So, windows 7 came out

[Dr Tran]

i got my mac to match my ipod ^_\\\

[MrGiggles]

I'm one of the few people I know who owns/uses a Mac regularly and still prefers PC's for... nearly everything. I prefer it, but I hate it more at the same time.

[MrRubix]

I love my PC *hugs*

[fido123]

Originally Posted by MrRubix

The learning curve on Linux is fairly steep (a newbie will have no idea what a distro is or a repository or know how to work the command line or even what a binary or compilation is, etc) compared to Windows, even though both tend to work right out of the box. My point is that anything "cool" that you can do in Linux, I can also do in Windows. It really comes down to user preference, and, at the end of the day, Windows wins in general compatibility and presence.

I've almost never had any problems in Windows because I'm not retarded. Almost everyone who has corrupted their **** on Windows that I know were also the types to misconfigure things or install a bunch of **** that opens the doors for spyware and slow processing. The ONLY downside to Windows is that I do have to run virus scanners more often, but other than that, I can outperform any Mac or Linux user.

How is the learning curve on lets say Ubuntu steep? Sure you CAN do a bunch of hardcore back end stuff to make your system even better, however the people who don't know how to do that stuff, don't really care or know about the benefits. Could you please point out why the learning curve is steep? You don't have to know all the technical terms to know how to use them, like how a Windows user uses the registry and knows nothing about it. Also when I say I reinstall Windows, it's because it starts running slowly on boot up and over time generates error. This is called Software Rot and is one of the two reasons why Windows fails. There's nothing to do about it, and is solely caused because Windows uses a registry system.

[Sprite-]

Originally Posted by fido123

This is called Software Rot and is one of the two reasons why Windows fails.

What's the other reason?

[fido123]

Originally Posted by Sprite-

What's the other reason?

Bloatcode makes it slow.

[Sprite-]

Yeah I agree with you. If windows operated like Linux and allowed users to choose what extensions they wanted rather than have them already installed, it would be much better.

[fido123]

Originally Posted by Sprite-

Yeah I agree with you. If windows operated like Linux and allowed users to choose what extensions they wanted rather than have them already installed, it would be much better.

IMO this isn't really the cause. It's more it tries to do too much at once, where as if it just more simple, and did less, users would still be able to do everything they wanted just faster. Also a lot of their stuff is programmed in BASIC which when compiled is probably the most ineffeicent language that's actually used out there.

[Sprite-]

fido for head microsoft developer!

[fido123]

[sumzup]

Fido, have you actually tried to use the Windows 7 RTM? It seems you've basically experienced problems with software that isn't fully ready (i.e. using the Office 2010 Technical Preview, something that's not even close to release). I want to see what you think of the actual retail software. Also, are you saying that Microsoft writes major programs in Basic? There is no way this is true. I'm pretty sure they primarily use Managed C++. As for your claims regarding the registry, it's true that it definitely has disadvantages, but Microsoft itself is starting to move away from it, so we'll probably see some changes in the next few releases of Windows.

Personally, I've experienced no problems on Windows 7 (using Boot Camp) aside from low audio volume, which is more due to the fact that Apple has some ****ty drivers. This problem might be because I used a OS X 10.5 disc to install Boot Camp, though, so I will have to see if Snow Leopard's drivers are any better. On the whole, I think Microsoft's done a really good job with 7; it's certainly faster than Vista and XP. A lot of the fabled "bloatcode" was removed for this release as well.

As far as the other major OS platforms go, both have their pros and cons. OS X is undoubtedly extremely polished, and Apple's hardware is really very nice as well as price-competitive with a student discount. The large trackpad with multi-touch on the new MacBook Pros is something that I now cannot live without. Thankfully, larger touchpads seem to be something that other manufacturers are interested in implementing as well; HP released a laptop recently with just such a feature. But I digress; all in all, I think that OS X is really nice to work with. I haven't encountered any major difficulties so far, and everything's been really easy to do.

Linux cannot really be generalized due to the myriad of ways one can run it, but if you just take Ubuntu, one of the more user-friendly distros, you'll see that it's a great OS to use that offers almost too much customization. The main problem is that it has a steep learning curve once you move past the basics. The command line is still very prevalent for more advanced uses, and compiling is sometimes a bitch, especially when you need to find obscure dependencies. If your Google-fu is not strong, you are screwed. The good thing is that there is a huge community that can help you, but the fact is that you will need help more often than you will in Windows or OS X. Finally, while there are exceptions here and there, I think that a lot of Linux apps are ugly and have crappy design. There aren't very many examples of really great Linux-only apps. I loath KDE, and while GNOME's simplicity is a lot better than KDE's cluster**** of options, GNOME could still use a bit of refinement and better visuals. GNOME 3 looks awesome, though; I can't wait until it's included with Ubuntu (10.04, for those who care).

Overall, I like this new generation of OS releases...I honestly don't have a preference (beyond liking multi-touch for OS X) and would be happy with anything. The truth is, I mostly just need a browser that will survive the onslaught of at least a hundred tabs...that's 90% of my computer usage, anyways.

Edit: One more thing: Windows can't be nearly as awesome as Linux in the areas of package management and included software because of legal risks. Because it controls a majority of the OS market, Microsoft has to tread very carefully to avoid being sued by someone or fined by the EU. This is also one reason why it removed a bunch of software from Windows 7 and packaged it as Windows Live Essentials. It would definitely be great if Windows had a proper package management system, though, so I hope they have something in the works that will satisfy consumers, software developers, and the government. Also, to address Sprite's desire that Windows have more customizability and less built-in stuff, all I have to say is that Windows is pretty customizable as it is. The difference is that all of these customizations and extensions are provided by third parties. Microsoft's position on this (as I read from something a Windows developer wrote) is basically that this sort of stuff is demanded by a minority of users, and that third parties provide what these users want. Microsoft has no reason to interfere in this niche; its first priority is to cater to the large mass of normal users. Linux, on the other hand, doesn't really have this issue since its userbase is comprised mostly of those who are technologically adept.

[Izzy]

Going to build a PC out of cardboard and duck tape this weekend. Thinking about whether or not i should put the monitor inside of it or just make it a tower.

[Dr Tran]

put the monitor inside

[Izzy]

Anyone have any ideas of what I should do?

[Izzy]

If it is an nvidia graphics card they have all of the windows 7 drivers up on their website. 64 bit and 32 version. That's what i had to do for my 9800 gtx.

[Izzy]

What is the reason? They couldn't have changed much other then being compatible with windows 7.

[Dr Tran]

cool i didnt know i could upgrade vista to w7 and have my programs remain intact ****en sweet

[Dr Tran]

clear your cache

[JSH]

realized my laptop isn't eligible for an upgrade...

D:

[fido123]

Originally Posted by sumzup

Fido, have you actually tried to use the Windows 7 RTM? It seems you've basically experienced problems with software that isn't fully ready (i.e. using the Office 2010 Technical Preview, something that's not even close to release). I want to see what you think of the actual retail software. Also, are you saying that Microsoft writes major programs in Basic? There is no way this is true. I'm pretty sure they primarily use Managed C++. As for your claims regarding the registry, it's true that it definitely has disadvantages, but Microsoft itself is starting to move away from it, so we'll probably see some changes in the next few releases of Windows.

Personally, I've experienced no problems on Windows 7 (using Boot Camp) aside from low audio volume, which is more due to the fact that Apple has some ****ty drivers. This problem might be because I used a OS X 10.5 disc to install Boot Camp, though, so I will have to see if Snow Leopard's drivers are any better. On the whole, I think Microsoft's done a really good job with 7; it's certainly faster than Vista and XP. A lot of the fabled "bloatcode" was removed for this release as well.

As far as the other major OS platforms go, both have their pros and cons. OS X is undoubtedly extremely polished, and Apple's hardware is really very nice as well as price-competitive with a student discount. The large trackpad with multi-touch on the new MacBook Pros is something that I now cannot live without. Thankfully, larger touchpads seem to be something that other manufacturers are interested in implementing as well; HP released a laptop recently with just such a feature. But I digress; all in all, I think that OS X is really nice to work with. I haven't encountered any major difficulties so far, and everything's been really easy to do.

Linux cannot really be generalized due to the myriad of ways one can run it, but if you just take Ubuntu, one of the more user-friendly distros, you'll see that it's a great OS to use that offers almost too much customization. The main problem is that it has a steep learning curve once you move past the basics. The command line is still very prevalent for more advanced uses, and compiling is sometimes a bitch, especially when you need to find obscure dependencies. If your Google-fu is not strong, you are screwed. The good thing is that there is a huge community that can help you, but the fact is that you will need help more often than you will in Windows or OS X. Finally, while there are exceptions here and there, I think that a lot of Linux apps are ugly and have crappy design. There aren't very many examples of really great Linux-only apps. I loath KDE, and while GNOME's simplicity is a lot better than KDE's cluster**** of options, GNOME could still use a bit of refinement and better visuals. GNOME 3 looks awesome, though; I can't wait until it's included with Ubuntu (10.04, for those who care).

Overall, I like this new generation of OS releases...I honestly don't have a preference (beyond liking multi-touch for OS X) and would be happy with anything. The truth is, I mostly just need a browser that will survive the onslaught of at least a hundred tabs...that's 90% of my computer usage, anyways.

Edit: One more thing: Windows can't be nearly as awesome as Linux in the areas of package management and included software because of legal risks. Because it controls a majority of the OS market, Microsoft has to tread very carefully to avoid being sued by someone or fined by the EU. This is also one reason why it removed a bunch of software from Windows 7 and packaged it as Windows Live Essentials. It would definitely be great if Windows had a proper package management system, though, so I hope they have something in the works that will satisfy consumers, software developers, and the government. Also, to address Sprite's desire that Windows have more customizability and less built-in stuff, all I have to say is that Windows is pretty customizable as it is. The difference is that all of these customizations and extensions are provided by third parties. Microsoft's position on this (as I read from something a Windows developer wrote) is basically that this sort of stuff is demanded by a minority of users, and that third parties provide what these users want. Microsoft has no reason to interfere in this niche; its first priority is to cater to the large mass of normal users. Linux, on the other hand, doesn't really have this issue since its userbase is comprised mostly of those who are technologically adept.

As I've stated, I've only tried the RC, and if any of these problems carry over, I'll be using XP. My RC is already getting really hard lag when playing WoW where my computer will lock up, and I'm not running any extra processes, I garentee no malware, and none of my components are getting to hot. But yeah again it's the RC. I'll be looking for a torrent tonight to upgrade. Also from what I have been told by my high school's IT guy, as well as from what I've read is Microsoft does program a lot of their components, and applications especially such as MS Word using BASIC. Microsoft was the company that picked BASIC up and made it popular. I agree with pretty much everything you say,


EDIT: Can somebody PM me the link for that torrent?