You may have caught some of the media hoopla about Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system being released this week. Yes, barely 2-1/2 years after Windows Vista was released to the general public, Microsoft is at it again, pushing a new operating system out the door, flaws and all.
Some people get a little freaked out every time Microsoft comes out with a new product. When Windows Vista was released, I got all sorts of phone calls from very concerned customers asking me, “Dave, does this mean that I need a new computer?” I would usually reply with something like, “Why, did your old one quit working?”
Microsoft operating systems have what are called “life-cycles.” These life-cycles outline how long a product will be sold and supported. To the average computer user, “support” means that Microsoft will provide technical help with a product, as well as updates, patches and security fixes.
Support for Windows 98 ended years ago. This resulted in people being forced to upgrade their computers to use Windows 2000 or XP, or to buy new computers altogether. Support for Windows 2000 ends next year, in 2010. As such, I’m recommending that my Windows 2000 customers go ahead and make the transition now to at least Windows XP. When Microsoft stops supporting a version of Windows, that means no more updates, no more security patches and no more bug fixes. At that point, it’s time to move on to a new version of Windows.
However, Microsoft will support Windows XP until the year 2014, and they haven’t even announced when support for Windows Vista will end. This means that you do not need to run out and buy a new computer just because Windows 7 has been released. To my way of thinking, as long as your computer still does what you need it to do, who cares about Windows 7?
Having said that, Windows 7 looks pretty good, kind of like a fixed-up version of Vista. I’ve been fiddling around with a pre-release version of Windows 7 for a while now, and it is an improvement over Vista. The Desktop has some new conveniences and features that most people, once they figure them out, will appreciate. I also like the fact that Windows 7 is not nearly the “resource hog” that Windows Vista is. This means that Windows 7 does not require the huge amounts of RAM and processing power That Vista does to run comfortably.
Windows 7 is far from perfect, though, but most folks will learn to cope with its inconsistencies. I also have a feeling that in 2014, when Microsoft finally ditches all support for Windows XP, landfills will become clogged with millions of “obsolete” printers and other devices because, just like with Vista, they simply will not work with Windows 7.
Even though I’ve already forked over hundreds of dollars to buy advance copies of Windows 7, I’ve done so only because it’s part of my job. I’ve never much cared for being on the “bleeding edge” of technology, especially when it comes to computer operating systems. So, as long as it still works, hang on to that “old” computer for a while longer, at least until most of the bugs have been worked out of Windows 7.