apple).

[ultrafilter]

I plan to add this to my VBA event handler:

Private Sub Screen_Touched(ByVal Target As Range)
Msgbox("Get your cruddy hands off my monitor, you slob!")
End Sub

Finally the computer can reprimand the person, so I don't have to.

This is completely wrong. The correct error message is "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

[Brilock]

2. Vista was announced 20 gazillion year before it was released. Windows 7 will be the same way.


:iatp:
They do this every time. We had years of discussion about Longhorn that started soon after XP was released. Now replace Longhorn with Windows 7 and XP with Vista and here we are again.

I'll admit that I was skeptical to switch from 98 to XP when they first released it, but soon found that there was a positive consensus to XP. As I found out later, I agreed. Now I'm doing the same thing with XP -> Vista, except that it seems Vista actually does suck.

[E]

I plan to add this to my VBA event handler:

Private Sub Screen_Touched(ByVal Target As Range)
Msgbox("Get your cruddy hands off my monitor, you slob!")
End Sub

Finally the computer can reprimand the person, so I don't have to.

I retract my earlier comments on the touch screen not improving productivity.

[IAm@Work.com]

I avoid Mac hardware like the plague.Something other than a cost issue?

[Renaissance Man]

Something other than a cost issue?

Cost, variety and quality, with cost being the most prominent. Quality faults are not hard to find on teh internets. If costs and quality were non-issues, then my final quibble would be lack of configurability. Their video card options have been pedestrian at best for some time (although I know that is changing slightly).

Since I do want the OS, I periodically check the Apple store in the vain hope that they will have something that I want for a reasonable price. However, since I know I can build my own using superior components at a significantly cheaper price, Apple always loses out, even if quality gremlins were completely absent.

Also, as time passes, I care about computers less and less. So long as I can do what I want (whatever that happens to be), I really don't care what I'm running anymore. So even though I avoid Apple hardware like the plague, it's really more like avoiding a cold.