Wed, 11 Nov 2009 Windows 7 inspired by Mac OS X admits Microsoft boss

Niz said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

"Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance." - yeah right ROFL.

David said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

"but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance"..... Lol OMFG, Windows apparently is a more stable platform than UNIX, delusional!

Fonejacker said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

won't see that mentioned in their adverts. "We listened to our customers, they wanted a Mac OS look, so we copied them, as usual."

William D said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I have a new iMac. Windows 7 runs flawlessly on my current laptop, and has done since RC. the iMac, with SL keeps throwing up errors - calendar crashing, iChat telling me to send messages to apple..

I'm a newbie to the OSX world, and i can tell you: i'm not impressed! Nothing quite matches Libraries in Windows 7, and seeing things in order of last update is clunky on OSX10.6.

The hardware is lovely though, that i have no problems with.

Neal C said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

The thing is, they have created an exceptional OS, best I have seen yet. Full & open Beta testing got a lot of people interested at an early stage - something Apple could learn from. My Mac is gathering dust right now.

gregorsamsa said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Hardly something he needed to "admit". As obvious as it gets to anyone familiar with OS X.

Troller said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

What this article doesn't mention, though, is that Windows 7 is a better operating system than OSX. Apple has been outdone.

gregorsamsa said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Troller,

I'm open-minded enough to be genuinely interested in why you think this? Any prime examples/reasons? Cheers.

Michael said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

William D
Troll. If you owned a iMac with problems you would simply take it to the genius bar at the Apple Store and it would get fixed in a moment. Troll!

Brian said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

@Troller: In some ways yes, in some ways no. Hard to make such a sweeping judgement. 'Better' is a subjective thing. Windows has always been better for the tweaker. OSX has a different target audience, I think. Those who pretty much want to leave things as they are. If W7 borrows from OSX (glad they've taken the dock on board, although ours still looks nicer) then that's cool. On top of the software and ability to customise within Windows, it will be nice to have a better interface than before. About time, really.

Yep, Apple may lock you down, but hey, I think we *like* it like that... and for me, it only took one bad experience with the plethora of malware/worms/virii etc that Windows attracts to make me appreciate my Mac even more. It may not always be like that, but for now I am grateful...

Marky said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Windows 7, like Vista before it, still contains multiple library files, .dll, to perform open/save dialogues. They haven't slimmed that down to a single routine that can handle new and older programs, just left all the old ones behind. Slimmer code. Pah!

Grym said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I'm a Mac, and Windows 7 was my idea.

Nick C said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Michael - have you tried to take something to the genius bar in UK recently? An appointment in X days then they start by "what have you done?"

Brian said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

@Grym: LOL... they should roll out an ad with that.

macmanchgo said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Sounds like the same kind of biased reporting you get from Fox... Most people want to believe their news, so they will believe it, even if it is a huge lie: Windows is more stable than Mac! Right!

Kadoogan said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Windows is always initially speedy enough, but after a while the registry gets larger and larger and slows the whole system down. Got bored with the work needed to keep a Windows system working at a decent speed and virus/malware free (including regular re-installs of the entire system). OSX just enables me to actually do what I want, and has never required a re-install. Started with Tiger, and upgraded to Leopard, then Snow Leopard with no issues.

As long as Windows uses the registry, it will never be my OS of choice.

darkmavis said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I like how the guy on the windoze ad is so excited that he can bring his work laptop home and plug his home printer into it. I've been doing that for years on OSX.

I'm Steve Jobs, and Windows 7 was an idea I had years ago and then improved upon.

Steve Jobs said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I'm a PC, and Windows 7 was my idea...

Steve Balmer said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I'm a PC, and Vista was not my idea, honest...

Readership Surver said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Sure, but I think this may have been picked up from 9to5Mac. Bet it wouldn't have been visible here if it hadn't appeared there, first. No attribution? Shame on you.

Jon said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I read it here first. Anyway, both sites have picked it up from PCR and seem to have linked to them so what's your point?

For what it's worth I think Windows 7 is much better than Vista and Apple should have rolled out much more in both Leopard and Snow Leopard if they wanted to stay ahead of the game. Now both OSes are pretty much the same and the average user doesn't care if MS copied Apple or not.

Apple charges a premium and users expect to be ahead of the game to pay that premium and Apple should do something impressive in the desktop space to put them back in the lead.

Kadoogan said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

However much of an improvement Win 7 is, the price premium (which isn't that much of a premium if you truly compare like-for-like), is still more than worth it to use an OS that doesn't rely on the bloody stupid registry. Individual config files is the way to go for a stable system that won't slow down the more you use it.

Might not be a 'sexy' selling point, but when I think back to how many problems I have had to fix that were registry related on my own or other PC's, it's a very important one.

lkern said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Within 6 months the vast unsolvable problems with Win7 will surface. Book it.

nom said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Why is it whenever a Microsoft person makes a statement there's a very good chance they're going to end up sounding like an imbecile?

Are they employing these people as part of a government back to work scheme?

JC said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

"...that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance."

Utter rubbish - and totally laughable. The mere suggestion that Microsoft "Vista technology" is anywhere near as stable as UNIX is a joke...

spielbrot said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance...

This is where the really comic part begins. Keep on laughing...

Richie said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I have tryed and tested Windows 7, my job is putting Window PCs right and fixing PCs, what I can tell you about Windows 7 is good try but not quite ready.

Registry needs to be replaced with XML files

DLLs need to be cut right down.

Needs to uninstall software by simply placing an application in the trash, also install by drag and drop.

Needs to be more UNIX based less Vista based.

Stop changing the product name for marketing reasons like Windows 6.1 (Vista now Known as 7)

Stick with NT we all know Windows is dead and Windows 7 is Windows NT v6.1 so stop these stupid names.

Tom said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Apple's major mistake with OS X has been its reliance on the iPod's halo effect. There should have been more ads highlighting the Mac OS and its claim to be "the world's most advanced operating system". It's probably too late now since Windows has now taken this approach. Apple's Mac Vs PC ads have always been a bit tiresome. By the way, can somebody explain to me the numbering system Microsoft uses to arrive at the number 7 for Windows?

sumomuso said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I'm a MAC.

If it's not broken...copy it >.<

David Rowbory said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

@Tom: The magic number 7, you ask for?

Microsoft and Adobe change version numbering systems more frequently than Apple change their processors! Potted history:
Windows (1): No one remembers.
Windows 2: I guess must have been released.
Windows 3: Everyone remembers. This was usable - well 3.11 was!
Windows 4 - no, we'll call it Windows 95!
Windows NT 4 looks like Windows 95
Windows NT 5 became Windows 2000 to conceal the switch to the intimidating 'NT'.
Windows 5.1 is XP
Windows 6 is Vista
Windows 7 is... Windows 7! hooray, we are back to sensible numbers after the Y2K non-compliant 9x series, the 2000 effort, XP and Vista, which didn't really have any coherent sequencing.
The question is, will we get a Windows 8 or will Marketing have some new ideas by then?

David Rowbory said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Now note that around from Windows 3 then it gets tricky because Windows NT (New Technology - letting go of the ancient DOS roots) is developed originally looking like Windows 3, so takes the same version number Windows NT 3 even though it's the first Windows NT. But Windows NT continues in a separate track to Windows 4 (95) and Windows 98 (which you could call 4.1 or 4.5). Internally all this time Windows does have a coherent version number system separate from the marketing-led '95, 98 etc) and I'm probably mangling it a little here. Windows NT 4 is released looking like Windows 95. Windows NT 5 is when they want everyone to leave Windows Old Technology behind. Instead of being Windows NT 5 though, it's the dawn of a new millenium and so marketing want to call it Windows 2000. And so many things don't work with it that Windows ME (Millenium Edition) carried on the Windows 4 (old technology) stream for a few years, though it would have been better being buried.

gestalt said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

from a WWDC banner showcasing Leopard,

"Redmond, Start Your Photocopiers"

and they took it literally.

Registry said on Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Hey, you assholes!

I am brilliant! I keep millions in employment!

Didn't you hear there is a global recession on?

Baskaran said on Thu, 12 Nov 2009

If Apple were not there Microsoft will be still running computers with
C:>
and
Abort, Retry or Ignore?

Microsoft should add the following message in their start-up screen.

"Inspiration Apple - Microsoft believes in Apple"

@sumomuso said on Thu, 12 Nov 2009

I'm a Mac.

I work as long as there are no sodding updates or you find the bugs copied blindly from the last version of the OS.

Mac - the ultimate insult.

Steve Jobs said on Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Just keep paying me, my Chinese sweat shops wont run themselves!!!

@Readership Surver said on Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Sour grapes?

Phil said on Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Well having tried most os out there still prefer mac os. Windows 7 still feels clunky and weighted down with legacy stuff. Mac os is far from perfect and I would disagree if you want to tinker you can. Hack the os to dealth if you want or muck about under the unix hood so to speak.

I just wish microsoft would inovate rather than copy. I use windows at work every day and it sucks. So many apps crashing, network probs etc. Using macs at home I have a hell of a lot less down time.

KenisnottheMayor said on Fri, 13 Nov 2009

Apple bit the bullet, scapped OS9 & built their familiar user interface onto Unix. Microsoft should do the same. Continually hacking DEC VMS, which is what Windows NT is, has taken them down a blind alley. VMS was never internet-ready. UNIX ran it from day one, in 1969.

Matthew said on Mon, 16 Nov 2009

You Mac users are merely re-enforcing the belief of many that you are nothing but insufferable elitist snobs. I have to laugh, too, as I see you as nothing more than people with more money than sense. If you're happy to pay for ridiculously marked up, over-priced components in a fancy designed unit...go for it. Cocking your noses in the air over Microsoft implementing the better features of the Mac OS is a reason you're snobs. Many people cannot afford a Mac - these people can now go and buy a budget PC with Windows 7 on it (which would likely have more memory and a faster CPU than a Mac many times its price, but that is another thread for another day), and get to experience a little of what you have been claiming to have got for years. A solid, stable, user friendly working environment in their PC. Is that so wrong? There is no shame in taking influence and providing a better product to a great many of YOUR peers.

ImaPC said on Wed, 18 Nov 2009

MS = 94% of market.. Apple, after 30 years of building a "Better mouse trap" still only has 6%... great advertising?? Need ANYONE say more????