Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, has been highly praised, after all it fixes many of the problems encountered in Vista. Sadly, it has also attracted some criticism.
However, to help you when putting the OS through its paces, we've highlighted the 7 deadly sins of Windows 7. Partake in these activities at your peril.
Lust: Beware Windows 7's faux-Mac experience
Windows 7 inspires lust. Specifically, it arouses an unhealthy yearning for a better computing experience.
If you're an IT administrator, you can see the signs easily: a lingering glance at a contractor's MacBook Pro, an iPhone in use instead of the standard-issue BlackBerry, browser histories filled with links to macworld.co.uk articles, telltale 'my other PC is a Mac' stickers adorning their desk.
Left unchecked, these primitive impulses can destroy office morale. Frustrated by the restrictions imposed on them by a rigid Windows-only regime, some employees may even resort to illicit workplace trysts.
Many a naïve system admin has made the unfortunate mistake of ignoring the signs only to later stumble upon a wayward user secretly caressing the object of his or her desire - a smuggled MacBook Air - in the back of a secluded wiring closet.
If your job description includes enforcing a Windows-only computing policy, keep close tabs on your charges during the Windows 7 transition.
The faux-Mac experience of the Aero UI will no doubt serve to exacerbate their frustration and perhaps even inspire an increase in overt acts of salaciousness as users realise they've been duped by a poor imitation of their true Mac love.
So stay alert. Be vigilant. And keep a hammer close by (for cracking Apples, not heads).
Gluttony: Windows 7's hardware demands
Windows 7 continues Vista's piggish ways with regard to RAM consumption and CPU utilisation. Like its notorious predecessor Vista, Windows 7 consumes significantly more RAM than Windows XP, ostensibly to support its vastly expanded set of default services.
As tests have shown, this latest version of Windows begins to perform adequately only when deployed on multicore hardware, and some of its 'cool' features such as the Aero UI require new graphics hardware and/or updated drivers.
As OS debauchery goes, Windows 7 truly is the height of gluttony. It's bloated and top-heavy, with an insatiable appetite for state-of-the-art hardware. Basically, it chews up CPU and memory capacity like it's going out of style. But to what end?
What is it, exactly, that Windows 7 does so much better than its leaner, meaner, pre-Vista ancestors?
These are the questions that will likely be directed your way as you begin the slow, painful process of squeezing another oversized Windows release onto your already taxed PC hardware. When confronted about this latest 'upgrade', deflect the inevitable criticisms by emphasising how much more manageable all those RAM-hungry services will make your environment.
And if all else fails, play the security card: A slow PC is a small price to pay for peace of mind, whether that peace is real or (in the case of Windows 7) imagined.
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Comments
Aman Arneja said: Del mOnte - I was Quoting the article when i said xp was 11 yrs agoChristopher Yeo- Have u used win 7 i have been using it for the past 10 months and am very happy with it
Lewi said: When i first got a PC on XP and payed bout 800 for it 256Mb ram 128mb GeForce 4 24Ghz Pentium 4 LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCETECHNOLOGY is increasing in capability so OBVIOUSLY the SOFTWARE has to increase too Do you bitch about the fact that your XBox cannot play X360 games NO If you need to play X360 games u go BUY a 360 Same here If your running W7 on ten year old HW obvioulsy your pc will struggle but if you cant afford the upgrade stop your bitching and accept that untill u got the cash for some better HW your stuck with XP
Lewi said: I never comment on these things I know i know that statement in its current context is completely hypocritical however I do mean it this is the first comment I think Ive ever bothered to leave with regards to an article someone has wroteWith regards to what I think about your article I think you need to lay off the crack Okay joking aside I have a PC that i bought two years ago for 1000 GBP It has a Q6600 CPU 265Ghz Per Core 10 OC It has 4 GB of RAM It has a GeForce GTX260 It EATS Vista I mean I went straight to Vista when I bought this PC and guess what Not ONE SINGLE major problem Now I have upgraded to Windows 7 and guess what Performance Better Compatibility Better Interface Better I could continueTh fact of the matter is that with two year old hardware that was good but not the best HW available 2 years ago i am able to run Vista or 7 without a hitch
Christopher Yeo said: AmanYou are obviously blinded by the Microsoft coverupWindows 7 is no different to that of Vista and Vista is not really that much different to XPIt is a mess its Vista re-released 3 years later with a different UI
Feugo said: Randall C Kennedy you now have NO credibility None Nada Zip Zerobye bye
AntiSilence said: Utter rubbishYou say MS is greedy So are Apple with their over-priced mediocre hardwareYou say MS is proprietary How much more proprietary can you be than Apple forcing people to use iTunes for everythingBlack box code So is Mac OS More so than Windows Apple even have copy protection so that their OS cant easily be installed on a PC even though it would run as Macs are basically PCs now Only more Fisher-PriceYou have no idea as to what youre writing about
Bob said: Great article Although I would compare Windows 7 to Mac OS X like I would a peice of tar stuck to my shoe that I cant get off to a diamond ring that never tarnishes Most of these I can relate to in the Beta the RC and the RTM I just wish others would see how much time is taken from being productive to defunking your Windows computer Time is money and windows doesnt give me a lot of that
Anonymous said: What utter rubbish Have you actually used the product Please take yourself seriously as a jounalist Lets have a bit of objectivity here rather than clear Microsoft bashing
David Wilde said: eh The only part that geniunely has anything to say about the operating system itself is just an issue about the way the registry works If you want to bash Microsoft then fair enough As a company they did get very complaiscent but seem to but clawing it back now as I think that they are taking their competition much more seriously If you want to bash Vista then fair enough - lots of people had problems with itYou have a complaint that the OS looks nicer so that will drive customers away Would Microsoft have more customers if their software was uglier or would you be complaining about that too Issues with RAM Are you comparing Windows 7 with Aero switched to XP If so it will of course be resource heavy I genuinely would like to see stats on how well it works compared to XP for older machines as I have heard some people saying that it has been made to run on really old machines Not a fanboy but Ive used Microsoft since before Windows
Wade said: Oh my god what a dumb ssThis guy sounds like a narrow minded Mac fanboyDont get me wrong I love Macs too I also love my Iphone But the Macs dont fit in the interprise business word yet I believe Windows has done an excellent job of being everything to everybody However that also has its problems
Rob said: This article is total drivel lifes too short to read this rubbish in its entirety
Aman Arneja said: Dear SirYour arcticle i must say is ludicrous You compare Windows 7 to Windows XP XP was 11 years ago talking about ram next u will compare gods of war to digdug saying digdug uses lesser spaceThen u take a dig at anti piracy measuresDo u have any idea wat piracy even means i am so appalled by what i have read that i cannot possibly read further