4 ms·

Windows 7: The Best iPad Seller

23 points by mikecane 16y ago

asnyder 16y ago
I've never had these issues with Windows 7. The initial complaints are due to the apps you want to use requiring Java and Flash, that's independent of the OS, and would be the case with any Operating System that could use Java and Flash. You could of course said no to the updates. Furthermore, it's completely unnecessary to install Avast, you can install Microsoft Security Essentials, free, and it works great. Microsoft can't bundle it, since they would be charged with monopolistic practices. Your OEM provider installed a Norton trial, that also has nothing to do with Windows. Windows 7 only creates 2 Program Files if you're using a 64bit operating system. The (x86) is the 32bit programs, whereas the Program Files are native 64bit, it makes it a bit clearer when uninstalling or organizing your system. Since you can technically have 32 and 64 bit versions of the same program installed. I could go on, but essentially there seems to have been an issue with the game. I don't know if I would outright blame the operating system.
- zck 16y ago
  All your arguments are correct, however they miss the issue. For this person, the overall Windows 7 experience is flawed compared to the Apple OSX experience. You can say it's because of the games, or because Microsoft can't legally include something, but that doesn't change that, for this person, it's easier to use a Mac.
  - asnyder 16y ago
    Not to nit pick, but he was describing the iOS and iPad experience, and not a Mac or OSX. I would say the OSX experience is closer to Windows than the iOS experience. He very well might have had similar prompts if he were using OSX.
    - X-Istence 16y ago
      No Automatic Updates for Java or Flash on Mac OS X ...
DougBTX 16y ago
There is a sort of cultural blindness to these problems. Once you know how to work your way through the mess, you can fix it without any thought. You can do it with your eyes closed, accepting the pain as just the way things are.
eiji 16y ago
Just a typical rant on windows 7. He could've just install the game on a new iPad, and throw the notebook out of the window. But wait! It's not in the app-store? The nice thing about old windows-games, they'll keep running on windows 8 too.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
brudgers 16y ago
If you want to compare apples to Apples, try installing Java and Flash and a CD-Rom Game on your iPad.
sudonim 16y ago
The main point here is that the iPad is a strongly opinionated device. There are things you can do and things you can't. Windows machines are weakly opinionated devices. They don't venture to guess what you might want to do with them. Most people don't want every option, they want the right option.
Jamiecon 16y ago
There are better ways to make what is a valid point. Only geeks can forgive legacy baggage, but inevitably whatever MS do OS-wise is a balancing act. There's nothing new here.
100tonmantis 16y ago
A lot of people are already stating that most of the mess documented in this post is not necessarily the fault of Windows 7. The OEM is at fault for not installing current versions of Java and Flash. The OEM is at fault for installing Norton crapware instead of a decent antivirus. The software developers are at fault for producing a buggy game, etc. This is all true. BUT a non-technical user will not know any of this. They will see all of this as the experience they had using Windows 7. If Microsoft cares about the experience users have on Windows 7 they must prevent OEM providers from shipping it in this condition.
- ams6110 16y ago
  And this is why Apple won't license their OS to hardware OEMs.
lars512 16y ago
In short: the article bashes Windows 7 because of the terrible experience of managing security, OS updates and software updates. The main thing Windows lacks is nice package management for external non-MS software and updates. Linux has been great at this from the word go. Steam did this for games on Windows, centralizing updates and keeping everything running smoothly. Apple's new App Store for OS X provides one place where all software you buy through the store can be simultaneously updated. Years ago I hoped Google Pack would expand to a full software distribution system to manage all this complexity for users, but it never happened.
- bradleyland 16y ago
  To paint this as Apple vs Microsoft is to miss the bigger point. Regardless of how you trivialize the experience the author had with Windows, many people share it. Hell, a lot of the same is true for OS X; even with the app store. Likewise, the experience on the iPad is just as the author describes. The bigger question is, which will people prefer? This is where it gets much broader. This isn't Microsoft vs Apple. This is space shuttle vs passenger car. One you simply get in and drive. The other you need a lot of training and a hell of an intellect to operate. I think it's pretty obvious which one your average person is going to prefer.
  - GrandMasterBirt 16y ago
    I disagree. Its more of a ferarri w/ manual transmition vs toyota prius. While you can do some good shit to break that ferarri, the prius can break, but its simple, just drive, just gas and break, no third pedal no thinking, simple small quiet. Oh you can't race it but thats ok you drive the speed limit anyways, gives you a nice rear-view camera so parking is a breeze, low gas usage, YAY! For the price of an ipad I can buy a windows box with specs an ipad can only dream of. For the price of an imac I can buy a machine with enough power to let it degrade in performance for 5 years and still not approach the imac's performance. I think its not a shuttle vs car analogy. More of a GM vs Tesla analogy. GM is dying because they stick to the old "what works", "were too big to fail" approach, while tesla is sticking to "were more expensive, but we make a damn superior product"
- 16y ago
Andys 16y ago
The same concept can apply to web applications in general, not just iPad.
Kylekramer 16y ago
Well, I am having trouble setting up this Linux server, so I might as well use this Gameboy.
johngalt 16y ago
What makes me laugh is how often we make the same mistakes. For years computing has been a conflict between users wanting their computer do everything and their sysadmin telling them to limit it to essentials only. The only reason the ipad is a success and vista a failure is due to expectations. If microsoft had developed the ipad rather than vista there would have been riots. Where's flash? What's this proprietary hardware bs? Why can't I plug in my monitor?
knurdle 16y ago
People actually voted this blog post up? How about me having to update itunes every other week and having to d/l 90M each time for a point version upgrade. Hasn't apple figured out how to do patches? I end up updating my mac less because the updates are so freaking huge. Last update I did ended up being 1.2G. Yes, GIGS! And that was only after not updating for about 3 months. WTF?

23 points by mikecane 16y ago

I've never had these issues with Windows 7. The initial complaints are due to the apps you want to use requiring Java and Flash, that's independent of the OS, and would be the case with any Operating System that could use Java and Flash. You could of course said no to the updates. Furthermore, it's completely unnecessary to install Avast, you can install Microsoft Security Essentials, free, and it works great. Microsoft can't bundle it, since they would be charged with monopolistic practices. Your OEM provider installed a Norton trial, that also has nothing to do with Windows. Windows 7 only creates 2 Program Files if you're using a 64bit operating system. The (x86) is the 32bit programs, whereas the Program Files are native 64bit, it makes it a bit clearer when uninstalling or organizing your system. Since you can technically have 32 and 64 bit versions of the same program installed. I could go on, but essentially there seems to have been an issue with the game. I don't know if I would outright blame the operating system.

zck 16y ago
All your arguments are correct, however they miss the issue. For this person, the overall Windows 7 experience is flawed compared to the Apple OSX experience. You can say it's because of the games, or because Microsoft can't legally include something, but that doesn't change that, for this person, it's easier to use a Mac.
- asnyder 16y ago
  Not to nit pick, but he was describing the iOS and iPad experience, and not a Mac or OSX. I would say the OSX experience is closer to Windows than the iOS experience. He very well might have had similar prompts if he were using OSX.
  - X-Istence 16y ago
    No Automatic Updates for Java or Flash on Mac OS X ...

DougBTX 16y ago

There is a sort of cultural blindness to these problems. Once you know how to work your way through the mess, you can fix it without any thought. You can do it with your eyes closed, accepting the pain as just the way things are.

eiji 16y ago

Just a typical rant on windows 7. He could've just install the game on a new iPad, and throw the notebook out of the window. But wait! It's not in the app-store? The nice thing about old windows-games, they'll keep running on windows 8 too.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

brudgers 16y ago

If you want to compare apples to Apples, try installing Java and Flash and a CD-Rom Game on your iPad.

sudonim 16y ago

The main point here is that the iPad is a strongly opinionated device. There are things you can do and things you can't. Windows machines are weakly opinionated devices. They don't venture to guess what you might want to do with them. Most people don't want every option, they want the right option.

Jamiecon 16y ago

There are better ways to make what is a valid point. Only geeks can forgive legacy baggage, but inevitably whatever MS do OS-wise is a balancing act. There's nothing new here.

100tonmantis 16y ago

A lot of people are already stating that most of the mess documented in this post is not necessarily the fault of Windows 7. The OEM is at fault for not installing current versions of Java and Flash. The OEM is at fault for installing Norton crapware instead of a decent antivirus. The software developers are at fault for producing a buggy game, etc. This is all true. BUT a non-technical user will not know any of this. They will see all of this as the experience they had using Windows 7. If Microsoft cares about the experience users have on Windows 7 they must prevent OEM providers from shipping it in this condition.

ams6110 16y ago
And this is why Apple won't license their OS to hardware OEMs.

lars512 16y ago

In short: the article bashes Windows 7 because of the terrible experience of managing security, OS updates and software updates. The main thing Windows lacks is nice package management for external non-MS software and updates. Linux has been great at this from the word go. Steam did this for games on Windows, centralizing updates and keeping everything running smoothly. Apple's new App Store for OS X provides one place where all software you buy through the store can be simultaneously updated. Years ago I hoped Google Pack would expand to a full software distribution system to manage all this complexity for users, but it never happened.

bradleyland 16y ago
To paint this as Apple vs Microsoft is to miss the bigger point. Regardless of how you trivialize the experience the author had with Windows, many people share it. Hell, a lot of the same is true for OS X; even with the app store. Likewise, the experience on the iPad is just as the author describes. The bigger question is, which will people prefer? This is where it gets much broader. This isn't Microsoft vs Apple. This is space shuttle vs passenger car. One you simply get in and drive. The other you need a lot of training and a hell of an intellect to operate. I think it's pretty obvious which one your average person is going to prefer.
- GrandMasterBirt 16y ago
  I disagree. Its more of a ferarri w/ manual transmition vs toyota prius. While you can do some good shit to break that ferarri, the prius can break, but its simple, just drive, just gas and break, no third pedal no thinking, simple small quiet. Oh you can't race it but thats ok you drive the speed limit anyways, gives you a nice rear-view camera so parking is a breeze, low gas usage, YAY! For the price of an ipad I can buy a windows box with specs an ipad can only dream of. For the price of an imac I can buy a machine with enough power to let it degrade in performance for 5 years and still not approach the imac's performance. I think its not a shuttle vs car analogy. More of a GM vs Tesla analogy. GM is dying because they stick to the old "what works", "were too big to fail" approach, while tesla is sticking to "were more expensive, but we make a damn superior product"
16y ago

Andys 16y ago

The same concept can apply to web applications in general, not just iPad.

Kylekramer 16y ago

Well, I am having trouble setting up this Linux server, so I might as well use this Gameboy.

johngalt 16y ago

What makes me laugh is how often we make the same mistakes. For years computing has been a conflict between users wanting their computer do everything and their sysadmin telling them to limit it to essentials only. The only reason the ipad is a success and vista a failure is due to expectations. If microsoft had developed the ipad rather than vista there would have been riots. Where's flash? What's this proprietary hardware bs? Why can't I plug in my monitor?

knurdle 16y ago

People actually voted this blog post up? How about me having to update itunes every other week and having to d/l 90M each time for a point version upgrade. Hasn't apple figured out how to do patches? I end up updating my mac less because the updates are so freaking huge. Last update I did ended up being 1.2G. Yes, GIGS! And that was only after not updating for about 3 months. WTF?