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Why Students Should Not Wait For Windows 7 Over Vista

Is Windows 7 really Vista SP2 in disguise? by SoftwareGuru Friday 15th May 2009 To maintain the loyalty and support of customers or your online community, there is one ingredient which is essential: the truth. So you have to hand it to online tech writers - why let facts get in the way of a good opinion? At Software4Students we always listen to our customers. Even Google's predictive text reveals over 79 million results for the phrase "should I wait for Windows 7". So it's safe to say a lot of people are asking themselves this question and it can't be ignored. As always, the savvy customer will make up their own mind. However, the facts are clear. * Microsoft has said that it's NOT developing a new kernel for Windows 7: this is the core central component of any Operating System (OS). Therefore, Windows 7 is basically Vista with tweaks. Cynics might even use the phrase Service Pack instead of tweak. * The buzz around Windows 7 is a placebo effect: Yes Windows 7 will be really good. But Vista with Service Pack 2 (SP2) will be as good if not even better for the immediate future due to better driver support, akin to the progress made with XP's SP2. So why give the new version of Windows a new name, instead of calling it a Service Pack? Answer: Marketing. Vista has received a lot of unfair negative press and this will be an opportunity for Microsoft to put that behind it. Once people have made up their minds about a product or service, it can be extremely difficult to persuade them to alter that perception.
	Perception is Reality Even the tech blogs have admitted to the placebo effect. "Windows 7 still feels faster and more responsive than Vista, even though the objective numbers say otherwise" - Gizmodo.com "More and more evidence shows that Windows 7 may only be the equivalent of a Vista SP2" - blogs.computerworld.com Given that Vista was developed initially as an all-singing, all-dancing 64-bit OS only to offer a revised 32-bit version to appease certain areas of the IT industry, it's safe to say that it wasn't designed to be used with any less than 1 Gigabyte (GB) of RAM - regardless of what it says under 'minimum requirements'. As a result, users in 2007 with less than 1 GB of RAM were quick to criticise the young 32-bit OS for being inferior to its refined and mature XP SP2 equivalent. Having used Vista since launch day with a PC that used 2 GB of RAM, I personally have never understood the criticism other than the slightly annoying UAC pop-up security feature which is easily switched off. It's no surprise that gamers soon adopted Vista with SP1 as the best OS available because enthusiasts tend to have better hardware than casual PC users. It's also no surprise that business and work PCs with old machine specs would have completely struggled with it and therefore IT managers were very slow to recommend it. At the time of writing, most desktop PCs now come with 2 or 3 GB of RAM as standard which allows Vista to fulfil its potential. However, Microsoft wants a share of the growing Netbook market and Windows 7 is therefore optimised to perform better with less RAM. This makes it perfect for Netbooks. Most students though are likely to want all of the features available from a laptop and may see netbooks as a less attractive alternative, albeit a cheaper one.
Your Money, Your Choice. There is no doubt that Windows 7 will be a fantastic OS in the long-term. In the short-term, it's hard to see any massive advantages over Vista SP2 unless you intend to buy a Netbook or upgrading your business PCs. Therefore, we can honestly recommend Vista Ultimate Upgrade to students and families providing your laptop or desktop computer has at least 1 GB of RAM. For around £56, home users can enjoy right now all of the many fun and powerful features Vista Ultimate has to offer. Technology is evolving so fast that Moore's Law is finally being surpassed. This would suggest that even Windows 7 may have a short shelf life if the needs of business and home users are to be catered for successfully throughout the second decade of this century. Service Pack 2 for Vista is due to be released for free download via Windows Update at the end of May. Click here to Buy Vista Ultimate Upgrade.

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