Since there will be a point in the future when I upgrade all my Macs to Lion, I figured I should start getting ready, and in order to get ready, I usually need to upgrade my virtualization software. I use VMWare Fusion as well as Parallels Desktop on my Macs. My main use of Windows is for browser testing, though now that I spend time at the Milwaukee Makerspace I also use a few Windows-only applications like CamBam.
My VMs were all running Windows XP, so I figured that it was time to move up to Windows 7, and my old pal Larry Clarkin suggested that I’d like it much better than Windows XP. So in the interest of science (?) I figured I’d review Windows 7.
(Note: This review will be heavily biased against Windows, because I don’t like Windows.)
OK, here’s the deal: I don’t like Windows.
Windows is ugly.
Maybe the interface is customizable, maybe you can skin it, or theme it, or whatever, but I find the default user interface just plain ugly. I’m a Mac user, and I’ve gotten used to a good looking operating system. I’m a Linux user, but I tend to use the command line mostly, but even when I did use Linux on the desktop, it looked better than Windows.
Windows isn’t UNIX.
I mean, Linux isn’t UNIX, but it’s close. Mac OS X is UNIX, or at least it’s very close to being UNIX, depending on who you ask. Windows 7 isn’t UNIX, and I find that annoying. 90% of the time I’m using a Mac I’ve got iTerm running, and I either using it on the local machine, or ssh’d into another Mac or a Linux server.
Windows has little value to me.
As I said, my primary use of Windows has been for browser testing. Specifically, Internet Explorer testing. So pretty much the only reason I used Windows was to test 2 or 3 different versions of the worst browser out there, which, oddly enough, a lot of people used. (Luckily that’s changed.)
Now that I need to use Windows-only software like CamBam, I may end up using Windows 7 more than I used Windows XP, but it’s still just a matter of being forced to use Windows because there isn’t a Mac OS X version of a specific application. There is no joy in Mudville.
So ultimately, Windows 7 may be awesome if you’re a Windows user, but as a long time non-Windows user, it doesn’t entice me, and my primary use is in situations where I can’t use Mac OS X. But remember, this is just my opinion, and my point of view. I know dozens of people use Windows every day and tolerate it, and some even enjoy it. Kudos to them!
3 replies on “Review: Windows 7”
thats not much of a review of Windows 7. its more just a lengthy statement that it doesn’t matter how good a version of windows it is, you still won’t like it. I could probably plagarize 80% of this, switch most instances of “Windows” to “Mac OS” and vice versa, and you’d have my opinion of the mac platform. If most of what you’re doing in Windows is browser testing, sure, you’re not going to notice much difference between versions of windows at all. and one can (with puTTY) ssh into a linux machine just as easily on a windows machine, as on any other platform.
If you prefer a bike, and don’t like the idea of wheels on shoes, you arent going to like rollerblades any better than traditional skates.
Luke, I did clearly state I didn’t like Windows. But yeah, I probably forgot to add the “humor” tag to this one.
As for puTTY, I’ve used it on Windows, but the fact that Windows doesn’t have a UNIXy command line of it’s own, and doesn’t even have SSH built in as Linux and Mac OS X do is another strike against it.
Interesting review…
Im still stocked in windows because of the the nature of my work. However I would really migrate to Linux (ubuntu) if there is a chance.