The question a lot of folks have, is whether Windows 7 is better than Windows Vista. As a computer professional, I am going to give my honest opinion of Windows 7.
Background
Microsoft has received a lot of criticism about not releasing new versions of Windows in a more timely manner. Roughly 5 years passed between windows XP and Windows Vista. A lot of major software companies will release a "major" version every year, or at minimum, every two years. Not Microsoft. They apparently don't have a set schedule on when they release their software.
So, Windows XP was GREAT! It has served as a very stable operating system for many years. But, one thing a lot of folks don't know about, is that XP had a LOT of problems in the beginning, just like Vista. The difference between the two operating systems though, is that back in 2002 when XP first released, there were far fewer people buying computers. Back in 2002, most folks had Windows 98, computers were around $1000 for a decent computer and the economy wasn't doing so hot from 2 years earlier... My point, we didn't hear about the "bugs" in XP like we did Vista because there weren't enough people to complain about them. By the time people started picking up computers with XP, SP1 was already out which fixed a lot of the stability problems. With the advancements of SP2, XP became a highly stable powerhouse we all came to love. Many people expected Vista to be the same, however were very disappointed.
The Change
Many advancements and changes came with Vista and we as humans, don't like change. Sure, Vista was given a makeover on the outside, but a lot of it's guts were literally ripped from it's XP body and replaced with newer parts. We had a completely redesigned Networking Interface, most of the properties windows looked more like websites than configurable options and overall, a new dawning of how we perceive Windows.
The New Windows: 7
Contrary to popular belief among "non-techies", Windows 7 is actually built off of a lot of the same stuff as Windows Vista. DON'T LET THAT SCARE YOU! Microsoft realized that through the bad wraps of Vista, they couldn't use that name any more. I still hear a lot of folks say that they hate Vista and while I too am not as fond of how certain things operate, it is actually a rock solid operating system. Just like XP had problems before SP1, so did Vista. Just like XP didn't have driver and software support which caused a lot of problems, so did Vista. Yes, Vista was buggy, but a lot of hardware and software manufacturers dragged their feet in getting stable stuff for Vista. So how does that compare with Windows 7? Well, since Win7 is basically Vista, there hasn't been a huge transition for software and hardware guys. On top of that, since Microsoft wasn't creating something from scratch, they were just building on what they already had, there was a lot more time to focus on the bugs and add enhancements to 7.
My Opinion of Windows 7
Though I haven't played around with Windows 7 for very long, I must say that the more I use it, the more I like it. Windows 7 is a VERY stable operating system and it has been rewritten to run fast. Is 7 worth it? It's totally worth it. The feel of Windows 7 is similar to Vista, but it still has it's own personality that is completely different from Vista. One of the huge advancements of Windows 7 over any of the previous versions, is that many of the things you think you should be able to do in Windows, you can actually do! Microsoft has a loooong way to go still with making Windows react the way you think it should, but it is light-years ahead of Vista and XP.
There are blogs floating around telling people to wait before buying Windows 7, that it is still buggy and needs a Service Pack release before you should buy it. Unfortunately, I think they are basing this off of past history with Windows, which has been true in the past, but 7 is different. Out of the box, it flat out runs!
Am I telling you to go out and grab a copy? Not unless you really want to. But, I am saying that if you are in the market for a new computer, don't be afraid to buy one with Windows 7.
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