Personally, strip all that cruft in Windows 7 and you probably can sell your professional version for 1/2 to 2/3 the current minimum retail price and still make a profit.

In the last years I worked as technical support for hardware in warranties at a big hardware company, and yes – with Windows as operating systems. Certainly, in the last two years, Vista was responsible for more than 3/4 of problems. Not real hardware, but… warranties. Then I changed to technical support for other big company (well, two of them in last 9 months), for their internal users. Yes, BIG, tens of thousands of users. And, believe me or not, they buy tens of thousands of computers each year. Certainly, on lasts two years they come with Vista, but the images used to install operating systems are just with XP and… 2000 Professional, ”courtesy” of MS downgrade path. Let see why…

First, even if you think of a loony user, how do you feel to run on your computer about 30% or more of computer power for secretive software full day for all your (computer…) life? How about this if you run 25,000 computers running 24 hours a day for whole year (well, users just logoff, but the computer is still running, administrator need it to upgrade operating system or any new software to be installed overnight…). Just the extra power bill will start to signify something. How about billions of users MS forcefully provided with this lovely operating system? Speaking about GREEN, this should be RED RED RED RED RED…
- With Vista, his AI (Artificial Inteligence) will verify if it was not kidnapped. If you install some software like DivX, Nero, other, you will have the nastiest surprise to see that YOUR 100% LEGALY purchased computer and OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE is turning your computer into a useless box, since you installed too quicker and too many… software devices (well, you can change some drivers on a timely manner ?!?) and this wonderful AI believe you just kidnapped the installed a copy of operating system to other hardware… And if you live at 100 miles from the nearest road, which can happens – and I had at least a dozen customers like this, all you can do is to drop the computer in your truck and spend a day or more just to revive the system, or you can have some alternatives, like you can reinstall everything from beginning, just to finish in the same spot in the next 30 days…
- DRM its a software running on your hardware, just to be certain that you will not be able to copy some high definition video using your computer. Even more, you cannot see it as HD quality, except if you have a full compliant hardware stating you cannot steal the signal and try to make a copy…
= This prevents you to have a quality viewing or to copy even your home or work HD recordings… This could be your work or hobby and you cannot do it. Don’t bother, the AI is not such intelligent to know where DRM apply or not (well, it was supposed to be, but…), else why does it opposing to let you copy your HD home video.
= At least few months ago, at one and half year from Vista launch and interdiction to buy any other Microsoft Windows operating system versions, there were not available a full line of hardware components to build a powerful 100% computer with 100% DRM compliant. If you know such hardware, please list them at your turn.
= And XP is doing it (HD mastering) perfectly and easily counting no AI software running the backgrounds…
= And, for real thieves, I remember running 5 CD-ROMs with different zone settings on the same PC just to be able to access any CD without paying royalties if the CD is from America or Japan… With modified hardware you can have access to any “signaling” inside any product, I do not believe this protections are functional, just embarrassing.

Windows 7 for free? I become even more suspicious. Why should I be linked with some free operating system? I will consider trying only if it will have some (extra) qualities like:

First – trusty one, do not run any secret software (without user or administrator knowledge – he know what he is doing)! I means from operating system itself, not third party like (key loggers or other) malware…
Second, to have a modular installation. When I run the “Operating System Setup Program”, to be able to see the full list of available modules, and at the push of a button to have an automate check of needed ones, for let say: Basic user (office applications, internet, email), Standard user (plus multimedia), Professional user (running some extra software on computer like video mastering, servers…), and finally to be able to individually tweak – check in or out any module from the list (any “service” should be present on the list with a detailed explanation that it does and what are the dependencies, no more “Windows Messenger” or other staff running useless processes). And this setup should be working also for any installed version, so you can tweak it later if needed. And no more Home or Business or Professional version (do you remember that XP Home was not able to run many software which run properly on Win 9x, 2K or XP Pro?).
Third, compatibility, yes compatibility. I like to be a 64 (or more) bits operating system to be able to handle easily more than 4GB of ram, but it should have some “virtual machine”s inside, to – despite of what it is like a Unix clone or anything else, to allow you to run ANY Windows software, like a good Apple or Ubuntu. This is one of major qualities a business need – to be able to continuously use a software version, and certainly a home user will appreciate, not like to buy a new Office 2007 version since you can’t run the old Office version on Vista, even you do not need more than few bold or italics characters in text(!)…
Forth, no problems with hardware, like not “DRM compatible” or not good drivers… It should work from first day with most hardware.
Fifth, I guess we can continue for long, but I make my point, these shiuld be minimum to “analyze” – yes, not to use it – just to review it, the new Microsoft Windows operating system. Especially for FREE !

They will have to pay existing Windows XP users to adopt Windows 7.

Price will be $0 with a $1200 rebate to make up for your lost productivity and the need to replace still another perfectly good computer. (-;)

If you love VISTA so much go and get married to it ,l personally don’t admire your taste but each to his own.

When you all get that message things might improve for us all.

Ken
IT Director
Melbourne