Need to network?
Then network with us--Accent on Computers. 203-625-7575.
February 6, 2009
The New Guy Around the Corner
Dear Larry,
I’ve been reading a lot of good news and reviews regarding
Microsoft’s new Windows 7 beta operating system. My question is this: Should I
upgrade my computer now and immediately take advantage of its strengths?
F. P.
Dear F. P.,
Should you upgrade your computer to Windows 7 now? Absolutely,
positively NO. (Is that direct enough for you?)
The reason I’m being so emphatic is that beyond all the good
that’s been said about the new operating system (and I have a lot of good to say
about it as well), the bottom line is, it’s still in testing and won’t be
officially released until sometime in 2010. I’ve been testing the operating
system myself on a couple of computers over the past eight weeks, and while the
improvements are noticeable, the program is far from bug-free; indeed, on one of
my test machines, the operating system became so unstable that I had to scrap
it.
Now a little background for those who don’t read a lot of
computer articles. Windows 7 is Microsoft’s newest operating system that’s
currently in beta (i.e., testing). In the same way that Windows Vista replaced
Windows XP, Windows 7 will ultimately be the successor to Windows Vista. It’s
expected to arrive in stores approximately three years after Vista’s original
release, which was in January of 2007.
Windows Vista, when it was originally released, received a lot
of criticism in the press (though honestly, so did Windows XP when it debuted in
the third quarter of 2001). In the two years that Vista has been around, it has
very much overcome its initial birth pangs. In fact, in my opinion, it has grown
to be very much a worthy heir to the XP crown. And judging from initial testing
of Windows 7, this newest heir may in fact turn out to be Microsoft’s finest
operating system achievement to date.
Windows 7 has so far shown that it builds upon all the
strengths of Windows Vista and in large part, addresses Vista’s weaknesses
(perhaps the biggest of which was its need for lots of memory). Windows 7
appears to run faster and be generally more responsive. Indeed, on a machine
with very little memory, the new operating system multitasked quite well. It
also seems to be far more compatible with various peripherals such as printers,
cameras, and other devices.
Many have asked me if they should stick with Windows XP and
ignore Vista while they await the release of Windows 7. For now, the answer
seems to be no. Microsoft does not currently have plans to provide for a direct
upgrade from XP to 7 because the architecture of the operating systems is so
different. If you intend to take advantage of the benefits of Windows 7 when the
product is officially released, you will most likely need to upgrade a computer
that is already running Windows Vista.
This is Larry Schneider, logging off.
