Mailbag: Windows 7 Not Too Shabby, In the Market for Apple, More

I've been messing with it since build 6801, an so far I'm hesitantly optimistic.
-Michael

I couldn't wait to try out the beta, and being ahead of the curve is nice when it comes to Windows 7. It has a lot of zip and pep. I hope Microsoft fine tunes the home networking of printers, but the OS is superb!
-Bryan

I am a small shop in Southeast Georgia and downloaded the copy of Windows 7 the day it was leaked to the Net. I have installed it on a Dell Optiplex GX260 with a 60GB hard drive and 2GB RAM. The processor is an Intel Pentium (R) 2.4Ghz. My first impression is: I love it. The OS is not as memory-intensive as Vista. So far, the machine has not crashed and has been running since the day of the leak. Some of the advanced features we can't use because the machine's video card is not robust enough. However, everything else is working better than expected. I am even using the RDP to "play" on the machine on my XP desktop.

I have tested Vista and Windows 7 and right now 7 is the winner. Even some of my older applications run better on 7 versus Vista. My staff and I are going to continue to hammer this OS and make it do what Vista couldn't do for us!
-Bill

I installed it on an Asus AMD 64 machine without a flaw. Had a little problem with a Linksys application (for the wireless card). However, "going direct" worked. The USB transfer is the most exciting part. I couldn't believe how fast it was compared to XP. But since I don't have Vista, I can't compare the USB transfer from/to the USB drive.
-Bill

Meanwhile, a few of you wondered about Windows 7's official name -- or whether that will even matter:

Do you have any idea what Windows 7 will be called? We knew about the Vista name long before release but I haven't heard anything about this iteration.
-Matthew

You can call it Windows 7 or anything you want. It's still Vista.
-Anonymous

Doug recently asked for some ideas on how Apple can expand its market, but one reader thinks that's missing the point:

You may want to check your premise and see things a little differently. I don't know that Apple feels a desire or need to expand for the masses. It seems quite profitable and successful as a niche player.
-Anonymous

There was a slip-up in a recent item about game consoles-turned-supercomputers, as one reader rightly points out:

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the Xbox 360 use a "triple-core PowerPC processor"?
-Anonymous

And Russ couldn't resist a little dig after Doug compared a do-it-yourself PS3 supercomputer to a Heathkit:

Boy, are you dating yourself or what?
-Russ

Check back in on Monday for more reader letters, including your votes for favorite and least favorite IT execs, and what Windows 7 will mean will mean for Vista. In the meantime, leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on January 09, 2009