Windows 7 | A Winner

Microsoft got things right for the most part this time out, but Windows 7 is far from perfect. Here's the good and bad of the new OS—and the ways in which Microsoft will wind up mucking it all up in the end.

Upgrades Not Recommended
Windows 7 upgrades are so complex that they can reportedly take up to 20 hours. The consensus amongst users is that the best way to upgrade is with a clean install (read: by removing everything). To me, a clean install is not really an upgrade—it's just putting a shiny new OS on an old clunker. A true upgrade involves installing a new OS on a system with all of the old data intact. Everyone says Windows 7 is no good at this.

Good for Notebooks
Windows 7 runs like a champ on laptops. It also does quite well on netbooks, for some reason. The consensus is that the OS also does wonders for battery life. This is all good news, seeing as how most people these days are using laptops and/or netbooks.

Iffy Gaming Experience
There are a number of people out there reporting that Windows 7 doesn't play nice with a number of gaming titles. But Microsoft has long been a gaming-friendly company, so one can safely assume that any games-related issues with be resolved sooner, rather than later.

Driver Weirdness
Drivers seem to be a problem here and there. I heard one person accuse the operating system of overwriting good and new drivers with older versions. Again, if this is indeed an issue, it will be resolved soon.

Snappy Performance?
There have been some fairly mixed results in the performance area. Some users are raving about Window 7's speed. They seem to use the word "snappy" a lot. On the flip side, other users say it's not as fast as Vista or even XP—and they have the benchmarks to prove it. Often there is an illusion of speed based upon the file access subroutines. If a folder opens instantly when clicked, it's considered fast, even if the result is due to caching. The OS may not be faster, though, it may just be smarter. In the end smarter is good, however—it's certainly better than watching the idiotic flashlight pop up on the screen when searching through a folder's contents.

Artsy and Comfy
One thing for sure, the OS is feature rich, modern, and artsy in a good way. Windows 7 has a strong aesthetic appeal without being annoying, intrusive, or trying too hard. The first time I saw the OS, I thought it was just a better looking version of Vista. After a few minutes, however, I realized that it was something new—something different enough and very comfortable. It's comfortable in the same way that Windows 95 was comfortable after Windows 3.11. Vista was—and still is—uncomfortable. Things were not where they were supposed to be, and getting anything done on the OS was a bit like going on a virtual scavenger hunt. Nothing was like it was on XP. Nothing was simple. I've always believe that many people hated Vista just because the menu system was so confusing. Things were missing or moved arbitrarily into sub-menus. If you hadn't been weaned on Windows 95/2000/XP, I suppose it would have been just peachy, but that contingent is a small minority. And indeed, they loved Vista.


Windows 7 put Microsoft back on track. So where do we go from here? Well, if all goes according to Microsoft's traditional pattern, the company will pre-announce the next OS, codenamed something stupid and obscure like Loganberry, Pygmy, or Seagull. Microsoft execs will promise all sorts of fantastic new features that we've all been waiting for. Development on the OS will have already been underway for a year, and the results will be touted as being better than anything that came before. Microsoft will promise the OS for 2013, and it will be delivered in 2014, with most of the promised features missing.

In the meantime, patches for Windows 7 will begin to roll out. Most of these will be security patches. Each one will slow down the OS until it's a complete dog by 2011, and then Microsoft will roll out SP1 to "fix everything." The pundits will rave about how great Windows 7 SP1 is, while complaining about how long it took for Microsoft to deliver it.