Jul 21 2009

Windows 7

Windows Release 7

I am now using Window 7 RC  (Release Candidate) on my computer.  I really like it.  A lot more civilized than XP.  I started out many, MANY years ago on Zenith computers which didn’t even have hard drives.  They used 7″ floppy disks.  Ouch!  We were so happy to get an upgrade to a IBM with 5 megs of super duper hard drive memory.  No floppy boot ups, no nice menus, no mouse, no standardized print drivers, no internet.  Talk about primitive!  Boot the computer up and you received a simple C:> prompt.   Type “C:>format” and guess what, hard drive is completely erased.  I cant tell you how many times I had to rebuild my 5 meg hard drive.  A great time to learn the basic fundamentals of computers.

Windows 3.1 came out and it was really primitive too. I’ve used Windows 98, 2000 and finally Mr. XP.  When XP came out I promptly picked up and early edition to be on the cutting edge.  It was CRAP, finally erased my HD and regressed to 98.  Ah, the comfort zone again.  After a few years XP found a warm home on my computer after Microsoft worked the bugs.

Over the years, Mr. XP and I have had a contentious life together.  Kind of like me and my cat Cosmo.  Arrogant, unpredictable, skittish, flakey and some of the time just plain weird.  XP seems to be the happiest right after I install him.  After a few months he just starts to slow down.  Longer boot ups and shutdowns.  XP is really a high maintenance kind of guy.

I have heard  many bad thing about Vista given my experience with early upgrades from 98 to XP the best approach appeared to be just wait and see.  Vista turned out to be  crap too.   The follow on to Vista is Window 7.   Apparently it is the 7 the release of an operating system and Microsoft is just going to use a numbers for the versioning now.

In January Microsoft releases the Windows 7 (beta) free for testing.  Having a spare hard drive I just wanted to see if it would work on my computer.  The beta edition was crap too.  Went back to my old friend XP (just swapped the HD out).    A few month ago Microsoft released Windows 7 (Release Candidate).   It is very almost exactly like what will be relapse to the general public and all the bugs were fixed.

After reinstalling the RC on the HD, I found Seven (like Voyager’s Seven as I affectionately call her) is very well behaved.  Seven  is sleek, sexy and just seems to be, well for a lack of a better term, sophisticated.  The total opposite to the klutzy, cantankerous XP.  I really enjoy the look, feel, and nice menus and screen savers.  All my numerous drivers just seemed to magically load on their own.   Programs work quickly and nicely.  Boot up and shut down is very quick on my old computer and after using her for a few months, she is not slowing down at all.   I am in love….but she (RC) is terminal and going to die next spring when Microsoft shuts her down.  Amazon had a pre-release sale for $49 for Home Professional which I jumped on (it is now $119).   What a deal.   I would highly recommend Seven to you, she is sweet, intelligent and you’ll love putting your hands all over her keyboard, but you’ll have to get your own gal.  She is mine.

My OCD  kicked in today.   I really wanted to spend some time with the PPod and Bob stopped by.  We spent the day talking, went to get my SS brake lines for Tweety, picked up some real MOGAS for Tweety ($1.30/gal cheaper than AVGAS),  had lunch at the Olive Garden.  Right after he left Jack made a visit to just chat…  I did get the chance to spend about an hour glassing….  I was a little stressed and anxious but I am trying to get deal with it…….