As a well established computer repair center, custom builder, and networking specialist and consultant we have had ample opportunity to test several different operating systems over the years. We started beta testing Windows 95 in 1993-1994 and have continually evaluated operating systems by Microsoft as well as the Linux community over the past15 years or so. In these times of beta testing we felt confident that Microsoft had screwed up at least twice.. once with Windows ME, and most recently with Windows Vista. I think most true users would agree with this statement.

During all of these beta tests we have found several bugs over the years, created numerous bug reports, and ave had more crashes than the US interstate system. Any time you beta test any software there is always the possibility of things going awry and to no small degree in some cases. As builders and testers we have become really used to this, and normally will never install a beta anything on a production machine. We normally reserve 5 systems or so for beta testing only.

I have to say in all honesty that I have felt so comfortable with Windows 7 I have it installed as a secondary OS on a rather ordinary Athlon 3200 64-bit machine, that has been my personal machine for the past 2-3 years. You would think a system builder would have the top of the line system, but in all reality, I like this system very much, and as long as it keeps chugging along the way it has, it will remain as part of my collection to such time as I feel a need to upgrade.

Windows 7 by Microsoft is NOT currently available to the public for download  (at the time of this writing anyway) HOWEVER,  to be honest it is one of the very first betas we have seen that works quite well out of the box. Granted it seems to be nothing more than an updated Vista on the surface, BUT we have hardly ran into any issues, especially issues that plagued and still plague Vista to this day. Microsoft has apprently decided to go from the beta straight to release candidate based on the very positive feedback they are getting from the community.

As bad as we hate to say it (We know Microsft will not be pleased to hear this for sure) we have done everything in our power to skip installing Vista on any of our custom built computer systems, and have stuck with XP Professional in most every instance with new systems. This will continue to hold true as long as we can still procure Windows XP and we are not alone in this decision. We have spoken with several other system builders as well as numerous commercial and residential customers, and the general consensus is that most if not all that we have spoken with, are anxiously awaiting the alpha launch of Windows 7, and most are very optomistic about Windows 7, especially when compared to Vista.

Let's face it.. Vista has been a major disappointment to most computer users and in all honesty to Microsoft as well if they ever told how they really felt. Businesses have not been adopting Vista as eagerly as Microsoft had hoped, and of the companies that did jump in with both feet, many have crawfished and went BACK to or DOWNGRADED to Windows XP.

I am fairly certain this is NOT the way Microsoft would have preferred things for many reasons a few of whcih I will discuss below.

As computer builders, I know that I, along with several other system builders, were looking forward to the launch of Vista a few years ago. We knew up front that it would take a very good computer system to run the operating system, and in this knowledge was the hope that true custom builders of high end systems would be able to capitolize on the fact that many hard core home users, as well as numerous businesses would be upgrading or swapping older equipment for newer equipment. To some degree this held true during the initial launch of Windows Vista, but then a very strange thing happened. Consumers started coming to our shop wanting to downgrade to Windows XP. After some research we found that this was the rule rather than the exception. Across the board, and from the beginnin,g true computer users were highly disappointed with how their systems performed with Vista. Machines that ran as slowly as molasses running uphill in the winter with a Vista OS installed, absolutely screamed with Windows XP installed.

Take the Big Three (HP, Dell, and IBM) for example. Customers were flooding their support lines with issue after issue with Vista, and were promptly told to "JUST WAIT" for Vista's first service pack. When it did come about (SP1 for Vista) it seemed to increase issues as opposed to resolving issues. In all honesty I think that Microsoft had truly high hopes for Vista, and then it just didn't happen. If you can remember back to to the XP launch, even with its problems, it was a highly successful and profitable campaign, and in the beginning the sales numbers for Vista looked just as promising, and then took a highly unexpected nose dive. It seems that truly, and for good reason, Vista has fallen from grace with most users. I for one see Windows 7 as a SAVE FACE for Microsoft, and the sooner they release this OS the better. Personally, I believe that Vista users were reamed to the gills, and if nothing else Windows 7 should be FREE for these customers, or at a minimum very reasonably priced.

I am still not thrilled about teh several VERSIONS of Windows 7 they are planning to release (5 at this time I believe) when in all reality 3 versions would be more than enough. I believe that a Home Edition (basic) , a multi-media edition and a Professional or Ultimate edition would be fine and more widely adopted than what Microsoft is planning right now. I hope that Microsoft researches this, and I believe that if they were truly neutral and not so biased in what they believe the market wants and needs, they would see that for the most part people are much happier with a truly uncomplicated OS. Don't get me wrong. We all like the pretty stuff as much as anyone, but when I need to do something, I just want to get it done. I do not like jumping through hoops just to get from point A to point B. I like simple and fast and intuitive.

In our very simple and totally non-scientific research with OUR customers it seems the biggest complaint aout Vista has been just slowness in general. You would think that a dual core or quad core processor with 4GB of ram and one hellatious video card, would be amazing with Vista.. but its not!. Take that same machine , downgrade to XP and all of a sudden (even with XPs memory limitation capabilities) you have an awesome machine.. one that benchmarks like crazy and flies through even the most difficult of tasks. This is what people see and feel. A computer is much more than a machine. It is an extension of you as a person, and anytime you can think faster than the computer performs tasks, then we have simply regressed to days of  Windows 3.1.

As users become more familiar with computers, they begin to see what is truly important with a computer and with its operating system. In these days of mass telecommuting a fast machine with a fast OS and fast connection makes quick work of even the most complicated tasks. People work much differently now than they did even 5 years ago, and hopefully Microsoft has taken notice. An OS that is all fluffy and pretty is OK, but in all reality what are we as users trying to accomplish?

There are may of us that are TRUE computer afficiados, and as such we do everything, and I do mean everything on one single machine. Whether its playing games, building spreadsheets and databases,chatting with our friends, or watching streaming videos, we want a system and an OS that easily accomplishes all of the things we like to do without much fuss or head scratching. We simply want to USE our systems that way we want to use them.. hence the term USER.

In conclusion I will go out on a limb and say that Microsoft is heading in the right direction with Windows 7. As long as they truly listen to their beta testers, and stay focused on the features of an OS that makes our lives easier, then I truly believe they will have an instant winner on their hands. I for one find myself staying in my Windows 7 partition as much if not more than I stay in my XP partition. It could be becuase it is new, or it could be because it is better to a certain degree.

What I know for a fact is that if I were running Vista on my 1st partition, it would be totally useless to me. I would remain on the Windows 7 partition with no memories good or bad of Vista. In fact, I would daresay the ONLY time I would ever think of Windows Vista at all would be when one came in for repair, and believe you me, if Windows 7 is available as an option when this happens, I will be steering MY customers to Windows 7.

I believe this is what Microsoft wanted to accomplish with Vista.. the sad thing is...  it never happened at all. Maybe, just maybe, Windows 7 will be the OS we all have been waiting patiently for since XP's release. I for one surely hope so.

In our next blurb.. Office 2007.. what the HECK was Microsoft thinking?