I think John C. Dvorak is a delusional Jackass
If you were to look up the word sensationalism in the Oxford dictionary I am sure you would find John C. Dvoraks big head in all its glory. Here is the reason why:
I think it's a miracle that they are doing Windows 7 at all.
That said, everyone who is running the early release versions of Windows 7 beta, love it and this appears to bode well for the company. They all say that it is fast and rock solid and is just a lot better than Vista. It also seems to be more compatible with older programs and legacy hardware.
It has been proclaimed a winner by the users.
Well, not so fast. Microsoft may be pulling a fast one with the beta release because this is not the finished product. Let me explain.
As a beta program it probably does not have any of the security measures built into it the way a release product would. For one thing security is not too important with a beta product since hackers have not targeted it in any way, nor will they until the final product ships.
All that zippy performance that everyone is jacked up about will disappear once the burden of security precautions and patches begins.
For all we know the whole OS could turn into an incredible pig after this happens. We simply do not know the outcome.
Read the rest here
For someone whose primary OS of choice is Mac OS X or Ubuntu, he seems to think he knows more about the Windows platform than actual users and the developer team themselves. Microsoft has committed to making Windows 7 available 3 years after Vista’s General Availability. The Windows Team set a milestone and they are sticking to it. It could simply be a case of under promise, over deliver or simply setting realistic expectations. My fundamental understanding is Windows 7 is driven by quality and feedback, not lets try and get this out as quick as possible before the competition. The Windows 7 Team is listening to the people who will buy this product when its released, so they are trying make the experience based on what we want, not just what they think we will need. That's one of the major differences between Vista and Windows 7.
Microsoft has set a quality expectation with Alpha’s, Beta’s and Release Candidates. An Alpha must be near in quality as a Beta, while a Beta is a frozen feature set with the characteristics of a Release Candidate, while an RC must be at the same level as the final release which is also a reason a build of Windows is often designated RC because of its potential to become the final product. Microsoft is continually enhancing this release and they are engaging with their customers to inform us about the progress they are making towards the Release Candidate milestone.
Security is not too important with a beta product? Uh, Dvorak, I think you should go back to the 80’s and hang out on the Computer Chronicles, because this decade is just not for you. Windows 7 builds on the fundamentals of Windows Vista/Server 2008 SP1, Microsoft’s most secure releases of Windows to date. Features like BitLocker, Patch Guard, ASRL, Device Driver Signing, UAC, Internet Explorer with Protected Mode and AntiPhishing, Windows Defender are all part of the security investments included with Windows 7. Microsoft has also ensured that Windows 7 beta releases receive the same level of commitment as a commercially released product, see here and here
I have been running Windows Vista since November of 2006, same install and I have not experienced any degradation in performance on any of my systems. Microsoft that the bit rot issue that was common with past releases of Windows was resolved through enhancements such as a the new low priority Defragmentation Tool, see here Microsoft has also done some innovative work in Windows 7 to enhance the performance of system:
- The efficiency of core Windows code
- Only starting certain services when they are needed (demand-start services)
- The way device drivers are initialized
- Allowing multiple device drivers to start at the same time (parallelization)
- An overall reduction in the memory and CPU required to start and run the graphics system
But, John C. is throwing it to the wind that Windows 7 could become a pig is just because careless writing without any form of insight. Microsoft has even removed bundled programs from the core operating system to improve efficiency.
Here is a quote from Windows Live General Manager Brian Hall about the decision:
Removing programs such as Photo Gallery, Mail and Movie Maker from the core operating system will give Microsoft more time to focus on the core operating system experience in addition to improving the efficiency of things like Service Packs which could ultimately be fewer and smaller. Mr. Hall also said that a cleaner operating system eliminates potential confusion for customers faced with two different programs that are similar in function-one already in Windows and the other from Windows Live. He also said that Microsoft is working with OEMs are around Windows 7 so that they can place shortcuts that will link to a download page where you can choose just the programs you.
In addition to these decisions, Windows 7 is more customizable, users can further disable features they don’t use in Windows such as Internet Explorer, DVD Maker, Media Center, Windows Search, Gadgets, Handwriting Recognition, Fax and Scan and the XPS Viewer. So any question of bloat is silenced here. Microsoft is listening and they continue make this release of Windows very anticipated, from a features perspective to a performance envy. I hope John C. Dvorak will take some time out and leave Mac and Ubuntu systems, download the Windows 7 beta and actually give it a try instead of bad mouthing because it puts more food on the table.
Resources:
The Engineering Team makes Windows 7 even more Customizable
Windows 7 Uncertainty?
Enhanced Security features in Windows 7
Some Changes Since the Beta for the RC
A few more changes from Beta to RC…
Popularity: 1%
Written by Teching It Easy: Windows Vista, Live & 7. Read more great feeds at is source WEBSITE
no comments.
Read more articles on 7 Journal and otherSoftware.
- [+] Digg: Feature this article
- [+] Del.icio.us: Bookmark this article
- [+] Furl: Bookmark this article
