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MS To Offer Free Windows 7 Upgrade To Vista Users
crazyeyes writes "With Windows 7 set for release in Dec. 09, Microsoft is getting ready with their free upgrade program, which allows Vista users to switch to Windows 7 when it arrives. The folks at TechARP have consistently scored accurate scoops on Microsoft software releases. They have now revealed Microsoft's upgrade plans, schedules and even screenshots of the upgrade process."
Because it seems that Win7 might actually be a decent OS and there has to be something to harp on. What? You expect people to admit that Microsoft is fixing something they screwed up?
11 was a racehorse
12 was 12
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And if XP and Vista starter editions are any indication, the Win 7 won't even be available outside of basically Asia and Africa.
In Windows XP and Windows Vista, "Home Edition" (XP) or "Home Basic" was for cheap boxes in the developed world, and "Starter Edition" (essentially Home Basic with a 3-app limit) was for less-developed countries. Microsoft has reversed the roles of these SKUs in Windows 7: "Starter Edition" is for netbooks and "Home Basic" is exclusively for LDCs. See press release.
And it's nothing special. Running it on a laptop and desktop. It has bugs (reported), but Ubuntu actually feels better imho. So I'm likely to dump it soon, and since WoW runs with Wine, I'm really close to getting rid of all the hassles with MS. I've gotten alot of co-workers to switch, but convincing "great-aunt Sally" types is another thing.
Given that Win7 is supposed to have a smaller number of services running by default, and a number of optimizations to boot, you probably won't get worse perf on Win7. I can't guarantee better perf, but when you're operating with that little memory, *any* improvement in Win7's memory usage will have a noticeable effect (of course, if you are disabling unnecessary Vista services yourself you'll probably get a lot of the benefit).
As for drivers, you should be fine. They aren't changing the driver model for Win7, so Vista drivers will work with it.
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I'm only missing Windows 1, 2 and me. And, of course, I did not buy Vista. Can't I at least have a free upgrade to Win 7? Please Billy Boy.
Help end the use of Sigs. Tomorrow
You had enough money to buy an OS but none left over for RAM?
I used 2000 until 6 months ago.
I wanted to upgrade to 64 bit and vista seemed the best move*.
While there are parts of vista that drive me up a wall(most I've turned off), overall I don't mind it. I was surprised at how I enjoyed the GUI.
* I have demands that require MS Windows.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Good call. I hope everyone reads this comment. I was getting all excited 'cause I didn't RTFA and I thought I'd get to upgrade my existing Vista laptop for free (perhaps in a surprise concession by Microsoft that Vista sucks the proverbial monkey cock). Alas, no such luck. I guess this one's going to end up running nix after all. (not that that's a bad thing).
"Bread and Circuses is the cancer of democracy, the fatal disease for which there is no cure." --Robert Heinlien
You know what I think is sad? It is how according to TFA this is only for the OEMs. Which unless they have announced differently means any poor sap who actually bought Vista at retail is getting boned twice. First by buying Vista at retail, second for getting stuck with it(which you know MSFT will dump Vista support faster than WinME thanks to its bad rep) while everyone who bought a Dell gets it free. Man that is just sorry.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Lets look at your theory!
Windows 1.0: SUCKED
Windows 2.0: SUCKED
Windows 3.x: AWESOME (for back then)
Windows 95: REVOLUTIONARY (copy of apple)
Windows 98: SUCKED
Windows 98SE: GOOD (comparatively)
Windows 2000: OKAY, then later GOOD (initially lacked consumer/non-NT program compatibility)
Windows ME: SUCKED
Windows XP: GOOD (supposed apple knock-off eye-candy + consumer program compatibility, although by this time new versions of consumer programs were updated to also be compatible with 2000, turn off all eye-candy and it performs same as 2000)
Windows Vista: BAD? (Initially had bad driver support, still has 'ridiculous' hardware requirements. Although 64-bit version has better driver support than XP-64... and it runs really really awesome with a DX10 GPU, Core 2 CPU, 4GB+ RAM)
Windows 7: MAYBE GOOD? (Lower hardware requirements, almost like 2000 if you turn off all eye-candy? Beta doesn't have driver support as good as Vista yet... how much 'legacy' hardware will get cut off from driver support for 7 compared to Vista? Will nVidia only write drivers for 780i chipset and newer?)
Looking at this, if you cut off everything before ME then it looks like it might be following the Star Trek curse.
Windows ME = Star Trek: The Motion Picture (terrible)
Windows XP = Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (arguably the best Star Trek evar!)
Windows Vista = Star Trek: The Search for Spock (good but shunned because it wasn't as gritty awesome as Wrath of Khan)
Windows 7 = Star Trek: The Voyager Home (also arguably the best Star Trek evar!)...
Looks like we might have people arguing over whether XP or 7 is better... but one thing is for certain, Windows 8 should be the worst Windows since ME based on the Star Trek curse.
... and in the DRM, bind them.
I originally installed the 6936 x64 beta and was very impressed, however, I then made the mistake of upgrading the beta to 7000. After that everything was sluggish and slow and unbearable (worse than Vista). My own fault, but it didn't really make a great deal of sense. If they don't sort out upgrading by release, they'll have a lot of angry users who tried upgrading from Vista.
Asides from that the main pet peeve I had was sound quality. For some reason sound quality on Windows 7 and Vista is just plain awful, lacking fidelity and bass. It's not a driver issue either as it's the same with 3 different soundcards I've tried on both Vista and XP.
At any rate I'm back on Windows XP now with Windows Fundamentals. Fastest version of XP I've ever used and isn't crippled like the tinyXP homebrew isos. When you use an OS for some time you realise that shinyness doesn't matter, and responsiveness does. Starting your computer, loading programs and switching between tasks needs to go as quickly as possible, otherwise it becomes a frustrating barrier on your creativity.
How about:
1) 1.0
2) 2.0
3) 3.0
4) 3.1
5) 3.11
6) 95a
7) 95b
8) 95c
9) 98
10) 98SE
11) ME
12) 2k
13) XP Home/Pro
14) Vista Vanilla/Rocky Road
15) Seven!
I just pooped your party.
You seem to have forgotten DOS 6.
Maybe, like me he switched to DR DOS (until it ate some important files).
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Microsoft will have to have a pretty big change in ideology for them to ever compete with piracy.
Yeah, but most things are like that. Want a car?
Buy one? Ugh, work for a few years to save enough money, then go in plunk it down, and drive out.
Lease one? Ugh, plunk money down every month, and end up owning nothing?
Steal one? Walk up to a car you like, get in, drive away.
Toyota will have to have a pretty big change in ideology for them to ever compete with piracy.
What's the difference?
Stealing a car is harder than downloading something from usenet? Barely, especially if you aren't that particular about the car. And spending a few hours learning how to steal a car will 'pay off' far quicker than earning enough to buy one.
The big difference is that because stealing a car is theft, and having a stolen car is fairly visible, and its something the police actually pay some attention to, odds are if you try to use this method for your daily commute you will surely eventually be caught.
So effectively the practical difference between stealing cars and downloading pirate oses is primarily one of enforcement. The only thing that's going to motivate people like you not to pirate OSes is if the odds of being caught and punished were significantly raised.
Which version will they allow the upgrade to? 7 Ultimate? Or the crippled Windows 7 starter version, which allows you to run only three applications at a time?
Open Source: Eroding the Digital Divide