Microsoft to unveil beta version of Windows 7 (AP/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that regular PC users will be able to test out a "beta" version of Windows early next year.

Windows 7, the forthcoming operating system, will let users choose to see fewer alerts and warnings from their computers. Rampant notifications and pop-up windows alerting people to potential security risks has irked many users of Windows Vista.

"We had all the best intentions of helping to secure the PC platform even more, particularly for novice PC users who needed to be protected," said Steven Sinofsky, a senior vice president in Microsoft's Windows group.

Sinofsky didn't back down from the major changes in Vista responsible for the rise in alerts, but he did acknowledge that Microsoft needed to work earlier and more closely with outside companies to avoid a similar mess in Windows 7.

"Despite the difficult change we introduced, we did move forward the ecosystem, making it more secure for end users," he said.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/10/28/microsoft.windows.ap/index.html

So, this must mean Vista has been a big success, eh?

[Ezlivin]

1. Are they going to unleash Steve Ballmer to pitch it?

The man is a supercharged-kinda-guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc

[stopbush]

2. My home computer is a Mac. My work, a Dell.

Guess which one I prefer?

[hobbit709]

3. I would prefer an old TI 4-banger calculator to a Dell.

[originalpckelly]

4. The only thing that's really annoying about Vista, which I'm using to type this...

is that Vista has a thing called User Account Control, which is why people get all those annoying ass warnings. There's a way to disable those warnings, and once you do, Vista isn't as bad as it once was. (Plus, I have a system designed for Vista SP1, so that's also why it's doing better.)

[Sebastian Doyle]

6. Yeah, UAC is absolute crap.

A good resource for making Windows (either Vista or XP) work better for you is www.blackviper.com

Though I run Linux as my main OS these days, my Windows XP box runs as lean and clean as possible when I do have to use it, now that I've shut down all the useless crap that no home user would ever need in the first place.

[Occulus]

5. XP was close to being about as stable as it could be

Win98 was stable- then they rolled out XP. It's almost as if Micro$oft can't stand the notion of users having a PC that works for years as intended, and without frequently "breaking down", so to speak.

I would never have purchased Vi$ta. I did try it, to be completely fair to Micro$oft in my decision, but even being a gamer and using DX10 didn't sway me in the least (it's just not that huge of a visual difference, say sorry). Worse, Aero seemed to be required to be enabled for OpenGL applications such as Blender. To say i was disappointed in that fact is an understatement.

On the upside, Vi$ta did start up quickly and was stable when I was using it to game; i didn't experience any crashes, but I wasn't pleased with the way the OS was organized and I really, really did not appreciate the security warnings. They were well-intended, but got in the way of seamless operation of the PC.

GM doesn't ask us if we're sure when we turn the key, and neither should Micro$oft.

Visually, the Vi$ta desktop was far too cluttered, and Aero (having already used the open-source glitz shell Compiz in linux) looked very much like an amateur hack job. I was incredibly underwhelmed with Aero, to the point of being derisive. I just can't believe they pushed it as hard as they did (see my Blender comment above), because it just isn't 'all that'.

And now, instead of making Vi$ta a must-have just because it's so good (and not because they muscled hardware manufacturers into exclusivity regarding the OS), they're bailing on the Vi$ta rubes and making a whole new operating system.

Pathetic. I bet this one will include 'subscription' levels, something rumored to be in the works for Window$ for some time now. Basically, Micro$oft is rumored to be heading in the direction of users paying a subscription fee for the OS instead of buying a license outright. If there's any truth to that, you can fully expect the company's OS arm to die a very hasty ad well-deserved death. You don't pay GM a subscription fee for the 'privilege' of driving their cars and trucks, no- you buy them outright. A PC license should be treated in the same way.

But back to "Windows 7". What crap. Finish Vi$ta, ya dumbasses. Of course, by offering downgrades to XP for businesses, you've pretty much admitted Vi$ta was as much a boondoggle as Windows Millennium Edition (YUK!!!). I suppose, given that, you almost have to move on.

But, Micro$oft, I pity you. Eventually, your business model will drive users away from your operating system. I think about the time people have to start paying you extra for access to the full functionality of their video card (probably coming in the form of a dialog box that says something like "You much subscribe to a level of "Advanced Windows" or high in order to access these DirectX 11 components") your users will begin looking for less controlled of an experience.

As for me, XP works, and works well, and that's what I'm going to use until I have to switch. Shame on Micro$oft for even starting Windows 7 while Vi$ta users still aren't getting what they paid for.