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Posts tagged Microsoft
Download day for Windows 7 Beta
Microsoft is making a beta copy of its latest attempt at an operating system available for download sometime today. Windows 7 is the successor to the much-maligned Vista and promises a number of improvements to its resource utilization and stability.
The beta is supposed to provide upgrades to existing Vista SP1 systems or allow a clean installation. The download is limited to 2.5 million users and an activation key will be required. To receive the activation key, registration on the download site is necessary. The beta expires sometime in August and is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.
The download is rumoured to weigh in at roughly 3GB, which is more bandwidth than I would care to allocate to such software. In any case, if you are interested, you’ll need to watch the Windows 7 site most of the day… In that time, my Mac will have completed quite a number of useful jobs…
Should you want to install the beta, I would recommend doing that on a separate system. Backup! Upgrades from XP are not possible and once the beta copy reaches it expiration date, you’ll be left without a usable system.
Windows 7 on the way
I’m rather sick and tired of Vista. On a laptop that was built for Vista, the overall non-performance of this operating system is absolutely shocking. I speak in particular of my experience with Vista‘s inability to copy or move files, even though I loaded the SP1 and re-installed the machine some time ago.
Microsoft seems to be aware of the problems they have foisted on the world’s computer users: Windows 7, the successor to Vista, is already in a late beta release and is looking to be unleashed some time next year. Probably after the second quarter of the year.
Windows 7 is built on the Vista core, but early indications are that the new operating system is slimmed down, performs well and seems to present a much better user experience. I hope they manage to get it right. XP was a great OS and provided all the necessary backward compatibility one could wish for while still modernizing a number of things. It is high time that Microsoft bites the bullet and re-engineers their OS from the ground up, without caring about what came before. The huge penetration their software has in the corporate world makes such a move unlikely, but in the end it is the only way to actually move forward.
Here’s hoping that Windows 7 will deliver…
The Vista blues
I’m trying to like Vista, I really am. G2S is a Vista-ready system that should have no issue running Microsoft‘s latest excuse for an operating system, and on the whole things work reasonably well. There are a number of annoying mishaps that do disturb my computing experience, however.
After a similar round of behaviour some time ago, I spent an inordinate amount of time reinstalling the operating system from scratch. Now, it seems the same ghost has found a way back into the machine. The first annoyance is Vista‘s penchant for sudden crashes, resulting in the infamous Blue Screen of Death. Almost always, the error reported is IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.
I’m convinced this has something to do with the awful LAN I need to connect to on a daily basis, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. I’ve had Linux and Mac OS systems on the same LAN under heavy use without ever once suffering a similar fate.
Thankfully, Vista‘s BSOD prevents damage to my computer only infrequently. The most annoying Vista bug that I simply cannot squash or find a solution to involves file operations using the Windows Explorer and even the command line. The problem manifests itself after some time and after I’ve been busy deleting, copying or moving a large number of files. Often, those files are images and media files. In the beginning, all copies and deletions function as they should. Without fail, Vista suddenly decides to take an eternity to calculate the time the operation should take.
I say an eternity because that’s the time the calculation takes. I am able to kill the dialog box and try again with the same result. After a few retries, the inevitable happens: the Windows Explorer goes opaque and no longer responds:
That’s the end of the story. Kill it and restart:
Unfortunately, the status of the file operations remains: it is no longer possible to copy, delete or move files until the machine has been restarted. I’ve even tried copying the file using the command line. Believe it or not, but the command line copy, move or del commands all freeze up, too.
All software is imperfect, but you’d expect certain, basic functions to work! Apple‘s latest ad is right on the money.
Explaining the Churro
3 years ago
by manfred
in Entertainment
There’s been a lot of hype about the Microsoft advertising campaign featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. I’ve watched the first two and have been slightly baffled by the content and the lack of a clear marketing message. I still have no clue where this campaign is headed and can’t see any clear indication of what the story so far is supposed to convey.
Though I’m no fan of over-analyzing and dissecting such things, I finished listening to TWiT Episode 159 today. The discussion of the panel moves to an analysis of the first Microsoft ad and Ryan Block comes up with some rather interesting insights.
Whether they’re accurate or not, his comments certainly made me re-evaluate my take on the Bill & Jerry interaction.
Watch the first Microsoft ad once and then cue TWiT 159 up to about 68 minutes into the podcast, and have a listen.
Then watch the video again. Maybe now, it makes a bit more sense…or not.
Block won’t tell you what a churro is. It’s a pastry-based snack, sometimes made from potato dough. It is believed to have originated in Spain and gets its name from its shape which resembles the horns of a certain kind of sheep. Explaining what a boerewors is seems much simpler!
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