Windows 7

**caravel** · 04-29-2009, 14:50

Originally Posted by Beskar

The other other choice after that is Linux. The problem with Linux is that you need a PhD in computer programming to get it working right. Since there is no support program in forms of aftersales or similar and since it is plagued with programme and driver incompatibilities, it is not really a viable option to use.

Wrong... Linux is not plagued by "programme and driver incompatibilities". A basic program consists of binaries, libs and config files built to run on a particular architecture and OS. It will either be compatible or it won't be. If it's incompatible then it's not built for that OS/architecture. The same goes for drivers, unless you're referring to proprietary drivers. These have always been an issue, because they're only as good as the hw manufacturer make them. They're also not open source so the community cannot fix problems with them as they can with all other OSS.

You're also wrong about aftersales support. If you want to actually buy a stable LTS distribution on discs, then you can purchase a support option for quite a few distributions. The GNU/GPL licence means that though software cannot be sold, the discs, manuals and support packages can. For all other non enterprise, free distributions there are support forums, which are usually very good.

I can only think that your opinion of Linux comes from limited experience with unstable and improperly marketed distros such as the Ubuntu family and it's spin offs, bleeding edge distros such as fedora or from user unfriendly (but rock solid) ones such as Slackware? Slackware does not even ship with a desktop manager, so it's out of the question for the beginner. Ubuntu (despite marketing) is bleeding edge and uses a lot of beta and alpha software in their releases. It is basically Debian unstable with lots of features and extras including compiz fusion added. It tends to draw in new users who then tend to come unstuck and fall flat.

For newcomers there are distros such as Debian "Lenny", Arch, OpenSuse, Mandriva etc which all have good stable releases.

For something stable and supported then you can put your hand in your pocket and go for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop.

**Banquo's Ghost** · 04-29-2009, 16:41

I'm still trying to work out why Macs are all "copy and pasta". Some kind of subtle hint at we fanbois' elitist metrosexual reputation?

**Beskar** · 04-29-2009, 22:20

Originally Posted by Banquo's Ghost

I'm still trying to work out why Macs are all "copy and pasta". Some kind of subtle hint at we fanbois' elitist metrosexual reputation?

They are all the same specification, hence, Mac's are all copy and paste. "copy&pasta" is a internet slang for all those copy and paste emails/forum posts you see.

**Lemur** · 05-01-2009, 20:34

My old laptop just died, and the wife insisted on a MacBook. Can't say I blame her; the unibody aluminum should give it a modest degree of childproofing, and the new trackpad is pretty darn slick. I'm not fond of how Apple does business, and I think the closed OS/hardware loop has always been a mistake, but dang—they know how to make a good laptop. No denying it.

If you're interested in Windows 7, the public beta will begin on May 5, and the license will be good for over a year. That's a pretty good deal, especially if you keep your XP install on a separate partition just in case.

Some details.

On May 5th, general users will have access to an entire year of Microsoft's brand new operating system, Windows 7, for free! It is already available to download for MSDN and TechNet subscribers. This version is only the Release Candidate and will expire June 1, 2010. The Release Candidate is merely the near finished product and is basically the final stage in testing. It's supposed to have all the features of the final version. We don't know when the final version will be released but rumors say it'll be either late 2009 or early 2010.

A beta version of Windows 7 was released some time ago, and from using it for a short time, I can gather that it was much faster and more friendly than Windows Vista. Indeed for those of you who hated Vista, Windows 7 is Vista done right. Windows 7 boasts a lot of new features including a new taskbar, libraries, jump lists, etc. Windows 7 will also come packaged with the newest Internet Explorer (IE8).

The biggest improvement with Windows 7 is the performance. It will no longer take 5-10 minutes to boot up your machine. Windows 7 now has a much faster startup time, beating out both Vista and XP. We will also see a new feature called Windows XP mode which lets you run native XP programs on your machine.

People are saying good things about this Windows. Microsoft hopes it will make up for all the bad things about its previous version. I've heard news about IT developers leap-frogging Vista and going straight to 7 in their companies.

-edit-

P.S.: Here's a detailed review of Windows 7's XP compatibility mode.

**Husar** · 05-02-2009, 02:00

It's nothing new either though, they already released a free beta and free releasde candidate for Vista and they were also good for like 6 or 12 months IIRC.
I also had some beta of WinXP once that was good for 6 months and when it wouldn't automatically activate once long after XP had already been released, the lady on the phone gave me an activation number anyway.