I’m slowly becoming more used to the way Win7 goes about things, including the “holes and gaps, lacks and losses, absences, silences, impalpabilities, insipidities, and the like” that still plague the Windows family of OSes. I do find that Ubuntu more than adequately fills those lacks, however, while maintaining its own lacks quite well, thankyouverymuch. *heh*
Yeh. No OS that satisfies me. Yet.
Running virtual machines in a Win7 host is easier than dual booting, though. Barely. If I could run Win7 in a VM hosted on Ubuntu 8.10, I’d be happier, but I’ve had no luck with that, yet. Still, the things that it is easier to do in Win7 are generally in the realms where I’ve bitched about Ubuntu (and Linux distros in general) being frustrating: media apps, particularly midi related. Sure, one can get midi working in Linux fairly easily, even if it does require a bunch of jumping through hoops initially and much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth to keep it working. In all Windows past v.3.1, midi Just Works. Notsomuch Linux, yet.
But then, Me$$y$oft has to throw a spanner in the works with DRM crap. *feh* Up theirs and the horse they rode in on. I will NOT use WMP to play media files. Heck, playing media files in a properly-configured Linux client on a Win7 host is a more pleasant experience than using WMP. And *feh*2 on using the crappy built-in media burning offered by M$. But at least simple (and free) solutions abound for that issue. Still, the OOTB experience attempting to burn CDs/DVDs in Windows is execreble, while in Ubuntu, it’s virtually transparent.
Still, warts and all, I’m growing to very nearly like Win7, and that’s going some, since I’ve not thought very highly of any M$ OS since Windows 2000 (well, except for a taste of Windows Home Server in a trial and another sip of Server 2003–each of which seemed to be pretty good at what they do, just not worth the $$ for me).
YMMV, but Win7 looks like it could be a solid hit for M$–maybe a two-bagger that M$ can stretch to a three-bagger with intelligent marketing.
Ah, but there’s the rub.
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You speak about one of my favorite targets, M$. A little scary on the startin’ to like it thing. Any difficulties using open source or other commercial OSs still seem a better choice to me. If for no other reason than it may slowly end the dominance of M$. But only my grandchildren or their’s will be around to witness that.
Oh, I gripe plenty about Me$$y$oft, but even the devil would be due a nod if/when he were to do something worthy of praise, however weak and otherwise damning. *heh*
I believe I could use Win7 as productively as the last really good desktop OS from M$, Windows 2000, even though some of its most irksome aspects (it does NOT play well with WinXP computers on the network!) are really irritating. In fact, M$ would probably do as well to release the official beta as shrinkwrap (why not? The shrinkwrap will still be “beta” just tested by a broader array of users for needed patches and such like *heh* That’s the way of M$ products, you know: the end user as usually unwitting beta tester) and then just patch it as it goes, like for all other M$ OSes (and other products) over the past decade or more.
Well, if things are going this well for you I may consider switching to Windows 7 when it’s released. I really like Windows Server 2003, and price isn’t a problem for me with any Microsoft product since I can get it at the employee cost (via the MS Alumni association link to the company store). The problem with “server” OS packages though is the jacked up cost for security software and anti-virus software. I can’t see paying more for my anti-virus software than I pay for the OS.
@Perri: I can usually get some pretty steep discounts on M$ products, but not anywhere near what you can with your “alim” connection. 🙂
Yeh, I can see Win7 as a very successful desktop OS. I was even tempted by my trial of Windows Home Server (it worked so VERY much better on a mixed network than Vista!), but just didn’t feel like it offered enough advantages for my situation to pay M$ the danegeld for it.
Win7? Yeh, I’ll likely put it on this summer’s HTPC build (or buy, depending on circumstances, relative costs, etc.). I’ll probably not use the included Media Center software since it just bugs the heck outa me (more DRM crap), but the rest would work very nicely with another HTPC software (perhaps GBPBR as a base, or even a third party commercial app, Sage or other) in a HTPC. We’ll see, but it looks likely, since the Linux options for HTPC are far too rough for my Wonder Woman to have to mess with.
“I can’t see paying more for my anti-virus software than I pay for the OS.”
I hear you there! *ouch!* One thing I continue to like about Ubuntu: No Cost Security Software. Always.
One thing that’s encouraging: of several “firewall testers” available on the web, none have “failed” this install of Windows 7 using its built-in firewall as they have ALL “failed” previous versions of Windows using the built-in firewall (from XP on). All reported ports “stealthed” as I prefer things. Apparently, between my ISP, my NAT/SPI router/firewall and the built-in Windows firewall in Win7, this computer’s as well-firewalled as when I’m running Ubuntu with its built-in firewall. Much better than any previous Windows with a M$ software firewall.
I’m a MS fan, so if you kinda like Win 7 I’m probably going to flip out over it.
Server 2003 is excellent. I have three of those on my WAN and we’ve been very happy with it. The SharePoint intranet app alone was worth the price of admission.
@Woody–Yeh, you probably will, if for the performance aspects alone. What exposure/use I’ve had with Server 2003 has impressed me, just not enough to replace a Linux box with it. But again, Server 2003 isn’t really a desktop OS and doesn’t really compare (except as apples to oranges :-)) to M$’s desktop offerings.
I may gp ahead and install GBPVR this weekend–may, depending on rest of schedule–as an alternative to M$’s DRM-disabled Media Center. If it plays well with Win7, I may have the HTPC solution I want for building/buying an upcoming HTPC addition to our lil network. (I still have to finish the lil XBox mods to make an old XBox into a media director, but that’ll come. And yeh, it’ll be running a Linux OS. :-))
Addendum: about M$’s marketing opportunity… Win7 appears to be what M$ ought to have shipped as Vista. If M$ wanted to KILL migration to other OSes (Ubuntu, Mac, whatever) on the desktop, they’s simply slip Win7 in as an upDATE to Vista for all those who’ve been plagued by that hog. While I’ve not installed Win7 as an apgrade from Vista, there’ve been too many good reports of that experience to lead me to think it’d be too messy. And talk about good will! All those who’ve felt shortchanged–for various reasons–by their Vista experience would at least have a decent peace offering from Microsoft, and the act would provide a HUGE impetus in Win7 adoption.
Which means, of course, that–given M$’s recent years’ marketing–it’s not gonna happen. *heh*