I don't know. I'm pretty much sick of having to upgrade or install a new OS often. Just so noone is disappointed I'm making this announcement ahead of schedule.

"Microsoft is ceasing support of Windows 7 in the near future. hehe. So you can buy the latest and greatest Mindows 8. Plastic dog whistle & cat bell included. rofl. - Realistic Joke as I check my wallet for next year(s) expense to buy a supported OS and considering whether or not I really need the support or a new OS."

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Anyways, according to NetworkWorld, Windows 7 (couple hundred bucks) based on the Vista Core, is meant to be a compliment to Microsoft's Server 2008 (few thousand bucks), and some other 'virtual backup system software' (MLSP - Multiple Layered Server Protection or something; $12k+) geared toward corporate systems. (Approximate cost for the three packages $24k - $32K). Microsoft is also selling their own server unit (approx. cost $200k - $300k).

The Windows XP mode is meant to ease transition to Windows 7 for current XP users, so they can use some software that work with Windows XP. The Windows 7 upgrade unfortunately will not work well from Windows XP to Windows 7. So don't buy the upgrade if you're using Windows XP (unless you really want to - noone's going to stop you). There hasn't been much of a success story for upgrading Windows XP to Windows 7 (too many bugs and other problems), accept from clean installs of a full version.

The Windows XP mode support will eventually be phased out after the transition of Windows 7. There's another transitional software package (TSP) that must be purchased separately (more money) if you want to convert multiple corporate computers over to Windows 7 quick (full version install, not upgrade).

Computers that already have Vista installed can use the Windows 7 Upgrade with little to no problems. Software and hardware that already work with Vista will have no problems working with Windows 7.

The MLSP virtual backup side, runs dual computers with one on standby as a backup in the event of a system or computer crash (shutdown/whatever). The corporate server automatically switches from the crashed systems to the backup systems without having to reboot or without requiring a boot to keep the corporate services up and running seemlessly.

The advent of keeping a corporate server system up without having to reboot and doing a complete system transfer while Windows is active and live -- is a significant breakthrough that Microsoft came up with. As far as keeping Microsoft in the business game of servers and backup systems.

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Also, Microsoft may be jumping on the band wagon of free Office Software through 'cloud computing' by offering the Microsoft Live Package (free installs) in order to retain their customer base (online office crap - various companies).

I'm not going to go on about cloud computing. The concept of 'cloud computing' is to alleviate the software & hardware requirements at the user end. Such as no need for the user to have the physical computer storage and other devices - True Mobile Computing via telephony method and/or freeing up office/corporate/business building space, cutting rent costs, hardware purchase costs, etc.

I personally doubt this would really happen on a large scale, unless personal vehicles disappear from all major highways, and we're stuck with mass transport systems only. The only side I can see this happening with are some business', but not all, especially government systems and major corporations. Easier to downsize, liquidate, and/or move around.

There's also talk of who owns the virtual information and who controls it or how to control personal information from individual perspective of data ownership. From ownership control of online data (cloud computing) via encryption control, etc., where the physical storage device is no longer relevant to individual users. There currently aren't much laws covering virtual properties, so who knows where this stuff is going.

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The best example that comes to mind (comparison to cloud computing thing) is Second Life, which has a gross transfers of 15 million (U.S. Currency value 2008) per month between all participants and growing. The U.S. Congress has been trying to figure out how to create a law to tax this money, but the Second Life owners said they would just cross over the border and re-set up their servers within 72 hours if Congress attempts to pass such a law to tax Virtual Money. Even though Second Life's virtual money can be converted directly through the Corporate business for real currency when ever individual users want it.

The best joke that came to mind is Virtual Property Insurance, and considering how a person would go about making an insurance claim, in an event the servers crashed or whatever. Hi, I'd like to make an insurance claim for the loss of my imagination.

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Anyways, the rest of the tech world information only covers who bought whom out, market dominance by company/by tech devices, market share in competitive areas, all that other business stuff, security issues (internet explorer core & root-domain name probems with sub-domain name being treated as root-domain; IPv4 & IPv6 problems with tunnel embedding within each other bypassing firewalls & security; SSL middleman problems and fraud bank site), etcetera.

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Why not install Ubuntu? Because I want to use a scanner. Full stop.

And while I'm at it, I'd like my video card to be able to use the hardware acceleration I bought it to do. I'd like to render a 3D object, like in the game Tux Racer, which has never, ever, ever worked for me because there are no video drivers that work properly. And I'd like to be able to use my hardware to its fullest.

I know it's not fair, but for things like gaming (real gaming, not Tux Racer) and for scanning anything at all, Ubuntu is not the right solution.

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I am still using my vista 64 bit business os, no issues, stable as w7 and runs the same. I run w7 beta on my laptop, doesn't seem to be different to me. Vista works fine.

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The proof is in the pudding. Most of our people do NOT have any problems with Windows VISTA... office and work desks seldom do. but when they do, they eat up a LOT of our time working out the problems. Engineering and computer folks seem to be smitten with most of the serious problems... which leads me to believe VISTA simply is not the robust program we expected.

Windows VISTA should have been more problem free than Windows XP Professional, after the upgrades, but it simply is not in our organization which has systems in several countries. I would expect that Windows 7 has the fixes that were learned in the battles to improve Windows XP Professional and Windows Workstation... VISTA certainly is not.

I worry that Windows 7 will also have the hidded problem areas found in VISTA... but it is certainly worth a try.

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I'll vouch for unbuntu 9.10 karmic koala, it loaded right up on my old dell x300, even recgonized my sd card which no other os has done except the original dell version of xp. it also found my internal wireless card automatically and has real easy to use menus for setting up. install on an old 1.2 ghz with a gig of ram was under twenty minutes. i haven't had to load a single driver and haven't added anything except the auto updates for it since the release. its real easy to use like a mac.

i also have xp on my compaq laptop, which i use on a regular basis also. its what im used to hence the reason i predominatly use it. i hate vista always have, when a buddy asks for help i ask if they have vista and then tell them there's your problem

zero experience with windows 7 but hope it makes up for the abortion vista was. i can't afford any new software hence the reason i moved to linux. and i didn't have to use a cd to load it you can easily make a live usb with the iso and unetbootin on a flash drive and give it a test for yourself before you knock it.

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Looking at a chart of features, to even get Windows XP mode, requires Pro or Ultimate version.

I'm assuming that if I went for the 64 bit version, pretty much all my old 32-bit games/apps are useless on it?

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