Windows 7: The Windows 98 of Vista
Windows 95 was an exciting time for computers. We finally got rid of the Windows 3.1 method of running a clunky visiual interface on top of DOS and things were good. The problem was compatibility. There were issues with legacy software and device drivers. The difference was Windows 95 was SO much better than 3.1 people delt with it. When Windows 98 came out all of the bugs were worked out already, so if it worked in 95, it worked in 98. Software and devices were now compatible.
Fast forward 10 years and Windows Vista is released and the press destroyed it. Everyones printers broke, software didn't work, User Account Control (UAC) would always popup and harass you that your programs aren't trustworthy. Years after it's release people were still afraid to upgrade to it even if they haven't tried it. A year after it's release most of the issues had been worked out as long as you upgraded all of your software.
On October 22nd, Windows 7 will be released officially. What's the difference between Vista and 7? Polish. Windows 7 has no dramatic new features compared to Vista but it's polished. It's faster, thinner and most importantly in the last 3 years all of the software and devices have been designed with Vista in mind.
Should I upgrade?
The upgrade price for a home user is $119. If you are running Vista you most likely won't notice any big changes worth the price investment. If you are running XP, than it may be worth it for a fresh install or you may be in the market for a new computer.
If you are a buying a new computer, get Windows 7. There is no need to fear it and when I sit an XP computer it feels broken, old and slow.
Microsoft Security Essentials
It was only a matter of time before Microsoft would make it's own security product to fight against the Apple marketing ploy that PC's have too many viruses. While there are plenty of solutions out there, they all stink.
Microsoft Security Essentials is now available for free. It's Windows Defender just as a virus scanner. I've jumped on the no need for anti-virus solution since reading Jeff Atwood's article about the performance hit of using anti-virus software. Yes, there is a noticeable difference in performance if you uninstall your antivirus software. This may be an option for tech people that can avoid most viruses, but I still needed something to recommend to family and friends.
There were 2 solutions before this:
- Paid Software - Regular users tend not to renew this and become annoyed with the software so they just click to get rid of every message that pops up. They also try to upsell you to their premium security solutions. Symantec/Norton and McAffee fall into this category.
- Free Software - These will nag you to upgrade you to the paid solution, show you ad's for other products or just feel clunky to use. AVG and Avast are the best options if you went this direction.
Microsoft Security Essentials
I installed Microsoft Security Essentials and it was relatively painless. The interface is simple and just takes care of the basics, which is all most people want. I will recommend this to anyone going forward since it's free and while it hasn't proven itself at detecting viruses, it's probably just as good as the other options.
What's great for me is I no longer will get that call complaining about computer problems and see someone stopped paying for their virus protection months ago. Also, if you are tech savvy, you can turn off the real-time scanner to get back performance, while still letting it do weekly scan just in case.