Dvorak Poll: Will You Switch To Windows 7?

By Wednesday August 19, 2009

Will You Be Switching To Windows 7?

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If Not Switching, Why?

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Here’s some reasons to switch.



43 Comments
  1. joaoPT says:
    8/19/2009 at 10:14 am

    I recently put my dual core pentium 4 3Ghz to pasture on my media center. And at that time tried to use Win7. It worked fantastic. Except for the little matter that it wouldn’t stream properly over wi-fi. It would stop playing movies, it would stutter…and that’s with XBMC. Don’t even get me started on the Media Center software. That’s a downgrade if I ever saw one.
    So after a week or so I yanked it away.
    Then I tried Ubuntu. That only lasted 12 hours. And that’s considering install and setup.

    So, the only sensible thing to do was returning to a Media Center XP. It works flawlessly. And just because XBMC has got so much sexier and plays just about everything, I’m not even using Media Center software.

    Win7 is marginally faster than Vista, but when compared to XP, it’s a HOG.

    Reply
  2. hhopper says:
    8/19/2009 at 10:15 am

    I have Vista on all my computers and 64bit on my laptop. I might upgrade them all with the three user package after I hear that there are no horror stories in the upgrading. I’ll let others be the guinea pigs first.

    Reply
  3. omnicbex says:
    8/19/2009 at 10:26 am

    I have to say the results of this poll look better for ms (at least at this point in time) since the one I did on hydrogenaudio.org when vista came out that had about 2/3 of people flaking the upgrade altogether if they could help it. I’ve tried it and while it still isn’t exactly what I was hoping for it is better than vista. (although the bar was kinda low on that) It is a step closer to what vista should have been. I myself will still stick with xp for a little longer. Perhaps if I build a new computer or they get sp1 rolled out, but not now. XP works just fine thank you. In rebuttal to the article:

    1. Yeah we have been asking for a palatable upgrade from XP… For 6 YEARS. And ya know what we didn’t ask for? The asinine version-ing that Vista started and 7 is keeping. XP was not completely innocent itself but Pro set you back what, 150 bucks. Now we have Ultimate putting 300-dollar dents into wallets just because people want a full-featured version. Seriously- it’s already coded, it’s already pressed on the disc, let people use it.

    2. Yes, upgrading will screw you over if it isn’t from specific versions of Vista as it will require a format and clean install thereby erasing programs and files from before. Not really my gripe since I always clean install anyways, but this will tick off some. As for XP mode, It’s called virtual machines which is what XP mode runs on anyways. You can have (pretty much anything) mode on (pretty much anything) these days. I have linux-mode on XP, I have Windows7-mode on XP for crying out loud. Most emulators are free. This is almost a non-feature.

    3. Common drivers are installed with the OS. The OS can check online if it does not have it pre-installed. OR you could just stick the driver disk in that you should have gotten with said hardware or go right to the vendor’s website and get it. (which is probably best because the vendor tested that driver extensively against the hardware and I have had issues with drivers downloaded by ms, funny the non-digitally signed driver by the vendor works fine) 7 probably goes about this the exact same way.

    4. Piracy? Really? DRM was a hot issue with Vista, but any pirate worth two shanks riped/copied whatever he wanted when he wanted on XP or Vista and will with 7 including the OS itself. Also file sharing in windows is NOT a new feature.

    5. -Or you could click the taskbar to switch windows, and alt+tab really isn’t hard (oh those arduous TWO keys!) This point does nothing but illustrate what ‘new’ features in windows have been about, 90% of the time- more ways to do the same thing.

    6. Hardware support is about the only valid point made here, but gee… I don’t have that many processor cores or an absolutely insane amount of ram and XP runs my other hardware fine for now.

    7. Personally, I prefer functionality over looks any day and I absolutely despised the tackiness of the default XP theme. I think Aero isn’t quite as tacky as that was, but I still just reverted to windows classic. Then I installed a desktop replacement in XP that I thought was attractive and functional. Issue resolved.

    In conclusion, none of these points except for maybe hardware and software support are valid reasons for me to upgrade- and not right now at least. If you are like me, I hope you can see through all the hype as well and make an informed decision about if and when to upgrade. But alas, who am I kidding? It will be pre-installed on everyone’s next Best-Buy vanillabox which is how ms sells 90% of windows copies. And to Brian Chen, the author of the article in question- don’t drink that ms funded paycheck in one place.

    -Omni

    Reply
  4. The0ne says:
    8/19/2009 at 11:03 am

    I’m installed Windows 7 7100 on all the PC’s I use at work here. They been running “well” since and I had little gripes about the OS. As someone had already stated if you’re on XP and it’s working good for you there’s no reason for you to upgrade really. If you’re on Vista, well I also say jump the boat but they’ll be users that like Vista no matter what.

    The real problem with XP of course is support. Once the support diminishes you will be vulnerable. It matters not whether you had any issues yet. It’s only a matter of time when someone finds your PC with the millions out there. You’re only safe until then, trust me *wink* This of course does not mean in any way that Windows 7 will be safer to use but it will have support since it’s a new OS.

    Right now, my main home PC is dual booting (the ghetto way since RTM nuked the easy dual boot feature) Windows 7 and XP. XP mode is a joke to me. So painfully slow it’s not even funny. I’ll still keep to running VMWare or VirtualBox.

    Reply
  5. Cursor_ says:
    8/19/2009 at 11:06 am

    No one should switch to an OS until it goes through at least three service packs.

    By then they will have the bugs worked out.

    Cursor_

    Reply
  6. Thomas says:
    8/19/2009 at 11:27 am

    #4
    I’m running Win7 x64 and as far as I can tell it is almost exactly like Vista. Other than the awful new taskbar, the fancier sidebar and some interface sugar it seems no different. As someone said, it’s Vista SP2.

    Reply
  7. The0ne says:
    8/19/2009 at 12:00 pm

    #20
    You’re right, many of the anti-win7 haven’t or will most likely never try it. They follow what they’re reading on the net. Common thing to do except try to prove it yourself.

    By any means stay with the OS you’re comfortable with. I still like XP myself. But don’t spread false information on something you didn’t even bother to at least install.

    I’ve been running and testing Windows 7 on many desktop and laptops and I’ve found no got-to-fix-it gripes. Everything just works after installation, it really is that easy and simple with Windows 7. Yes, it’s not 100% but so far it’s had little problem detecting most hardware and installing drivers for them.

    My desktops and laptops that crawled under Vista (all versions) now runs smooth with Windows 7 and all with Aero. Imagine that! If you can’t even believe this simple test, take your old old laptop, not too old now, and see for yourself. Really.

    Reply
  8. pedro says:
    8/19/2009 at 12:05 pm

    #20 Are you gonna insist on that trite argument? Go and shoot yourself, that way you can assure us that getting shot is bad.

    Reply
  9. ECA says:
    8/19/2009 at 1:25 pm

    I will wait AT LEAST 1 year, after release..

    IM not a FREE beta tester, UNLESS im asked.

    Reply
  10. bac says:
    8/19/2009 at 1:47 pm

    I will keep using Linux like I have for the past ten years. It works for me. I do have two Windows XP machines that I barely use, mostly to give me reference when I fix friends’ and co-workers’ PCs. One is a a home built PC. The other is a netbook. The netbook drives me crazy. A dialog box pops up stating I have unused icons on my desktop but when I try to delete said unused icons, I get a dialog box stating I do not have permission to delete said icons. One day I will have to log in a root to delete those pesky icons. Windows XP is a fine OS but it just has too many little quirks that irritate me.

    Reply
  11. Hugh Ripper says:
    8/19/2009 at 2:42 pm

    I’m not paying for Windows 7 as it essentially a version of Vista that (apparently) works better. I run XP at work, which runs fast and does all that I need it to.

    Reply
  12. Rick Cain says:
    8/19/2009 at 3:17 pm

    Microsoft needs to stop this “tiered product” nonsense. Sell Windows 7 Ultimate as Windows 7.

    Quit selling neutered versions of windows with a $100 “Discount”.

    Reply
  13. Cephus says:
    8/19/2009 at 3:49 pm

    #14: That’s why I said don’t upgrade until SP2, XP was a dog until then, Vista… is still a dog and Win7 isn’t going to be any better until then either. Microsoft is famous for making a ton of improvements to a system, then screwing it all up to the point where the improvements aren’t worth the hassles.

    Win7 gets on my machines in a year or so. Maybe. It won’t be a second before their SP2 though.

    Reply
  14. Paul Camp says:
    8/19/2009 at 5:52 pm

    Microsoft has a HUGE installed base of people who skipped Vista and stayed with XP. I tried to switch but 6 system restores in 4 months taught me the folly of that.

    All of this installed base gets the finger. There is no real upgrade path. Back up your data, wipe your hard drive, do a clean install, move your data back, reinstall all your apps from the original media, reinstall all the updates to your apps that came down after the original media. . . .

    This is bullshit.

    The fact that there is a path from XP to Vista without a clean install and a path from Vista to 7 without a clean install proves by demonstration that an upgrade path from XP to 7 exists. But you can’t have it. Why? Petulance over the rejection of Vista? That’s the only thing I can think of.

    For me, this means reinstalling literally hundreds of apps. I use a lot of stuff. this will be months of work. And frankly, I’m not wasting that much time on this project any time soon. Microsoft can shove that idea where the sun don’t shine. I don’t have that much time to piss away on a project that, in a very real sense, only brings me at the end right back to the state I was in at the beginning.

    Reply
  15. canucklehead says:
    8/19/2009 at 6:11 pm

    Maybe it will have a better grammar checker for Uncle Dave.

    “Here ARE some reasons to switch.”

    Reply
  16. deowll says:
    8/19/2009 at 6:46 pm

    Other than not giving me direct control of my files I suppose W7 is OK. If it comes on the new hardware when I get new hardware I’ll get W7.

    I don’t see a single reason to buy a new OS to install on my old hardware.

    I’d love to need to get a quad core with lots of ram but I don’t need that either.

    Reply
  17. ECA says:
    8/19/2009 at 7:26 pm

    ya, ya ya…
    WAIT for the NEW games that WONT WORK on XP..
    WONT work unless you have DirectX10-11..
    Wait for it..

    Reply
  18. omnicbex says:
    8/19/2009 at 10:50 pm

    ‘WAIT for the NEW games that WONT WORK on XP’

    Been waiting…

    Reply
  19. FRAGaLOT says:
    8/19/2009 at 11:30 pm

    new games? I’m still waiting for that one game that really uses DX 10, even though DX 9.0x games are running just fine.

    Reply
  20. pedro says:
    8/20/2009 at 2:10 am

    #34 said: “…an upgrade path from XP to 7 exists. But you can’t have it. Why? Petulance over the rejection of Vista? That’s the only thing I can think of.”

    Actually, you left out the most important reason: Incompetence.

    Reply

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