So I've been using Windows 7 as my day-to-day OS for over a month now, and as someone who's used every version of Windows since 3.0 (yes, even NT versions), several distributions of Linux, and Mac OS X extensively, I am actually very close to proclaiming Windows 7 as my favorite OS. That's saying a lot considering I love the functionality and stability of Leopard, and the customization options of Ubuntu. Yes, most programs are made for Windows, which makes it arguably the "best" operating system out there, but it's historically been unstable (often due to the huge library of software available) and resource heavy, comparatively. Windows 7 has yet to crash on me, and runs much faster, and lighter, than Vista does on my laptop. I don't have a "high-end" machine to run on (my laptop was Best Buy's Black Friday special last year), so I was constantly frustrated by Vista when run in comparison with Ubuntu and, later, Leopard. While only a pre-beta, 7 has completely surprised me on many levels. As I mentioned in my last post, I was completely prepared to play around with 7 for a few hours on Election Night, and then restore Leopard while asleep. 7 pulled me in, and hasn't let me go as of yet.
Everything runs perfectly, and I've only hit one single compatibility issue while trying to install Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare. I've installed several games, and I was quite surprised that they not only ran without issue, but that they perform on par with gaming on XP. Spore (much to the delight of the kids) runs like a champ, and I've even gone way back and installed Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. Of course, Office 2007 runs wonderfully, as does Adobe's CS4 suite of programs. Paint has actually become a staple for when I need do so a quick and easy image edit, and I'm loving the new Calculator.
With the public beta only weeks away, Microsoft looks to be on target for a release sometime between April and August, at the earliest and latest, respectfully. They've been quoted as saying "beta" and "release candidate", not "betas" or "release candidates", implying that they are only planning one beta and one RC before going gold. If the pre-beta is any implication, then they will easily be able to push Windows 7 out on schedule.