Windows 7 gripes | The Coffeehouse

rjdohnert
You will never know success until you know failure

Windows 7 is by far the best release of Windows thus far. It even kicks the hell out of Windows 2000. But alas, I have a few gripes but they arent huge gripes.

1. I have certain USB keys that when I try to mount them they wont mount. They are formated for Fat 32, they work in PC/OS, Leopard and in Win Vista and Win XP but Windows 7 doesnt pick up the formatting.

2. It doesnt happen often but once in awhile my wireless connection will just drop. stay off for a few seconds and reconnect. This behavior doesnt happen in PC/OS, Leopard and in Win Vista and Win XP

3. Home Group will not pick up my PC/OS machines, Win XP, Win Vista or leopard will just fine. Not Windows 7

4. My beloved Sun keyboard is a no go with Win 7.

Besides these gripes, Im surprised. of course I wont use it as my default due to Genuine Advantage and activation but for those that love Windows and hate Linux or the Mac, you guys should be happy.

Sabot
My name is Dave Oliver. I'm a Technical Architect.

Fair comment.

Mine gripes are internal 3G card doesn't register and the taskbar sometimes looks broken on my HP tablet. Got on the phone to my buddy over at said company and he acknowledge they were both HP issues not Microsoft't ones.

Been using '7 now since launch day last week (I had no issues downloading it) and at work now to. SLED and XP are the desktop OS there. I can see that '7 could potientially replace both *if* Microsoft get the price right and by that it's gotta be cheaper than SLED support which is $59 p.a.p.h.

Getting everyone back onto Windows and Office again would get around the compat issues we have that waste so much day. To my mind either way as long as it's all one thing rather than having two OS'es as Linus and Balmer don't pay my wages and don't care who wins ... so it's all about price baby!

stevo_
Human after all

Just because we use windows doesn't mean we love it and hate macs and linux.. I think thats a bit of a retarded attack. I use windows because I can't stand using linux, and os x pisses me off.

jamie

http://blogs.computerworld.com/will_the_user_interface_be_the_downfall_of_microsoft

vesuvius
Das Glasperlenspiel

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 7:51 AM

I think the editor of that article should just remove Office 2007 and install Office 2003. People always act as if they are forced to install office 2007. Sometimes in forums, I love it when a developer is trying to solve an issue with window 98. That tells me that the software still has a functionality someone needs. Office 2003 is good enough to last a decade and so is XP.

For all the old folks that despair at the changes in XP/Office, there is a new generation using mobile phones, netbooks and carrying their digital lives on computers. I know some people have issues with Office 2007 and Vista, but lets be honest, it's not really that hard to change now is it? The fact remains that most of windows is still composed in User32 which is over a decade old, so am flummoxed why people cannot see the same ListView controls, check boxes, buttons and so on. Very little new controls have been added, just the old controls used more creatively.

If these guys have issues with Windows 7 or Office 2007 use PC/OS or Windows 2000 instead on your Pentium III machines. They still work great. Some of us are into moving on and forward. Please don't drag us back because of your inability to make what are trivial OS migrations.

Dodo
I'm your creativity creator™ :)

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 7:51 AM

I'm all for options. Implement both interfaces. If you upgraded, make the old the default, but tell the user there's a new(better) one he/she might want to try out and see, being always able to go back. If you installed it anew, use the new interface for default, but provide an option in the settings.

jamie

In reply to Dodo

#Jan 20th @ 10:56 AM

well have a new one as default - but support the 15 year old too as an option

Quickbooks 09 wouldnt load on torys laptop vista - so last night i put the factory xp media center disc back in and loaded it back how it was.

Im sorry to say that i love that OS - better than vista , better than 7. Its on the network (which it hasnt been for 2 years) i used UP about 50 times while loading all the apps - all of which had no problems.

the control panel is better. the explorer is better. got the cool black media player tuner - Icons in the startmenu are easier to "know" without reading. All programs flyout i prefer.

i basically think ive come to realization that - i really dont like anything at all about V / 7

I might load it back on every machine in the house and get my network, scanner, games, photostory, movie maker back

ps - good luck with the office closures and layoffs Steve!

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 7:51 AM

I think he has it backwards though. Its the techies who are complaining about Office 2007 not the non-techies. Or at least people who are intermediate techies, who aren't novice users but think they know enough about computers to talk about them... novice users will prefer Office 2007 and Window 7.

Although not you Jamie, its usually the same people who complain about the lack of an up one folder button, most of these people just don't like changes.

If you look at the comment section there you'll see someone praise how there are very little changes in GNOME from release to release. Novice users wouldn't use GNOME---in fact they're more likely to take a jump where they have to do even more relearning--to MacOS

jamie

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Jan 20th @ 11:33 AM

If you mean "dont like change as in Coke - to New Coke" youd be correct.

I have mostly the newest app of every program i use - and more often than not prefer the newest version over the old ones. (with the exeption of most new MS apps (expression, ie7/8, )

as for office ive always said i liked the ribbon - but ALWAYS said they should have left file edit ... old menus as an option

Its the burn down the mission approach that turns me off.

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:39 AM

But you like Office 2007 right

CKurt
while( ( !succeed=try() ) ) { }

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Jan 20th @ 11:33 AM

FYI: there is a "Up one folder" button in the Vista Explorer. It's the last button in the breadcrum path to the current folder...

CKurt
while( ( !succeed=try() ) ) { }

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:39 AM

There is a way to get the old Office 2003 style in Office 2007...

I'll look it up: There is a way to get the old Office 2003 style in Office 2007...

corona_coder
Only Proprietary software vendors deal in absolutes.

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:29 AM

Try gNewSense. Why spen $1,000.00 on something you dont like. OpenOffice beats Office, The Gimp now beats Photoshop and there is tons of free software to be had and you can modify it should you desire too. Dont give in to Redmond Jamie. Its your computer, not Microsofts. Arent you tired of being spied on? Spending a fortune on legacy software? Im sure you are tired of viruses and blue screens. If Rory Blythe can change so can you.

jamie

In reply to corona_coder

#Jan 20th @ 11:46 AM

the gimp ... better than photoshop. lol

its none of those reasons. Im tired of trying to unscrew the training wheels constantly being screwed to my 10 speed.

CKurt
while( ( !succeed=try() ) ) { }

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:49 AM

Here is the link fore Office 2003 style in Office 2007

http://on10.net/blogs/sarahintampa/Office-2007-quotLegacyquot-Mode/

littleguru
<3 Seattle

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:39 AM

Like in Coke Zero? I went back to XP also a while ago... just in the VM but I did it because I had to support stuff. Man was it hard to find stuff. I'm so used to my desktop search now.

Also, if I speak with my grand parents they complain about the new phones that are available in this world, like mobile phones and stuff. So complicated etc. Take my cousin with 10 years. She plays with them and has no issues at all... who's wrong?

Don't get me wrong: change isn't appropriate all the time. But not changing / improving / enhancing / removing / etc. means to stand still, which in the end means to fall back because everyone else marches forward. Perhaps an intermediate mode where you get a migration guide, which video tutorials or something would help?

corona_coder
Only Proprietary software vendors deal in absolutes.

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:49 AM

Yes it is better than Photoshop. So let me get this straight. You like being spied on, you like spending a fortune on a PC operating system and you hate open standards. Geez Jamie why dont you go work for MS? That makes as much sense as rj shipping Opera over firefox in his little distro.

littleguru
<3 Seattle

In reply to jamie

#Jan 20th @ 11:39 AM

Its the burn down the mission approach that turns me off.

I understand what you mean. I think the original menus were removed because in that case they would have needed to support them both and there would have been the need to find a way to add the new features to these menus too. Or what would you have thought about using the old menus and missing all the new features in there?

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to littleguru

#Jan 20th @ 12:08 PM

littleguru,

I think a lot of cellphone interfaces are more complicated than they should be, and a lot of users simply accept that because they're good with technology.

On the other hand, all of this is easy to learn and use if you're in the right frame of mind, people who are intimidated by technology just have trouble learning it.

littleguru
<3 Seattle

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Jan 20th @ 12:15 PM

... lucky for all these 10+ years old that they learn it with ease Wink

I hear more often parents complaining about youngsters using the phones too much (sending too many short messages and phoning) and switching between devices too often -- even - now it comes - WANTING them to buy another brand WITH another UI experience because it is in and cool and all the cool friends have it... and picking up the new UI within minutes.

My question is the following: how much about the complaining is because people are getting old and don't want change and how much is really the issue because of the a possibly broken UI?

Note: I'm all for simple UX and I don't want to insult here someone!

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to littleguru

#Jan 20th @ 12:18 PM

Yea, 10 year olds arent intimidated by learning, that's why they learn it with ease.

I learn technology with ease also. But the issue for me isn't how easy I'm learning it, its the experience using it. It's like you can understand a book with very poor writing but still think it should be written better Smiley

Or being able to navigate a very bad website design, but think it should be designed better

corona_coder
Only Proprietary software vendors deal in absolutes.

In reply to brian.shapiro

#Jan 20th @ 12:27 PM

And the Windows 7 and Windows Mobile experience suck. Why do you think Microsoft has such a hard time. Its not only because their coders couldnt code themselves out of wet paper bags its because the experience on Windows sucks. windows, you have viruses, blue screens, red screens etc. You have every malicious pice of software working against you and you must have 10 year olds designing the interface.

Its no longer a Windows world. Long live the Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android and webOS.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to corona_coder

#Jan 20th @ 12:33 PM

Long live proprietary software, indeed!

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

In reply to corona_coder

#Jan 20th @ 12:33 PM

That's because Windows Mobile has a codebase thats more than a decade old. Windows also has an old codebase that Microsoft keeps having to update and provide legacy support for, in addition to having to support many more devices than Apple does.

The only reason Apple is succeeding in being fresh and shiny is because its new products have been made from scratch, after Microsoft already had products on the market for years; OSX is a new OS compared to Windows, iPhone is a new device compared to Windows Mobile. Apple also has more control over the hardware, they were also able to learn from Microsoft's mistakes.

Saying "Microsoft coders suck" is something a child would say.

fknight

In reply to corona_coder

#Jan 20th @ 12:33 PM

Proprietary non-open standards are okay when they're from Apple, then?

Incidentally, I haven't seen a fracking blue screen since Windows 2000. Why don't you just give up? It's obvious you haven't even seen a Windows box since around 1998, which you probably assembled from parts you found in a dumpster.

I won't bother to ask you to prove that Microsoft is OMFG SPYING ON ME when I use Windows because you'll just ignore the question and hope people forget you made the claim.

Please, can't you come up with something NEW other than "Microsoft is spying" and "OMG bluescreens!" You look fracking stupid.

It is because of people like you that whenever I'm asked (very, very rarely) about Linux, I tell them to steer clear of it because the only help they will get is from a bunch of *s who haven't gotten past age 15.