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  First reactions to Windows 7
Time: 08:12 EST/13:12 GMT | News Source: ZDNet | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Having my hands on the beta 1 of Windows 7 over the holidays has been an interesting experience because it’s allowed me to show the OS to people and get feedback from a broad range of users as to how they feel about Microsoft’s upcoming operating system.

First off, let me point out that these reactions aren’t based on some sort of half-assed Mojave Experiment that I carried out. Feedback is based on people having a play with the OS and then being asked what they thought.

Overall, reactions from all OS camps (Windows users, Mac users and Linux users) was fairly positive. In a world where the majority of computer users are happy if they can access the web, check email, sort through a few photos and play games, this isn’t all that surprising.

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#1 By 28801 (71.58.225.185) at 1/4/2009 8:26:30 AM
"Having my hands on the beta 1 of Windows 7 over the holidays has been an interesting experience because it’s allowed me to show the OS to people and get feedback from a broad range of users as to how they feel about Microsoft’s upcoming operating system."

This guy sure knows how to party!


Seriously, this article offers nothing that we all don't already know -

"I haven’t yet found a Mac or Linux user who feels tempted back to Windows based on what they’ve seen in Windows 7".

Wow what a surprise! Thanks for enlightening us.



#2 By 79018 (74.70.9.133) at 1/4/2009 8:56:17 AM
I get to use my friends Mac about twice a week, nothing about it would make me switch.
Maybe a Mac Pro if I had a spare $2,700.00, then I'd get replace the keyboard and mouse.
After all this time with Windows since 3.1 (FYI I love Vista) a Mac OS seems strange. If I had to drop Windows it would be Ubuntu, to much invested in hardware.

#3 By 23275 (24.196.4.141) at 1/4/2009 9:58:46 AM
In a world where the majority of computer users are happy if they can access the web, check email, sort through a few photos and play games,

So this is his control group, huh....?

What little box does this guy live in? People are a lot more sophisticated than this. People do so much more. I can take any "one" customer of ours and reflect on how they use over a dozen unique programs to do their jobs. A half dozen case management apps, or as many accounting packages, and an unending number of imaging and diagnostic applications... depends upon the profession, of course, but people use a lot of very diverse software. Even small contracting companies are going to use four or five different apps.

I swear... the reporting situation opposite our industry has become disgusting... insultingly so.
They're going to drag out the same old tired, but tried and true examples and beat that drum until their little hands bleed. I have no respect for them. None. Little ad dollar hungry toads.

#4 By 8556 (12.210.39.82) at 1/4/2009 2:05:17 PM
This comment is great: "Taskbar too big/clunky/confusing/just too new." What an odd comment. It's so new that it's too new.

#5 By 23275 (24.196.4.141) at 1/4/2009 5:19:00 PM
#4, No kidding.... it can be adjusted in so many ways and yes, it takes a couple of days to get used to, but it does work pretty well. You can use small icons and text labels, etc... it basically provides more direct context menu actions on an app in the bar. Once you get used to interacting with apps that way, you tend to stay out of the start menu more than before. Also, most people will like the ability to color code apps and how the corresponding border on the open window matches it. That visual color connection is pretty slick.

Virtual folders don't really start to make a lot of sense until you get a good bit of content moved into them - once you do it is phenominal. Finding "everything" is really well done.

Laptop users who actually move around between a lot of networks are going to love Win7. Personas are smart and remember things well - what network segments to connect to; what printers are defaults and where; what shares one has access to; proxy settings, etc... and you just close the lid, roll to one place, or another and open it back up - much like Vista is today in that sense, but better since Win7 understands where it is. It's going to be wildly popular and the pundits needs to take note now... get on board, or risk being branded as irrelevant snarks.

#6 By 17855 (205.167.180.132) at 1/5/2009 7:48:28 AM
#5 Theyr already irrelevent snarks...

#7 By 1896 (68.153.171.248) at 1/5/2009 8:08:21 AM
Virtual folders are very interesting. I hope MS will not kill them again....

This post was edited by Fritzly on Monday, January 05, 2009 at 08:08.

#8 By 23275 (172.16.10.31) at 1/5/2009 8:44:32 AM
#7, They won't Fritzly. They are baked into it and are what will drive home groups. If you've read my earlier posts about how these features with object level tagging will enable one to build great libraries exposed to all types of services works, there is a lot of reason to be excited.

Oddly... some pundits are down on this - they assume that it will be too confusing for consumers. I don't agree. If they don't create and use them, they will not see them and when a home group ( one's home workgroup ) is set up, it is entirely transparent to consumers that the named space and folders are virtualized.

#9 By 37 (192.251.125.85) at 1/5/2009 12:36:51 PM
One day they might even catch up with Mac :-)

Mac > Windows

This post was edited by AWBrian on Monday, January 05, 2009 at 12:48.

#10 By 8556 (74.84.87.66) at 1/5/2009 1:02:05 PM
#9: First MS would have to make sure that all PCs cost at least $1000 or more to catch up to Mac's.

#11 By 16797 (70.48.176.74) at 1/5/2009 1:12:31 PM
#9 True, only if you meant Mac = OSX + Win/Parallels, as is usually the case.

#12 By 37 (192.251.125.85) at 1/5/2009 1:34:11 PM
#11, I just use bootcamp :-)

#9, PCs don't cost $1000 because they aren't worth $1000 :-)

#13 By 1896 (68.153.171.248) at 1/5/2009 3:07:41 PM
#8) I agree with you 1000% Iketchum but....
remember that Virtual Folders were in Vista during the Beta (These are public information) and maybe because people complained or who knows for what other reason MS pulled them.
I hope they will not do it again but they already killed the SideBar....

#14 By 16797 (70.48.176.74) at 1/5/2009 3:13:49 PM
#12 You probably have Windows under both Parallels and bootcamp :-)

Seriously, one day OSX will catch up with Windows so you won't need 2 operating systems on your Mac.

#15 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 1/5/2009 3:53:12 PM
#14: Seriously, one day OSX will catch up with Windows so you won't need 2 operating systems on your Mac.

Catch up how? Total number of viruses available? Total botnet participants? You'll have to be more specific.

#16 By 92283 (70.67.2.125) at 1/5/2009 4:22:29 PM
"PCs don't cost $1000 because they aren't worth $1000 "

Exactly. Why pay 1000$ for a quad core with 22" monitor when you can get one for 799$.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DDDWDC3&s=dhs

1000$ for a PC!!! Ha! That is so overpriced.

Of course the same PC with a 2600XT is 949 compared to over 3000$ for a similarly configure Mac Pro! (1 quad core, 500GB drive, 20" Apple monitor vs 22" Dell)

#17 By 16797 (70.48.176.74) at 1/5/2009 4:24:09 PM
#15 Ask that AWBrian, he should be able to tell you why he needs Windows too on his Mac. Somehow I don't think it's because he's missing malware, etc.

#18 By 16797 (70.48.176.74) at 1/5/2009 4:47:41 PM
By the way, if anybody wants to buy a Mac for $5000, I can sell you one. Then, you can tell AWBrian that your Mac is better than his 'cause you paid $5K for it.

Heck, I can even sell you one for $10K if you really insist. And then you can install Windows on it and still pretend that your Mac is not a PC and that OSX gets job done.. (I promise I won't tell anyone).

You don't need to give your money to Steve Jobs to be an idiot. Come to me, no problems. No credit cards please.

P.S.
SPECIAL: See that $799 PC above, NotParkerToo is talking about? You can have it for $3000.


#19 By 37 (24.196.138.23) at 1/5/2009 4:56:35 PM
That is an interesting looking $799 all in one PC. Why would an all in one PC look like a tower, and no resemblance of a monitor on it? Why would they put smaller laptop sized parts inside such a big tower....err all in one?

#20 By 92283 (70.67.2.125) at 1/5/2009 5:41:20 PM
Its not an all-in-one. I was comparing it to a Mac Pro, not a Macbook pro or an iMac.

3448 for a Mac Pro with 1 quad core, 500GB drive, 20" monitor and a 2600XT

Admittedly the quad core CPU in the Mac pro is a 2.8 instead of 2.66. And the Mac Pro could have a 2nd CPU in it. But still ... OUCH!




#21 By 16797 (70.48.176.74) at 1/5/2009 6:25:31 PM
The only strange thing is that Apple is not preinstalling Windows too, since so many Mac users add it later anyway. Would be interesting to see how many customers would actually go for it.. (Well, we know AWBrian would :-)

First they charge you extra for their "special" Apple PC and then, later, when you realize that you need Windows anyway, MS gets its piece too :)

And people are still happy and feel good about it. Isn't that something? Really.

Yeah, think different. Think like "I'm an idiot."

#22 By 37 (24.196.138.23) at 1/5/2009 6:53:22 PM
So people that prefer Apple hardware and Mac OSX are idiots? Well, at least we know how you really feel.

#23 By 16797 (65.95.8.9) at 1/6/2009 7:09:07 AM
Not all, just people like you.

How can you say that Windows has some catching up to do, yet you STILL need Windows beside OSX?
Ridiculous.




#24 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 1/6/2009 8:42:23 AM
#23: How can you say that Windows has some catching up to do, yet you STILL need Windows beside OSX?

Um, how do you NOT understand such a simple concept? Mac does 99% of what Brian needs better than Windows, but there is still one or two apps he needs that either have no Mac equivalent or the Mac equivalent is inferior.

#25 By 37 (192.251.125.85) at 1/6/2009 11:17:50 AM
Gonzo...my comment of catching up was me just poking fun. However, I do prefer Apple hardware and OS to Windows and it's PC choices.

Latch nailed it. I have been using Windows up until just about 2 years ago (starting with Windows 98). We own a UPS Store, and we do commercial printing. Sometimes we receive native Microsoft Publisher files, and I need to edit them on occasion. I do that on my Vista bootcamp partition. That's it. I have a 6gb partition out of my 1.5TB of space on my iMac set aside for Windows Vista + Microsoft Publisher to edit an occasional SOHO file that we receive. Microsoft Publisher native files are not compatible with any of my Mac applications.

So, I guess in a round about way, I need Windows to run Publisher so I can open the proprietary format.

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