Windows 7 mini-review

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by javyn

Couldn't tell ya. None of my computers have the system requirements to run 7.

Small timer.

You don't have a 1Ghz processor, more than 1GB of Ram, and 16GB of disk space?
What are you running, an Abacus?

 

[javyn]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Small timer.
Nah. I'm just someone who's woken up and stopped playing along with the Microsoft/Intel forced upgrade racket. MS releases bigger, more bloated operating system, then Intel releases faster chip that's needed to run that OS. I don't think things have actually gotten any faster for anyone in practice in quite a while. In April I decided to retire my Windows XP fanboy cap and try out Ubuntu and I've been obsessed since then. AMD 2.07 ghz, 2 gig pc2100 ram, and e-geforce 6200 256 megger... things are running FAST for me now. Even with all the Compiz 3d desktop bells and whistles enabled, like desktop cube, animated windows, 3d windows, etc. Of course there's gaming...or lack thereof in Linux...but I don't care about that. I have Tetris, I mean...Gnometris....what else do I need?

Still, the most compelling reason of all to ditch Windows....no DRM. That's the deal breaker right there for me.

 

[milosh]

Originally Posted by javyn

That's so far from the truth. My laptop gets about an hour of battery life with XP and 3 hours with Ubuntu 9.04

??

I currently have both Windows 7 and Archlinux installed on new laptop. If you google what I have written, you will find it to be true.

 

[javyn]

Originally Posted by milosh

??

I currently have both Windows 7 and Archlinux installed on new laptop. If you google what I have written, you will find it to be true.

Guess 7 has major improvements in that regard, because battery life under XP has always been crapola

 

[milosh]

Well Microsoft also had the edge in that department with vista.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by javyn

Nah. I'm just someone who's woken up and stopped playing along with the Microsoft/Intel forced upgrade racket. MS releases bigger, more bloated operating system, then Intel releases faster chip that's needed to run that OS. I don't think things have actually gotten any faster for anyone in practice in quite a while.

In April I decided to retire my Windows XP fanboy cap and try out Ubuntu and I've been obsessed since then. AMD 2.07 ghz, 2 gig pc2100 ram, and e-geforce 6200 256 megger... things are running FAST for me now. Even with all the Compiz 3d desktop bells and whistles enabled, like desktop cube, animated windows, 3d windows, etc.

Of course there's gaming...or lack thereof in Linux...but I don't care about that. I have Tetris, I mean...Gnometris....what else do I need?

Still, the most compelling reason of all to ditch Windows....no DRM. That's the deal breaker right there for me.

Sounds to me like you have a sort of out-of-date impression of things. But whatever.

Just so you know, Windows 7 should run very well on your machine. From what I hear, it runs quite well on netbooks with much lower specs than those you listed.

DRM is everywhere. You can avoid it, but probably not forever. I assume you don't have an iPod or a BR player, a tivo, or anything else with serious DRM as part of the package...

 

[javyn]

No I have an offbrand mp3 player. The next piece of hardware I'm looking at buying is either going to be a WD TV or Popcorn Hour.

I guess my impression on things is a bit outdated, but that's okay. I am able to do what I need to do with no problems, and that's usually more than the typical user with the latest and greatest hardware and software does anyway.

IMO if most people only use a computer to check email, browse the web, and word process, why bother upgrading at all?

And yes, I intend to avoid DRM forever as a consumer. At work though, unfortunately, I defend DRM patents lol.

But anyway, it's only a matter of time before the masses become aware of the superiority of the open source software model and the GNU Public license. Netscape and the new Android phone OS are the best examples I can think of right now.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

IMO if most people only use a computer to check email, browse the web, and word process, why bother upgrading at all?

Agreed, but that doesn't help someone who's buying new or growing and exploring new things as a computer user. It's not as if compulsive OS upgrading is a Windows phenomena. If anything, I think it's just as, if not more common among the MacOS crowd. And it's not uncommon with the Linux crowd either.

And yes, I intend to avoid DRM forever as a consumer. At work though, unfortunately, I defend DRM patents lol.

Then you should know (and are actively helping to ensure) that DRM is here to stay. I highly doubt you'll be able to avoid it forever, especially if you plan on buying your WDtv or popcorn. DRM is not nearly as insidious as most people make it out to be. In the grand scheme of things, it hasn't affected me at all.

 

[javyn]

Hopefully we don't take that DRM case. 300 page patent with only two claims WTF. Anyway, I'll give you that compulsive OS upgrading is more alive and well with Linux than any other OS. Hell, a new Ubuntu comes out every 6 months. But they are always free, and rarely cause a bump in minimum sys requirements. The things that attract me to the WD TV and moreso the Popcorn Hour are the fact that I can watch whatever the hell I want, and the firmware is easily hackable on both. Sony is never going to be able to be phoned home by either of those players and lock me out of media it deems pirated. Check out this documentary on the GNU Public license phenomenon. It's so much more than just Linux, although Linux is most widely known example. I think this will change when Android OS catches on though.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

You *are* aware that anything with an HDMI plug is a DRM trojan horse, right? HDMI is a DRM data transfer format. Its pretty minimal at the moment, but its not neccesarily going to be that way forever.

I'm waiting to see whether or not the HDMI collective decides to turn on the next gen DRM tags that they are currently under agreement not to use when the agreement expires next year.

 

[javyn]

I'm completely ignorant when it comes to that HD ****. If I had my way I'd get rid of the television altogether. Of course it would mean WW3 with the gf, so we had to compromise. No HD crap, no cable. But we can have a DVD player (and maybe eventually a Popcorn Hour), and Netflix. That's it.

And no I wasn't aware of that, pretty ******* scary.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by javyn

I'm completely ignorant when it comes to that HD ****. If I had my way I'd get rid of the television altogether. Of course it would mean WW3 with the gf, so we had to compromise. No HD crap, no cable. But we can have a DVD player (and maybe eventually a Popcorn Hour), and Netflix. That's it.

And no I wasn't aware of that, pretty ******* scary.

God help you if your television dies anytime from about two years ago until the end of your life then. Finding a non-hd tv is kind of like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Like I said, even if the HDMI collective turns on the high level DRM next year, it will likely be a number of days before someone figures out a way to hack around it. Likely will have little to no impact on my life.

 

[javyn]

So far the new TVs I've seen still have composite inputs.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by javyn

So far the new TVs I've seen still have composite inputs.

Yeah, I mean, you can still watch 800 x 600 on a lot of things, but it looks like hell. I'm talking about tv's that are not HD. There is a big difference in picture quality on standard def signal watched on a high def set, and standard def signal watched on a standard def set.

Standard def signal watched on an HDTV looks like complete and utter ass.

 

[javyn]

Great so you're saying if I get one of those fancy Vizio 40" TVs from Walmart, my VHS tapes are going to look even worse than before? Super!