What is up with Windows 7? PSU/NonPSU

[AzureBlaze]

Ok Windows 7.
I've been hearing a lot about it because I guess they're gonna let it out soon. But, an OS is not something I am obsessed with particularly. I can get around fine on Windows regular, vista and mac OS's. I have Vista, and for all everyone shouts at it--it hasn't really given me trouble. Though I only do standard things such as writing, and video editing in Vegas. Perhaps I don't do anything complicated enough to break it or make it give me trouble. (though it does make plenty of those widgety 'are you sure you wanna' boxes to press on) They are making 7, I guess, to get rid of Vista because they heard 'no one likes it'?

I came here to ask this question because I know PSOW is full of people who are knowledgeable but without being overboard trying to 'sell everyone on' 1 thing or another. There's less likely to be bias and also the ppl here like video games on the pc too. A PC and an OS should fit along with the style in which you like to use it (and not break if used that way) so asking other people who like games is logical.

Will it let me run my lovely anceint Adobe GoLive 6 software? (its from the 1990s but I own it!)
Will its WindowsExplorer work better than Vistas? (Vista tried to make it fancy but really it's harder to use than the regular one)
Clearly, they just fixed it up (frontpage news article here) so GG will go along with it--psu won't be a problem.
WHY is it better than the Windows before Vista?
Will it be terribly expensive? Vista was free upon my new pc. I would consider buying this 7 though, if it's WindowsExplorer is better than vistas.
Will vista pitch 12 fits and require all kinds of know-how to let 7 get put on (and I guess get rid of it) ? I remember hearing that if you yell loudly enough at MS they would tell you how to put an older version onto a Vista PC if you got mad enough at Vista. But that was troublesome.
Will you get 7?

Is anyone paying attention to 7 yet? I have heard all kinds of things like that 7 will have 12 different versions to confuse people etc. so I'm trying to avoid rumors and all. Currently it is a matter of curiosity, any opinions/weigh-ins appriciated!

[Rubius-sama]

Yeah I'm waiting to get Vista 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition. Kinda tired of XP, and I wanna run games in DX10 too. XP is pretty out-dated... and lacking lots of features.

[SpikeOtacon]

I've played around with Windows 7's RC1 for the last few days. I did a brief write-up with some screenshots (http://cheesecakerecipe.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/lucky-7-a-look-at-windows-7-rc-1/) to show off the new Aero visual features. Though it looks almost exactly like Vista, I did notice that it was a lot less resource intensive even with the added effects.

The biggest difference is the way the taskbar works. Instead of just having taskbar sections, you have icons that represent a program. From there, any window for that program will be represented by a preview segment like in Vista, but more contained. Like this:

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq60/mcmanmeat/Left4Bread/win7float.jpg

You can also pin programs to the taskbar to function similarly to the OS X dock.

In terms of the Explorer, it still isn't as simple as ol' XPs. It requires a lot more clicking around to change views or at least isn't as helpful as it should be in doing what it is you want to do. I was also confused with how the side shortcuts worked, how there was only shortcuts to a few locations but was otherwise not quite what I wanted or needed. Item draw for preview thumbnails is faster than Vista by a little bit, but this isn't too important unless you're browing a photo library with thumbnails.

I should mention i'm using the 64 bit edition of Vista and the Windows 7 RC. I was impressed with how well 7 worked once setup was completed. As soon as it was done, everything worked. I never needed to install a visual driver for my integrated chipset, all devices got along with it just fine. However, there are still some bugs with older programs. They should be fixed by the time the final release comes out though, so it is worth keeping up with the bug squishing progress.

The biggest proof that 7 was better than Vista was in the Windows Experience Index.

Vista Score:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq60/mcmanmeat/Left4Bread/VistaIndexsmall.jpg

Windows 7 Score:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq60/mcmanmeat/Left4Bread/Win7IndexSmall.jpg

While the graphics stuff dropped a little bit, the RAM and Processor practically skyrocketed. I'm pretty impressed that 7 is that much more efficiant with computing power. At this rate I will be buying Windows 7 when it comes out. It is a little on the expensive side (expect to pay the same prices as when Vista first came out) from what I hear but this looks to be a really good upgrade, especially for those who were frustrated with the hog that Vista was made out to be.

[Kent]

...Wait, Explorer reverted from what it's like in Vista, to what it was like in XP?

[SabZero]

Eh, don't fix what's not broken. I say.

[joefro]

I really hope that 7 is cheap. I want to run it in Parallels so I can game on a Mac without restarting my computer and running a boot camp partition.

[Ketchup345]

Eh, don't fix what's not broken. I say.In order to stay competitive, occasional updates are necessary (Mac OS has gone through a few, Linux does depending on version - Ubuntu is once every 6 months). Also, Vista has received a lot of negative attention that never left many people's minds.


I will be building a new computer sometime after Windows 7 is released and get the OEM version. Windows 7 is scheduled for release around October 22 (link (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/Jun09/06-02SteveGuggenheimer.mspx)).

Joefro- If you want it "cheap", buy it with some other hardware and you can get OEM price (at least from sites like Newegg). OEM can save over $100 on the cost of the OS: Home Premium retail is $225, Home Premium OEM is $100 (but then figure in the price of buying some cheap hardware, maybe some RAM and it is still around a big savings).

[SabZero]

In order to stay competitive, occasional updates are necessary (Mac OS has gone through a few, Linux does depending on version - Ubuntu is once every 6 months). Also, Vista has received a lot of negative attention that never left many people's minds.

Well, we're just talking about a gaming PC, right? For that, you can stick with what works. Maybe even downgrading to XP would be better, except no DirectX 10 IIRC.

[Ketchup345]

Well, we're just talking about a gaming PC, right? For that, you can stick with what works. Maybe even downgrading to XP would be better, except no DirectX 10 IIRC.XP support is supposed to be cut off at some point. Depending on the gamer, DirectX10 may be necessary.

So for Windows:
Pre-XP- Horribly outdated, not supported at all anymore, very limited (if any) copies available.
XP- Becoming outdated, supplies probably limited, support to stop at some point (ok, looks like security updates at least until 2014).
Vista- Bad press and poor reputation. Some things were a major annoyance.
7- Supposed to fix many/most/all the worst things of Vista. So far I have not heard anything that is actually bad with it (at least that won't be fixed by a month after launch, mostly deals with hardware/software compatibility issues).


There will likely be multiple versions of 7. Expect a minimum of 3 versions (if it is only these 3, the choice will be obvious). I'd expect a Home, Business, and a stripped down "netbook" version at minimum.
Anything else I've read is from February. If they are right though, this (http://gizmodo.com/5145366/all-the-flavors-of-windows-7-explained) seems to explain it best, supposedly 2 versions you can buy, and most casual will probably be fine with the lower.

[BahnKnakyu]

Windows 7 RC1 is awesome. Them turning the taskbar into what's similar to the Mac OS X dock is a good idea. Imitation is the best form of flattery. Windows 7 RC1 also comes with a majority of the modern Network, Graphics, and Sound drivers installed. Unless you have an exotic sound card like the HT Omega Striker 7.1 (what I have) everything pretty much works right off the bat.

It's a huge improvement over Vista, it "feels" snappier, and I got better benchmark scores in 7 than I did in Vista.

Mind you, I absolutely hated Vista, so when I heard about 7 I was very hesitant to use it. But once I tried 7 out, it made a believer out of me. 7 was made by Microsoft to basically brush away the stigma that Vista had when it first came out, which Vista hasn't been able to shake. So yeah, as someone stated it, it feels like the "XP" of Vista.

Edit: Vista is actually supposed to be better for Enterprise level users. It's more secure than XP since it's built differently, but for gamers, XP is still the OS of choice, but companies are jumping onto the Windows 7 bandwagon a LOT faster than Windows Vista, which took forever for certain companies to finally make compatible software and hardware and drivers for it.

Sidenote: Vista's Service Pack 2 has been released a week or two ago - might want to try it out. I heard good things about it.




XP support is supposed to be cut off at some point. Depending on the gamer, DirectX10 may be necessary.

So for Windows:
Pre-XP- Horribly outdated, not supported at all anymore, very limited (if any) copies available.
XP- Becoming outdated, supplies probably limited, support to stop at some point (ok, looks like security updates at least until 2014).
Vista- Bad press and poor reputation. Some things were a major annoyance.
7- Supposed to fix many/most/all the worst things of Vista. So far I have not heard anything that is actually bad with it (at least that won't be fixed by a month after launch, mostly deals with hardware/software compatibility issues).


There will likely be multiple versions of 7. Expect a minimum of 3 versions (if it is only these 3, the choice will be obvious). I'd expect a Home, Business, and a stripped down "netbook" version at minimum.
Anything else I've read is from February. If they are right though, this (http://gizmodo.com/5145366/all-the-flavors-of-windows-7-explained) seems to explain it best, supposedly 2 versions you can buy, and most casual will probably be fine with the lower.

Not counting the "netbook" version, there's actually supposed to be only 3. Home, Business, and Ultimate from what I've read (from some articles I've read that are dated after that article you posted). Microsoft learned that their 1439681093468034968 different versions model to "cater to your needs" was a bad idea. Choice is good, but too many choices is bad. Windows XP had the model right - and it's understandable to have Ultimate for those who want all the extra bells and whistles, so 3 versions would be acceptable.

[Leviathan]

Isn't this also coming out around the same time as OS X Snow Leopard?

I smell a competition!

[Ketchup345]

Isn't this also coming out around the same time as OS X Snow Leopard?

I smell a competition!The Apple website says September 2009 for Snow Leopard, and I linked above to October 22 for Windows 7.

As for competition, I doubt it will be too big. There is just a huge number of people who use Windows compared to those who use Mac OS. In October, all new computers will likely have 7 or SL, and there will likely be many more "PC" purchases (and home builds) than Mac.
Plus for many people, 7 will likely be their time to upgrade (assuming a 4 year upgrade/replacement cycle), and will likely include many people who stayed away from Vista for a year or two due to bad press.

[Genoa]

So I hear silly little rumors of people who have purchased Vista within a reasonable time (not well defined) of Windows 7 release can potentially be eligible for a free upgrade from Windows Vista to 7 (depending on the type you purchased).
Such as Windows Vista Premium Home Edtion >> Windows 7 Home Edition
Vista Business >> 7 Professional
Vista Ultimate >> 7 Ultimate
(in respective 32bit or 64bit OS')

Any information that's more... reliable on potential confirmation? :D
I have XP... but I wouldn't mind grabbing a Vista 64bit Ultimate if I can upgrade to 7's Ultimate for free.

[DreXxiN]

Wow, that'd be epic Special K. I really hope so.

[SpikeOtacon]

So I hear silly little rumors of people who have purchased Vista within a reasonable time (not well defined) of Windows 7 release can potentially be eligible for a free upgrade from Windows Vista to 7 (depending on the type you purchased).
Such as Windows Vista Premium Home Edtion >> Windows 7 Home Edition
Vista Business >> 7 Professional
Vista Ultimate >> 7 Ultimate
(in respective 32bit or 64bit OS')

Any information that's more... reliable on potential confirmation? :D
I have XP... but I wouldn't mind grabbing a Vista 64bit Ultimate if I can upgrade to 7's Ultimate for free.

Best I could do. (http://gizmodo.com/5280311/best-buy-windows-7-isnt-just-vista-that-works-also-free-upgrades)

[Genoa]

Nice find Spike, I might have to stop by BestBuy on the 26th ;D

[BahnKnakyu]

Edit:

Didn't see the opening page's claim that Win7 works with PSU.

I'll reinstall PSU and see if this is true.