Sunday, October 25, 2009

Before you buy a non-Apple PC think about this

Many people have rushed out to buy a computer with Windows Vista in the hopes that they will be able to right away upgrade it to Vista.

This is not necessarily going to happen. Every PC maker uses different hardware and is obligated to write - and debug - their own device drivers. Microsoft does not support hardware - they just sell an OS.

A Mac is a high quality PC and like Dell, HP, and other PC makers, they have taken the time to write driver software to allow Windows to run on their computers.

Here is a video that teaches you how to run Boot Camp on your Macintosh, enabling you to install the retail (non-OEM) version of MS-Windows on your Macintosh.

If you want to run Windows 7 on any computer, wait until it is available for that computer. If it is not a Mac, then just wait until Windows 7 ships on that computer to buy it. If it is a Mac, just check and see when Windows 7 is supported in Boot Camp.

If you bought a Dell, that qualifies for the free Windows 7 upgrade you might not get it. Due to hiccups in Dell Windows 7 upgrade program.

There is no major reason to rush to Windows 7. Like Windows Vista, IE is still dangerous and the IE8 that comes with Windows 7 has a serious known flaw. Windows 7 does not run some Windows XP software applications. Windows 7 has serious DRM issues.

Windows 7 is only a minor upgrade that does not contain exciting and powerful new features.

Windows 7 is the most complicated Microsoft Windows desktop operating system purchasing decisions ever, too. There are many different versions to choose from: home, standard, etc. You do not want to try one version and discover you bought the wrong one, and be stuck with it. Let someone else do that.

Besides, Microsoft is usually quick to drop support for Home versions of Windows - and that is usually what they ship preinstalled on PCs for the first few months. Home versions have more networking difficulties than other slightly more expensive versions. Letting the temporary clunker versions of Windows move through the pipeline before you get your system is obviously a better choice than getting something that is little better than a "trial" version you are going to throw away.

Waiting a month or two, until the turn of the year, should give Windows OEMs (computer makers) enough time to get their hardware compatibility issues - missing or buggy driver software - worked out. A couple months will give Microsoft enough time to fix the bugs that were discovered after after they released the Windows 7 code to manufacturing. It will give other users time to discover and publicize the bugs they have found. If you are in a hurry, wait until December or January to plunge into Windows 7.

If you are not in such a big hurry, wait until Windows 7 SP1 (service pack 1) comes out - probably next year sometime. Service packs usually get the product into the shape you expected the original release to be in. This will save you the aggravation of burning up your free customer service warranty period and calls on Microsoft bugs, rather than individual problems/questions that are unique to you. Waiting will let you get more personal attention from your vendors.

If you have a Macintosh, simple keep checking to see when Boot Camp works with Windows 7. It sounds like it might already work with recent Mac models so check if your is one of them. Also, go find out about Parallels commercial virtualization software and Virtual Box free virtualization software from Sun. You might be able to run Windows applications side by side with your Mac applications, spending little or no money to do it - other than the cost of a retail version of MS-Windows.

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posted by John Collins @ 9:10 AM 0 comments

Friday, August 28, 2009

Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard Compete - but not on price

Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system and Apple's new Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) will compete head to head this Fall for school children's dormroom/classroom "purchasing power".

Due to the timing of the release parents' pocketbooks and kids' piggy banks will be asked to pony up the cost of upgrading the Windows Vista and Mac OS X 10.5 operating systems to the latest version.

In a shocker to Windows and Mac users alike, Microsoft is asking Windows users to pay almost seven times more, have a really tricky upgrade path, and - oh, yeah - wait.

By contrast, Apple today shipped the boxed Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) upgrade for Leopard (10.5) users and they are selling it for only $29.99. That is right, $29.99. I read that in an article last night, thought it a misprint, and verified it at lunchtime today by checking on Apple's web site. That is the price.

Windows 7 has a tentative price but is not shipping Microsoft product yet. The company has released a prospective master image of the OS to manufacturing and it is expected to find its way to willing consumers' hands this fall.

Windows 7 Pro, the normal version of Windows will sell for $199. In the old days, not so much. Today, however, there is a recession going on, IT budget and consumer belts have been tightened and - oh, look - Apple is selling its OS upgrade for $29.

Windows 7 Home is to be not much cheaper than the so-called Pro version. Windows 7 Home will cost $119 which is %60 percent of the real version. It is a discount but in the past networking features that home users needed had been whittled out of the Home version and support was cut within a few years after introduction. Pretty bad, if you are a home user and need to connect your computer to the Internet and have vendor support. One could argue that Windows users who connect up to the Internet need vendor support more than anyone. So, I guess that means that Windows Pro is the only viable choice for them.

Windows 7 Starter is kind of a joke compared to the normal operating systems that have been around for over two decades. It will only allow running three programs at once. That means even a grade school child might have difficulty using it as they researched on the web for a composition that they were writing. One can just imagine the plaintive juvenile "notifications" to parents: "Mom, my operating system can only run THREE programs - I need an UPGRADE".

It is probably a viable option for people who cannot stand multi-tasking and do not care if vendor support gets chopped off almost right away.

In fact, it might be a really good option for them. Or they might want to weight against other possible choices like a Linux Live CD, a copy of MS-DOS from their attic, or a low-cost Mac Mini system that is energy efficient and comes with Snow Leopard ($29 Mac OS) free.

Also, they could chose not to upgrade, wait until next year, and buy a liquidated or second-hand Windows 7 PC at fire sale prices. While that is not so attractive to business users who want their computers as identical as possible, home users typically just buy one or two at a time and so the computers hardly need to have much in common with each other.

Windows 7 is coming but it looks like it is going to be a really expensive, difficult upgrade by today's standards. Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Panther) is here now and looks like an inexpensive, easy upgrade.

Apple users will get to do their upgrading at the beginning of this semester and Windows users will get to do their upgrade at the end of this semester. Long before Christmas shopping season, everyone will know which have been most pleased by their upgrades.

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posted by John Collins @ 12:57 PM