Microsoft Windows 7 Beta... how about you?

[bio]

With the release of Microsoft's Windows 7 Beta, there arises the question:

Are you going to try it?

While it's basically just Vista Ultimate, Microsoft has made some changes to the OS following customer complaints about Vista.

• It boots faster and uses less memory (or so they say)
• Each open window uses the same amount of memory (In Vista, each window you have open uses more substantially memory than the one you opened before it... that adds up quick!)
• OMG!! Calc and Paint each got a major update for the first time since... well... EVER!
• Gadgets can now be put anywhere on your desktop (not just the left hand side)
• You can now set that annoying "Are you sure you wanna do that?" crap to not bother you like it does in Vista

The download is rather huge, and you have to get a key from Microsoft for the version (32 or 64bit) before you can run it (and there's a limited number of keys available).

I've pulled it down and will be giving it a go today (which makes sense because my new computer parts should be arriving shortly). Baldy is currently running it and says it kicks much butt.

Of course, I did purchase a copy of Vista Ultimate, so I can always go back to that if I find that Windows 7 blows chunks. I'll also need something when the Beta ends (in August) and the Windows 7 Beta dies.

[Rocketdork]

My machine won't run a modern operating system.

[miftah]

While I run two macs I still operate one windows machine, and from my view, XP's stability and speed has been hard-won and long in coming. I still see no benefits to upgrading. There are fundamental things that I have never seen a Windows machine do well (including of all thing wireless protocols), and unless Windows cops to these shortcomings and corrects them, my interest in moving past XP will never break above "mildly curious."

Windows is still a product of a failure to understanding that it has never been about functionality vs. aesthetic. Rather, its always been about pushing them both as far as possible, TOGETHER. Looking at the screen caps, it looks like neither an aesthetic nor functional leap past what XP supplies.

[ZIPPER]

You left out that this version will also be able to be run on the netbooks. This is something that only XP could be capable of. I thought about DL'ing it and doing a dual boot on my laptop but then common sense came over me. I like things to work properly for me and we all know M$ rep at getting it right from the start.

As for the vote-- I will not be DL'ing it -- I use a Mac for one of my TVs and a Ubuntu box for my living room TV. Ubuntu has come along way since you first posted it here Bio. I think it is my favorite OS now.

Please excuse any spelling errors on this post as I am doing it on my new Ipod Touch and it has taken a friggin lifetime.

[ZIPPER]

Check this blog out for info on 7: http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/01/1 ... 7-beta-key

[mudflap]

I installed Win7 today and so far I am impressed.

There are a lot of things I like about Vista, but Win7 appears to be everything Vista had the potential to be.

The GUI is slight different, and it definitely seems to be more efficient and less RAM hungry.

[bio]

I played with it and then immediately scrubbed my box and installed my Vista Ultimate.

While I liked what I saw of Windows 7, the second I attempted to install the video drivers for my SLI configuration, Windows took a major dump all over itself. I guess the beta isn't quite ready for that.

So... I'm now happily playing on Vista. Actually, at this moment, I'm happily playing on Splashtop, a very small Linux OS that is is embedded on a ROM on my motherboard, allowing me to hit the web, play online games, use skype, etc without loading windows. It loads stupidly fast and supports everything I've looked at so far.

[bugfreezer]

I like it so far - I'm not a serious gamer, so no chance to test SLI and crossfire (on another note, is it really that much cooler to have 2-3 vidcards driving 1 display? I know, call me a Luddite, but it seems a huge dollarpile of overkill). It is smoother than Vista for sure in my experience - they might get it right in time for us to use 7 in a production environment.

I'm in healthcare, and there are not many apps in my industry that work outside of Windows, so no linux for us. Mac is likewise not an option.

[bio]

... is it really that much cooler to have 2-3 vidcards driving 1 display? I know, call me a Luddite, but it seems a huge dollarpile of overkill

It is a huge dollarpile of overkill... but there is a serious advantage of having it when you're playing against other people online or locally.... it's all about the FPS.

FPS (frames per second) decide how smoothly your game runs, and in most games, it determines who sees who first. The higher your FPS, the less likely your game will lag up in a firefight, and the more likely you'll walk away from it (rather than taking a dirt nap).

Yes... it was stupidly cost prohibitive. The motherboard cost over twice what a non SLI board would have cost, and the cards weren't exactly cheap either. Plus, I had to get a 1000 watt power supply just to run them. Add to all that the fact that the cards are OMG XBOX HUGE and require massive cooling and now you're talking about a new case too (the aluminum Thermaltake "Tsunami Dream" case that I have won't fit both the video cards and the hard drives).

In case you're wondering what the cards look like, let me illustrate with a photo:


I had to remove the drive cage just to get the cards in the case. They're longer than the motherboard!!!


Each card takes 2 power cables... it's a cabling nightmare!

Happily, I ordered this case... it's the sexy!! (and will fit everything and keep it very cool). It's also incredibly quiet since all the fans are monstrously huge and therefore turn more slowly than smaller fans to achieve the same airflow.


That side fan is over 1 foot wide... sexy!!!!

[bugfreezer]

So with this setup, are you running 1 screen or two (since most of those cards have at least 2 display ports)?

<edit>
Aha, NVidia forums say only one - so 30" or bust!
</edit>
<edit "again">
...but as of Nvidia's ForceWare Release 180 (R180) , that is changed...OK Thanks!
</edit>