[ssmit132]

Well maybe if it's Windows 7 you could at least look for those UI altering utilities.

Linux is the only operating system that you don't have to pay for. And NCSU wants windows or mac.

Stricly speaking, ReactOS is free too, though it's not ready for proper use yet.

The horror of not having to pay for Windows operating systems...

This is where I got my copy of Windows 7 I'm using now (as well as the one on my old laptop, and I also got XP to use on a virtual machine). Well, not from NCSU's MSDNAA site, obviously.

[karajorma]

Stricly speaking, ReactOS is free too, though it's not ready for proper use yet.

I could probably name about 5 other OSs that are also free before getting down to ReactOS. Seriously, why not start with Unix or BSD?

[achtung]

The horror of not having to pay for Windows operating systems...

That might be how I got a couple of Win7 licenses.

[ssmit132]

Stricly speaking, ReactOS is free too, though it's not ready for proper use yet.

I could probably name about 5 other OSs that are also free before getting down to ReactOS. Seriously, why not start with Unix or BSD?

It's the first one that came off the top of my head.

[FlamingCobra]

We seem to have gotten off topic.

What happened to the part about productivity?

karajorma, I thought Linux was derived from Unix?

[Mongoose]

I'm still stuck on this:

I prefer Vista to windows 7.

[Ghostavo]

And

Oh, and, in first person games, having to pick up your mouse when are you are turning around is really bad compared to using a joystick.

didn't make you facepalm?

[FlamingCobra]

I'm still stuck on this:

I prefer Vista to windows 7.

Actually, I prefer the Windows 7 operating system but I prefer the windows Vista shell.

Right now, I'm looking at SharpEnviro. Would any of you recommend it?

[LHN91]

I'm still stuck on this:

I prefer Vista to windows 7.

Actually, I prefer the Windows 7 operating system but I prefer the windows Vista shell.

Right now, I'm looking at SharpEnviro. Would any of you recommend it?

SharpEnviro is based 90% around the idea that you might actually want 3,4,5 toolbars all over your screen. Which makes no sense at all.

Also, What? The Vista shell is a huge step BACKWARDS whether you're going XP->Vista or 7->Vista.
There are so many features of the Win7 Shell that just make sense in everyday use, and everything Vista has, 7 has, and has improved on.
And the options are there to set things to look like Vista in 7.

And I agree, the Ribbon is a poor interface design. But there are plenty of ways to get around that, and the sheer benefit of HAVING A FUNCTIONING SYSTEM makes 7 a HUGE improvement over Vista.

[Nuke]

*waits for reactos to go beta*

[Grizzly]

And I agree, the Ribbon is a poor interface design.

I find it to be rather usefull. They somehow managed to cram all the features I need in there. (I use Office 2010 free ocasionally, my netbook is a dual boot).

[The E]

AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh man.

The uninformed nerdrage is just fantastic.

FYI: You can turn Windows 8 into a normal, Win7-like desktop OS with a few registry tweaks. It has been hinted that that is what will happen on Desktop/Laptop installs, on tablets and smartphones, you will get the Metro UI. The reason why MS has made Metro the default for the current beta version is to get developers used to developing for it.

[achtung]

AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh man.

The uninformed nerdrage is just fantastic.

FYI: You can turn Windows 8 into a normal, Win7-like desktop OS with a few registry tweaks. It has been hinted that that is what will happen on Desktop/Laptop installs, on tablets and smartphones, you will get the Metro UI. The reason why MS has made Metro the default for the current beta version is to get developers used to developing for it.

Very true, all you have to do is point to whatever explorer.exe you want.

[The E]

Not even that.

[MP-Ryan]

I prefer Vista to windows 7.

Actually, I prefer the Windows 7 operating system but I prefer the windows Vista shell.

 

For you to ran about productivity and UI design in one breath and say this silliness in another is hilarious.  Win7 is leaps and bounds beyond both XP and Vista.

[KyadCK]

You can minimize the ribbon, notice the chevron near the top right.

So you can minimize the ribbon and not use anything available on that bar, or you can have it open and have it take up a lot of space. Nice.

Holy crap. What a waste of screen real-estate. I'm hoping it scales better at higher resolutions.

It does not.

............. you mean ........  ............ a ribbon like the office ribbon? 

Exactly like the Office Ribbon.

Hell, any OS made in mind for touchscreens or idiots who don't know jack **** about computers will have significantly reduced productivity. Which makes it hard on the rest of us.

This comment, coming from you, makes me laugh so hard it hurts.



Also, I felt the same way going into Win7 from XP. I've grown to like it, and it is very stable. Also, let the poor harddrive index... I eventually turned it off, but search is still more then quick enough even with a non-indexed drive. But hey, I know where most of my files are so I narrow down the folders (search in D:\FreeSpace2\Data\ instead of search in D:\ for example).

That stupid Ribbon can burn in hell though, it isn't usefull for Office and it means no pressing Alt to get file/view/tools/etc (the menu in its entirety basicly) in Explorer. There should at least be a simple option to turn it off.

EDIT: And before someone says "But its better for touchscreen!", No, it is not, I still use a proper menu system on my Inspire 4G (Cyanogen 7) and I can honestly say if I were forced to use a crappy icon system instead of an organized menu system, it would be horrible.

EDIT2: And before I catch any flak along the lines of "you're only saying that because you haven't tried it", yes, I have a VM of it, and i have spent time working with it. Looks to me like 7 will be the new XP and 8 the new ME...

[Dragon]

Perhaps I'll stay with my customized Vista and switch to whatever comes after 8. Though we'll see. Vista also got bad opinions, but after applying all patches, digging in the settings and installing custom programs (not a single program I use daily from MS, except for games and Internet Explorer, which I only use to quickly look something up without opening all the tabs I have in Opera), it became a quite usable, if slightly paranoid system.

[Klaustrophobia]

I'll have to make a system backup first.

I have no plans of acquiring windows 7 or 8, but I am afraid that I will have to when I go off to college, since my parents (or just my mom, since she's the boss of the household) will get me a new laptop regardless and force me to take it with me.

THE MONSTER!




 How could she even think of buying you a brand new laptop which you could simply install any operating system you wanted on! You should kill her now to remove this evil from the world!

Linux is the only operating system that you don't have to pay for. And NCSU wants windows or mac.

NCSU does not care what OS you have on your own computer.  They RECOMMEND certain things, but take those recommendations with a grain of salt.

and by the way, probably half of NCSU's lab computers run linux.  nearly ALL of the engineering department does.  there's even a mandatory introductory course for engineering in which they teach getting around the linux setup.