Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Why am I so happy that Windows 7 was launched?

Windows 7 gets a fairly positive reviews all over the IT world. In fact, it's technology is Windows Vista SP2 with refinements. It's technology is similar with what was Windows 95 saga vs Windows 98. Even Windows 98 was somehow a bad operating system, and have a BSOD on it's first public presentation. But in years, after Windows 2000 appears, people don't want to get rid of Windows 95, or a bit later about Windows 98. But in fact Windows 95 and 98 were on the same family of products.

The same thing applies to Windows Vista compared with Windows 7. The backslash of public opinion of Vista, was the same backslash that Windows 95 has (it was considered bloated, slow). The improvements of hardware made the new Windows 98 (which in fact was Windows 95 with small updates on UI) to be more positive.

In some extend the same thing happens with Vista: it brings new technology, a bit incompatible with XP "old OS". Was a bit slow for it's start. Do you think anyway that Vista was ever considered a slow release? Or Windows 98, or XP, or any OS from Microsoft? Look in history of more or less independent reviewers that Vista do not perform so bad, if you don't believe me, look here.

The good think is that virtually all programs that run on Vista, run on Windows 7. If you do all upgrades to your Vista machine, you will have installed already .NET 3.5 (the same version as Windows 7 does), the same IE8. In fact NaroCAD never had more problems on Windows 7 than on Vista, and no crash was because was Windows 7.

This launch of Windows 7 will push much more people to leave the beloved XP away, and makes also Vista to be really a great deal. You can buy Vista Home Basic in OEM at really bargain prices. I found a shop (in Spain) that sells it as low as 30 euros (care that we talk about OEM, so you should buy a new hard drive or video card with it at least). This is incomparable with an OEM price of 90 euros of Windows 7 upgrade price (see here). And the good thing is that you get (almost) the same OS (that version do not have included SP1, so I had to wait a bit to apply all upgrades), but as of today all new hardware you buy is Windows Vista compatible.

If Windows7 +1 will be technology compatible with Windows 7, it will just mean that if you can wait another three years and buy at that time Windows7, at a very good price with no big compatibilities issues that Windows 8 will have at their prime time.

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