
Windows 7 is the best operating system on the market - iamelgringo
http://www.slate.com/id/2233294/
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novum
_What's so great about Windows 7? For starters, it offers everything you want
in an OS: Programs load and run quickly, your computer pretty much never
crashes, and the system mostly stays out of your way._

It's striking to me that a computer that _works_ is striking to PC users.

~~~
amichail
Whether Windows works depends on how well the device drivers are written for
your hardware.

~~~
snprbob86
I'll save amichail from downmod hell:

Crappy kernel mode drivers crash OSX and Linux too. Vista was garbage at
launch because of so many breaking driver changes, practically everyone had to
re-write their drivers, especially Nvidia, ATI, and Intel. Windows 7 basically
uses Vista drivers, which are quite stable at this point.

It's quite like how some huge percentage of Safari crashes are due to Flash.
People complain that Safari is crap, but it really is someone else's fault.
That said, I'm not defending Microsoft or Apple here: once others make you
look bad a bunch of times, it is your fault for not protecting yourself from
them.

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makecheck
This is annoyingly slim on any details that would back up their assertions.

For instance, if programs are apparently fast, and searching is fast, could
they not at least be bothered to measure this (versus Vista or XP, or running
previously-known-to-be-slow programs, or even measuring a Mac)? Then there is
the fact that _any_ clean install makes a system feel snappier for awhile;
let's talk again in 4 weeks and see if everything hasn't become dog slow.

And the rest of the article reads like someone who just wants eye candy. 3rd
party programs have been able to customize the bells and whistles of Windows
for some time, and they don't cost the $200-$400 that a new Windows would.

I do not know if Windows 7 is a great OS, but I do know that this article
isn't making that case in any meaningful way.

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ahlatimer
I'm bothered that the tagline is "Windows 7 is the best operating system on
the market" then goes on to say "Now the two operating systems are roughly
equal." So, which is it, then? Is Win7 the best, or is it now simply on par
with OS X?

~~~
smhinsey
The subhead on the home page works a lot better: "Windows 7: The Best
Operating System Microsoft Has Ever Made." It strikes me as ill-considered
editorial tweaking.

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GiraffeNecktie
Maybe it was just my system but I actually found Windows 7 to be pretty buggy.
It blue screened on me any number of times and finally refused to load
completely (despite trying every possible recovery option). Otherwise, it was
great, very polished and a pleasure to use but I couldn't take the crashing
and I'm now on Ubuntu. It's slightly rougher around the edges but otherwise
works at least as well as W7 (and better in some areas).

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enneff
They pick some pretty bizarre metrics to measure 'best'.

The fact that Windows 7 still doesn't have a useful command line makes it
pretty irritating to use. (And I have been using it since the RC was
released.)

~~~
jerhinesmith
I will admit that I'm not completely comfortable enough with powershell to
authoritatively call it 'useful', but could you elaborate on some specific
complaints? How much have you used it? From my personal experience, while the
syntax has a bit of a learning curve, it is a marked improvement over 'cmd'.

~~~
snprbob86
I use PowerShell every single day at work. I wrote an article about it here:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=571141>

My love/hate relationship with object piping is my chief complaint about
PowerShell, but the bigger picture complaint is that applications for Windows
simply aren't designed to be used on the command line. You inevitably run into
some wacky program that won't place nice with stdin/stdout, or won't let you
override some setting without hacking the registry, or otherwise slows you
down.

Beyond that, the terminal application UI is utter crap.

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mkinsella
I thought this was a parody after I read the complaint about the activation
code.

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dougb
Somehow I'm not surprised that Slate would write a pro Windows 7 article.
Slate was started by Microsoft. But I think they are owned by the Washington
Post now.

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SwellJoe
So, does Microsoft still own Slate? Because that's the only explanation I can
think of for this ridiculously hyperbolic piece.

~~~
jlc
I believe they're owned by the Washington Post now.

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gaius
The best _for what_?

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pkulak
I just hope this thing takes off and with it, so does IE8 adoption.

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jlc
To say I'm skeptical is an understatement.

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ecq
_You'll still find a few of the niggling quirks found in Windows versions
past. For instance, the OS still requires "activation" by a 25-character code,
an anti-piracy measure that annoys legitimate users while doing little to
crush actual pirates._

rofl

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echair
<http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/model/gallery.jsp>

