Tech ARP has a collection of dates regarding Microsoft's update program. The upgrade program concerns upgrade paths from Windows Vista to Windows 7, and basically entails that when you buy a Windows Vista machine after July 1 2009, you will get a free upgrade to Windows 7 once it's released. The data also confirm a number of versions for Windows 7.
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Member since:2008-12-06
I've been dual-booting with Vista and Ubuntu for a while, and then just recently tripled with Fedora, but I'm thinking I like Ubuntu better. So far, I mainly use Vista for most everything. Call me deranged, but I like how it runs-- it runs fast (on my machine, anyway) and it tackles everything I throw at it. I use Ubuntu more as an educational experience rather than because I have to, but I also like how it runs, not to mention the bouncy windows feature that I hadn't come across until then! 
Anyway, what I'm getting at is that, for me at least, it hasn't been like trying to give up cigarettes. Vista and the programs designed for it just do everything I want a system to do better than any other systems I've been trying out. If I come across a system I like better in my reviewing, I'll begin to use mainly that.
I'm looking forward to Windows 7-- most people, even some of the alleged MS-haters, are saying it'll be a good improvement on Vista, though aside from the petty UAC (which I turned off), a slower startup and login than I'd prefer, and the fact that Vista is quite resource-hungry (which hasn't been a problem for me-- I went all out on a spiffy build), I haven't had any complaints.
I still need to get my hands on the beta, though. I haven't taken the time to look for a valid torrent, and it'd be nice to legally download it instead of sneaking.
Member since:2009-01-08
Really, windows 7 isn't all that similar to vista. they are supposedly going to jump a whole kernel version, which makes it (at least in theory) about as different from vista as vista was from XP, or 2000 was from NT4. I do agree that Win7 will fix many issues that were present on vista, on the other hand, vista has never presented an issue to me other then when I upgraded from premium to ultimate (and that was fixable). In my opinion, MS gets kind of a bad rap.
Before people tell me to try linux, I spent six months trying to get linux working on a four year old computer before realizing that linux has some weird issue with my chipset. I finally got it working, and uninstalled it a month later because it was buggy and wouldn't run games.
Member since:
2008-04-10
Sounds to me like it would be easier for you, in the long run, to start moving to Linux. Eventually, things just aren't going to work at all with XP, and as it is you're using a pretty old OS now, so that day may be closer than you think. For most Windows programs, there are decent Linux alternatives, or even programs that cater to a different main goal but still have the functionality you want. WINE is pretty good these days - admittedly, not perfect though, and Crossover is just as good with a little more polish in the form of software installers, and managing WINE "bottles". The bottles are separate WINE environments - WINE Prefixes, I think they're actually called - which can each have their own configuration, and even be modeled off completely different versions of Windows.
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I switched to Linux before Vista came out. I was worried about Microsoft basically forcing it on all Windows users, and they probably would have by restricting MS Office and Windows Live Messenger and the like, if Vista had sold better. I have used the Windows 7 beta, and although I think it's pretty nifty at the moment, I'm going to wait until Marketing get their grubby paws on it. The Longhorn betas were pretty nifty too, and look what happened. The "Libraries" feature seems interesting, but I'm already doing something similar with symlinks.
Anyway, Windows 7 might not be terrible, so if I were you I'd view it in it's own light; not in the shadow of Vista, even though they're very closely related. This, from someone who attacks Microsoft at every chance (though not undeservedly or with mindless trolling like "winblowz sux"). Linux is a very real alternative for most people though, even (or perhaps especially) complete novices to computing in general. Ignore what everyone on OS news says, since you're going to find fanboys on both sides of the debate, some of them with some very good points. My best advice would be to try and go two weeks or even a month using Linux (Mint is a great place to start, for an easy to use distro - none of the normal newbie headaches) 'cold turkey', and then form your own opinions. I tried for a couple of years to dual boot, but every time Grub came up I'd just select Windows. It's a bit like trying to give up smoking without throwing away your smokes, though you might be more disciplined than me, so dual boot if you want