The James Kilgour BlogA Life Blog.

We’ve all heard the Apple ad’s, I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC blah blah blah. In my opinion, Macs and PCs are all pretty much the same. They’re both computers, they can surf the web, write documents and organize photo collections. Why does there have to be such a big deal made out of  the difference?

I primarily use a HP Compaq Desktop PC, for day-to-day uses. It has an AMD 64 Dual Processor, 1gb of ram and an 120gb hard-drive. I also have a Acer Netbook, running Linux, and an old eMac, running OS X Tiger. While all three computers run and look differently, they all do the same things. 

On my Desktop, I use Windows Vista. In my opinion, it is a good OS, and I’ve never really had a problem, except once when I installed a bad driver. Lesson learnt. The whole world though seems to be against Vista and why? It’s really not that bad! 

I think perhaps if people actually gave it a go, without having preconceived ideas, built up by those dam Apple ads, then they may feel differently. I’m looking forward nevertheless to Windows 7. As I wrote in my review in January, Windows 7 is an excellent upgrade to Vista.

JK

Windows 7 is the next major update of the Windows Operating System; the most popular in the world.

I have now been running the beta version of the OS since Saturday, and I have used copies of previous builds in VMware.

The Installation ii the first noteworthy update; a clean install on my PC into a partition took under 10 minutes! First run of the new OS too was very quick; it started quicker that my copy of Vista Home Premium, and boasts a much nicer start up, with cool graphic effects.

The UI of Windows 7 is one of the most obvious differences. The new taskbar reminds me of the OS X Dock; something I’m not all that fond of. I find it a little bulky to use, with it becoming a clutter of icons and running apps. I hate the fact that it groups similar windows together, like Messenger and Internet Explorer ones. This is really annoying. It seems to take twice as long to open windows, and I just don’t see the advantage.

A lot of the new features in Windows 7 are very minor indeed! Aero Snap for example, and the detachment of the Sidebar. Jump Lists; hardly revolutionary! These are nice additions, but nothing that couldn’t just have been added to Vista in a service pack.

Some features of Windows 7 are quite new; for example the ribbon in Paint and WordPad. I personally find this an excellent choice, as I love Office 2007. For some though, this will be a nightmare. Perhaps Microsoft should give the user the choice on which system they use.

I do get the feeling Windows 7 is less temperamental than Vista. It runs faster, and it hasn’t crashed so far. Wireless networking seems improved as well, with the network selection menu being added to the taskbar. One thing I dislike though is icons being hidden in a new menu. It seems to do the same as the old hiding system, but seems to work worse, with it being harder to tell what icons represent which programs. Is this an improvement?

Aero Peek though is very cool! It looks great, and is something I’d show people. Do I need it functionality wise? Nope, it has no purpose but to look nice, and lets you see those desktop gadgets, which I never use.

Windows 7 worked flawlessly with my current Wireless Adapter and the Vista driver. One thing I can’t get to work is the new ‘Devices and Printers’ screen. It doesn’t seem to recognise the other network PCs or Printers in my household. By default, the only when I can see these is If I go through the Control Panel. In Vista, there is the useful ‘Network’ Menu. Why did they get rid of it by default? Why is ‘Default Programs’ there?

Many have said Windows 7 is just a service pack for Windows Vista. While Windows 7 adds a lot more core stability, speed and refinements, it is far from a brand new OS. This is what Vista should have been. Yes, Windows 7 provides more functionality upgrades than a standard service pack, but does it warrant a new OS? How can Microsoft justify a price tag over £30?

I think Vista users deserve Windows 7 as fast as possible, and as a free or heavily discounted upgrade. After using Windows Vista for the past two years, I know first hand that it hasn’t been a perfect experience. Not as bad as it has been said or appears in the infamous ‘Get a Mac’ ads, but still not quite perfect. Windows 7 fixes this, and returns Windows to it’s former “glory”. And this is only the beta!

JK

I’ve just received my new Acer Aspire One; the most popular Netbook available. Netbooks are a new category of personal computers, that only evolved with the launch of the Asus Eee PC a few months ago.

My Acer Aspire One only took a few moments to set up, and I’m pretty happy with it. I can browse the internet, write Office documents, play games, chat on messenger and even install more open source software (after a small tweak is applied to enable the advanced mode).

The OS is Linux Linpus Lite, which is very easy to use; perfect for even the computer illiterate. The system is very quick and responsive, and the built in Webcam is a nice addition. The keyboard is almost full size, and really easy to use; (this was a worry of mine). However, for the advanced user, ‘tweaks’ need to be applied. This is something Acer has done to the extreme, locking the OS down.

The Netbook is an interesting development; Intel has said that is pretty much a ‘fad’, but I disagree. What could be better for checking your emails or a little bit of internet shopping while in a cafe or on the train (where WiFi is available).  The experience on the Aspire One is 100 times better than on a 3g phone; this is the real internet-YouTube and the BBC iPlayer, things which don’t work that well on a mobile, or even on the iPhone.

JK

I thought I’d post about a really great site; winsupersite.com. It’s written by Paul Thurrott, some PC genius, and a really great author. There’s loads of content, all about different innovation from Microsoft, and there’s some for Mac fans too.

One of my favourite review is his review of Windows Vista. It’s the best I’ve found on the net, and covers every aspect of the major OS upgrade.

I agree with his conclusion of Vista. It is a triumph of Microsoft, to completely change the core of the system, and yet keep so much compatibility. I’ve been using the new software (Home Premium version) for about a year now. It’s been very stable, and things such as putting the PC onto standby, and then resuming the system later, does not result in a slow down. Of course, there have been a few hiccups, such as problems with the use of some programs. On the whole though, it is a great OS, and Paul Thurrott knows that.

JK