Re: Windows 7
I am hoping that there driver database is more robust than their attempt with Vista. Half of my stuff would not work and still doesn't
MS writes generic drivers for the most popular hardware. If your hardware doesn't work, blame the company who made it, not some 3rd party (in this case, MS). That said, I have noticed a much expanded driver base for Win7 via Windows Update, but you still need to get online to hit it. If you have some weird chinese knockoff network card, you will still need the OEM driver disk to reach all of the Internets(tm).
I have been using Win7 Ultimate for about 5 months and am very pleased with it. So pleased, in fact, I would have to say this is the first time Microsoft has ever completed an Operating System prior to shipping it. There are still minor bugs, mainly interface bugs, but all in all, I have not regretted upgrading from Vista. I am even running the x64 (64bit) version with absolutely no hiccups. Finding x64 versions of software is getting far easier than it used to be. Having 4GB RAM and a 768MB RAM video card, I also benefited from the expanded memory access of the 64bit version.
Is it faster than Vista? Not really. I haven't noticed any super speed-up, but then again, it is a polished OS with usability in mind and it still runs as fast, which is a step up in anyone's book.
I would say, the best part of Win 7.. it uses the exact Vista driver framework, so your existing Vista drivers will work just fine until a Win 7 native driver is released. Some manufacturers aren't bothering with Win 7 drivers, simply because the existing Vista ones work just fine. Drivers are one thing which delays many many people from upgrading, simply because tons of hardware is barely supported when it is new, forget after 2-3 years later when a new OS comes out.
The best polish MS added to Windows 7 is... English! A quick example of this is a right click on the desktop now lets you jump right to the 'Screen resolution' page. In all previous versions you had to click 'properties'. What users instinctively equate desktop properties with screen resolution? None. A close second on the improvements list? When you enter the control panel, you can simply type the setting you wish to change and it will filter the list down to only what you want. Amazingly simple and amazingly effective! (The same goes for the start menu, by the way, which was partially present in Vista)
All in all, I'm impressed that MS, a company of mediocre products for the last several years, finally listened to the customer base and created an OS with the user's world in mind, rather than trying to force the user into their world.
