Microsoft's Windows 7 Release Candidate Goes Public

[NOBama]

The near-final version of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7, became available late Monday to the general public.

Microsoft will collect feedback on the Windows 7 release candidate over the next few months, fixing small issues. The company allowed developers and other testers to begin downloading the release candidate last week.

Windows 7 comes nearly three years after Windows Vista, which took five years for Microsoft to engineer but was regarded by some as underwhelming. Microsoft hasn't said when the final Windows 7 version will be released, although it's rumored to be out before year's end.

Microsoft warned it is not offering technical support for the Windows 7 release candidate, so those who install it are on their own. Users should be familiar with installing an operating system from scratch, formatting a hard drive and backing up data, among other skills, Microsoft advised.

I wonder how long it'll take them to get around to dropping support for XP?

 

[KittenKoder]

They'll drop XP once they release 7, they only support two versions at a time.

However, it's not surprising that it's "underwhelming" ... they are competing against more innovative OSes now. Apple has been making great strides since they over charge, allowing them to put more money into development, and by making it Linux supportive they are increasing their edge (essentially it will be Linux for dummies). Then against Ubuntu there is almost no competition, as WINE evolves to capture all of Windoze games and most developers are migrating to Linux/Gnome (the core of Ubuntu) and adding their Deb packages to the repositories Windoze is starting to lag. Then you have security issues, and Windoze hasn't even come close to Linux/Unix, not even by a long shot. Windoze 7 is just a scramble for position and nothing more at this stage. They would have been wiser to follow Apples example and go GPL, instead of selling the OS, sell the support, which is the only reason Apple can stand up to Linux now.

 

[sitarro]

They'll drop XP once they release 7, they only support two versions at a time.

However, it's not surprising that it's "underwhelming" ... they are competing against more innovative OSes now. Apple has been making great strides since they over charge, allowing them to put more money into development, and by making it Linux supportive they are increasing their edge (essentially it will be Linux for dummies). Then against Ubuntu there is almost no competition, as WINE evolves to capture all of Windoze games and most developers are migrating to Linux/Gnome (the core of Ubuntu) and adding their Deb packages to the repositories Windoze is starting to lag. Then you have security issues, and Windoze hasn't even come close to Linux/Unix, not even by a long shot. Windoze 7 is just a scramble for position and nothing more at this stage. They would have been wiser to follow Apples example and go GPL, instead of selling the OS, sell the support, which is the only reason Apple can stand up to Linux now.

Apple over charges? According to whom? Maybe if Microsoft would charge more, they could do their own work rather than copy everything Apple does 3 years later. How much should Apple charge for their OS for you to think they aren't over charging? Are you challenging their prices for hardware? Really? Again, are you comparing similarly outfitted machine of the same quality? I doubt it.

Nobody is forced to buy an Apple product but you do get what you pay for. Every Microsoft powered box I have ever used sucked because of the awful operating system........ the hardware can only be as good as the OS that runs it. I have to use that simplistic shit by Microsoft at work, it's awful, but it was cheap......

Most people aren't computer geeks, they just want a machine that works every time they switch it on. My G4 has worked for me, flawlessly, for many years. It will now handle my printing while my new 24" iMac will become my main computer. I don't care about playing games, I work with Photoshop and Illustrator to produce graphics, illustrations and retouch photographs......... my iMac with a second 20" screen will be a perfect machine for me ready to do anything right out of the box, that's what I payed for. I will not need a consultant, an IT rep, or anyone else....... it will just work and make me smile every time I power it up....... how much is that worth?

 

[KittenKoder]

They'll drop XP once they release 7, they only support two versions at a time.

However, it's not surprising that it's "underwhelming" ... they are competing against more innovative OSes now. Apple has been making great strides since they over charge, allowing them to put more money into development, and by making it Linux supportive they are increasing their edge (essentially it will be Linux for dummies). Then against Ubuntu there is almost no competition, as WINE evolves to capture all of Windoze games and most developers are migrating to Linux/Gnome (the core of Ubuntu) and adding their Deb packages to the repositories Windoze is starting to lag. Then you have security issues, and Windoze hasn't even come close to Linux/Unix, not even by a long shot. Windoze 7 is just a scramble for position and nothing more at this stage. They would have been wiser to follow Apples example and go GPL, instead of selling the OS, sell the support, which is the only reason Apple can stand up to Linux now.

Apple over charges? According to whom? Maybe if Microsoft would charge more, they could do their own work rather than copy everything Apple does 3 years later. How much should Apple charge for their OS for you to think they aren't over charging? Are you challenging their prices for hardware? Really? Again, are you comparing similarly outfitted machine of the same quality? I doubt it.

Nobody is forced to buy an Apple product but you do get what you pay for. Every Microsoft powered box I have ever used sucked because of the awful operating system........ the hardware can only be as good as the OS that runs it. I have to use that simplistic shit by Microsoft at work, it's awful, but it was cheap......

Most people aren't computer geeks, they just want a machine that works every time they switch it on. My G4 has worked for me, flawlessly, for many years. It will now handle my printing while my new 24" iMac will become my main computer. I don't care about playing games, I work with Photoshop and Illustrator to produce graphics, illustrations and retouch photographs......... my iMac with a second 20" screen will be a perfect machine for me ready to do anything right out of the box, that's what I payed for. I will not need a consultant, an IT rep, or anyone else....... it will just work and make me smile every time I power it up....... how much is that worth?

Seriously ... why are you arguing my point when I actually praised them and gave a good reason why they over charge already. They over charge according to techies like me, old school techies, who tweak and program the machines ourselves. Think before you get defensive, and look at my tag line, Java isn't the first language I ever wrote code in, I learned ASM back in fifth grade when Apple ][e's were the common household computer.

 

[sitarro]

They'll drop XP once they release 7, they only support two versions at a time.

However, it's not surprising that it's "underwhelming" ... they are competing against more innovative OSes now. Apple has been making great strides since they over charge, allowing them to put more money into development, and by making it Linux supportive they are increasing their edge (essentially it will be Linux for dummies). Then against Ubuntu there is almost no competition, as WINE evolves to capture all of Windoze games and most developers are migrating to Linux/Gnome (the core of Ubuntu) and adding their Deb packages to the repositories Windoze is starting to lag. Then you have security issues, and Windoze hasn't even come close to Linux/Unix, not even by a long shot. Windoze 7 is just a scramble for position and nothing more at this stage. They would have been wiser to follow Apples example and go GPL, instead of selling the OS, sell the support, which is the only reason Apple can stand up to Linux now.

Apple over charges? According to whom? Maybe if Microsoft would charge more, they could do their own work rather than copy everything Apple does 3 years later. How much should Apple charge for their OS for you to think they aren't over charging? Are you challenging their prices for hardware? Really? Again, are you comparing similarly outfitted machine of the same quality? I doubt it.

Nobody is forced to buy an Apple product but you do get what you pay for. Every Microsoft powered box I have ever used sucked because of the awful operating system........ the hardware can only be as good as the OS that runs it. I have to use that simplistic shit by Microsoft at work, it's awful, but it was cheap......

Most people aren't computer geeks, they just want a machine that works every time they switch it on. My G4 has worked for me, flawlessly, for many years. It will now handle my printing while my new 24" iMac will become my main computer. I don't care about playing games, I work with Photoshop and Illustrator to produce graphics, illustrations and retouch photographs......... my iMac with a second 20" screen will be a perfect machine for me ready to do anything right out of the box, that's what I payed for. I will not need a consultant, an IT rep, or anyone else....... it will just work and make me smile every time I power it up....... how much is that worth?

Seriously ... why are you arguing my point when I actually praised them and gave a good reason why they over charge already. They over charge according to techies like me, old school techies, who tweak and program the machines ourselves. Think before you get defensive, and look at my tag line, Java isn't the first language I ever wrote code in, I learned ASM back in fifth grade when Apple ][e's were the common household computer.

You stated that "Apple has been making great strides since they overcharge". Are they really overcharging for their OS? That would be the correct comparison with Microsoft. Isn't Microsoft overcharging for a buggy operating system that seems so archaic right out of the box? What is the price difference between Leopard and Vista? I don't know, I've never had to buy either, my iMac will come with Leopard installed.

 

[KittenKoder]

Apple over charges? According to whom? Maybe if Microsoft would charge more, they could do their own work rather than copy everything Apple does 3 years later. How much should Apple charge for their OS for you to think they aren't over charging? Are you challenging their prices for hardware? Really? Again, are you comparing similarly outfitted machine of the same quality? I doubt it.

Nobody is forced to buy an Apple product but you do get what you pay for. Every Microsoft powered box I have ever used sucked because of the awful operating system........ the hardware can only be as good as the OS that runs it. I have to use that simplistic shit by Microsoft at work, it's awful, but it was cheap......

Most people aren't computer geeks, they just want a machine that works every time they switch it on. My G4 has worked for me, flawlessly, for many years. It will now handle my printing while my new 24" iMac will become my main computer. I don't care about playing games, I work with Photoshop and Illustrator to produce graphics, illustrations and retouch photographs......... my iMac with a second 20" screen will be a perfect machine for me ready to do anything right out of the box, that's what I payed for. I will not need a consultant, an IT rep, or anyone else....... it will just work and make me smile every time I power it up....... how much is that worth?

Seriously ... why are you arguing my point when I actually praised them and gave a good reason why they over charge already. They over charge according to techies like me, old school techies, who tweak and program the machines ourselves. Think before you get defensive, and look at my tag line, Java isn't the first language I ever wrote code in, I learned ASM back in fifth grade when Apple ][e's were the common household computer.

You stated that "Apple has been making great strides since they overcharge". Are they really overcharging for their OS? That would be the correct comparison with Microsoft. Isn't Microsoft overcharging for a buggy operating system that seems so archaic right out of the box? What is the price difference between Leopard and Vista? I don't know, I've never had to buy either, my iMac will come with Leopard installed.

Aaah ... but you had to buy the Mac to get the OS ... so you are still charged, it's the price is included, when you buy it separate the price is also more, Windoze is the same way, when it's pre-installed the price is included, the problem is you can't get a computer at the store without one or the other, so you are charged for it, period. Unless you know Linux and find a distributor that actually offers a Linux pre-installed computer (which usually costs a lot less). Apple does over charge, if you never need their customer service. The increased price in Macs is because they offer comprehensive customer service, something Microsoft doesn't offer, and what little they do offer is usually not worth it especially for a tech. Linux has only one flaw, absolutely NO customer support, it's free and open source, so there is no way to pay for it. You have to find a Linux tech, like me, and ask us questions, though we are everywhere chances are if you really need one of us you won't be online. But we're working on that, creating databases of tech knowledge about Linux and their desktop environments like Ubuntu. These databases are slowly being organized and developed into something that resembles an extensive tech support. There are also a lot of new books out to help with it, even a Linux for Dummies, just as I said, there isn't any profit in it so there is no rush to contribute. Mac products have customer support added into the price, MS charges separately for anything more than FAQ questions, and then doesn't really help you in the end, and as I said earlier they drop all support for any version except the last two. With Linux there are no worries about that, most of the software is backwards compatible for at least 5 versions.

 

[KittenKoder]

Oh, also forgot to add, Ubuntu has been doing what Leopard can do for a lot longer.