Why Gizmodo’s “Windows 7 sucks” post sucks

Posted February 15th, 2009 by lmathews Comments

I appreciate what Gizmodo was trying to do with their post illuminating 7 ways Windows 7 sucks, but I think they missed the mark. Sure, there are some deficiencies in the Beta release but there are plenty that are more realistic than the ones they picked. The UAC vulnerability, for example.

Let’s take a look at the Gizmodo points and see what the big deal is.

#1: Taskbar pinning sucks.

Why does not being able to pin a removable drive or the recycle bin to the taskbar equal sucking?

Not sure if they noticed, but almost every modern version of Windows can handle multiple toolbars on the taskbar. Get this: you can add My Computer and it’ll automatically display USB drives when plugged in. No way. Wait, it gets better. You can also add the Desktop, which will give you a recycle bin on the taskbar.

uac-sadfasd-123

Holy simplicity, Batman.

#2: No upgrade install.

Wait, are you kidding me? Does ANY IT person really want this? I don’t remember the last time I was actually glad I performed an upgrade install on a customer’s PC. It was likely in 1995, when I was uprading my parents from Windows 3.11.

On top of the problems normally associated with upgrade installs on Windows, the Easy Transfer works really well. The end result? Sure, you’re going to have to reinstall your apps, but Windows 7 does a great job of backing up and restoring the data from your old PC. All your personal files – the things you really care about – are painlessly moved from your old install to the new one.

It’ll even save files from your old Windows OS during the install process if you don’t want to use the wizard first. Shoot, even Vista does that.

#3: Ejecting requires too many clicks.

What they mean here is “paying attention requires too many synapses.” Click the USB icon in the system tray once. A menu pops up that allows you to click the item to remove. After having this pointed out, they said “this could be made more apparent to the user.” Am I wrong, or is this pretty much the same spot you went to unplug a device in XP and Vista as well?

2-15-2009-12-34-49-pmIt’s easier, though, because you don’t have to invoke a separate window – just use the teeny weeny menu that pops up.

#4: Most desktop gadgets suck.

While I agree, this isn’t really Microsoft’s fault. Apparently developers don’t want to make compelling gadgets for Windows.

What is it, exactly, that we want to use gadgets for that we’re not already doing with some other application (or iGoogle)? Calculator? Clock? System monitor? Yawn.

2-15-2009-12-42-20-pm#5: Windows Media Player Blows.

First off, gripes with WMP12 are with the app itself – not the OS. WMP classic sucks too, but that doesn’t mean Windows XP deserves a kick in the nuts.

Media Player 12 is getting better. The preview window play controls, for example, are very handy.

And the comment about it “now supporting more than three and a half codecs?” Come on guys, it took some guts for Microsoft to ship the Windows 7 beta with support for Divx – they had to know it wouldn’t be popular with the MPAA or RIAA suits.

#6: Sleep and hibernation are still crapshoots.

Who’s fault is this – Microsoft’s, or the guys that make the mainboards that are supposed to support these functions? Until I can see some proof one way or the other, I’m not blaming the OS for this.

I have hibernation and standby problems with a number of Linux distributions on both of my laptops, so I’m certainly not going to point fingers at Windows 7 in this case.

#7: Control panel is a mess.

I won’t argue about the number of icons, but Windows 7 has a much bigger number of features. Where should Microsoft put their control panels? Furthermore, when you click “all control panel items,” what do you expect to see? I’d expect to see a whole lotta icons.

2-15-2009-12-58-05-pm

But wait just a minute: everything in the control panel is indexed by Windows Search. Why not just access control panel items that way? It’s pretty simple, and faster in most cases.

On top of that, most of the ones I access commonly – like ncpa.cpl – haven’t changed in name, so we can still access our favorites quickly via the run box.

What do you think? Are any of the Gizmodo charges enough to convict Windows 7 of sucking?

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Tags: , , ,   Posted in Windows

Related Posts:
  • katan
    Fuck Windows 7 !!! Its all shit !!!
  • monkeboy
    You obviously work for Microsoft.
  • str3tchnut5
    Installed windows 7 and lost all access to drive D: Tried all the tricks (take controll) in command prompt and other ways . Even tried right clicking and going to properties! but no security tab! It is recognized in Bios and in control panel but when I try to access it says denied please format. This P.O.S operating system will cost me an abundant amount of Data (resumes,music,pics)! Im still looking for answer but none to be found!
  • TheChickenWillEatYou
    It's true. I have Windows 7 and it is terrible. I get a blue screen every other day and it always lock up. And, yes, my computer meets all the requirements. I should have stuck with XP.
  • ace123
    Many of you may be surprised at what you find when you pull up the version info of your new copy of Windows 7.

    Windows XP = Windows version 5.0
    Windows Vista = Windows version 6.0
    Windows 7 = Windows version 6.1

    Enjoy suckers.
  • CleanFun
    Well, most of you probably aren't software engineers who have been with Windows since the beginning so you really don't know what you're missing. You don't know how powerful and fast things can really be because you were born into this cocoon. Now I'm not trying to diss or insult anybody here by any means. Better to be you than me who's actually been forced to sit and watch the Devolution take place.

    Is Gizmodo's post convincing? Nope. Gizmodo doesn't know what's wrong with Vista, but he does know that something is wrong. Millions of you do according to any web search.

    All these trivial little things aren't what got the pros upset enough to pave the way for Vista's annhilation.

    I'll tell you right now what's wrong with it; Windows 7 is Vista. Just with new desktop wallpapers and an army of drivers that Microsoft wrote themselves instead of waiting for the hardware companies to fall in line, which many weren't going to do. It's Microsoft's way of trying to say, WE TOLD YOU SO, yet again. A more aggressive attempt at The Mojave Project if you will.

    Windows 7 is more like a Windows Update GUI fix for Vista than a next generation OS.

    You could turn off those warnings and confirmations in Vista. Here in 7, you can turn them on.

    Same installer, same desktop, same taskbar, same underlying framework (exactly) same, same, same.

    Now saying Windows 7 sucks because it's identical to Windows Vista doesn't really prove my case to many of you so I'll explain why Vista sucked.

    Vista, like Windows 7, runs on a framework. Just like .NET. It's a VM (Virtual Machine). In other words, every program you run is intercepted by the OS and ran through the gauntlet before it gets to the processor. We're looking for all kinds of security crap. The messages coming back from the processor goes back through the OS gauntlet, to the software, and the results are finally relayed to the end user.

    Once upon a time, the OS allocated memory to a program so said program could interact directly with the processor. When that program closed, the OS would reclaim that memory and make it available for the next program. That was pretty the OS's big job as far as software was concerned.

    I've ran robust programs in DOS (the stupid kid brother of Linux) that were quicker, sharper, and stronger, with less than 100mhz of processing power than Notepad is on Vista / 7 with a 64 bit 3.2ghz Quad Core, 8gb of DDR3, 3-way SLI, yadda yadda money grab. DOS never crashed.

    It is within the nature of every exceptional software engineer to develope his or her application smarter, smaller, and faster.

    So what exactly is so stupendous that we're doing in these 3,500mb installs of Virtual Machine crap that we couldn't and weren't doing with the 64bit Windows XP Professional and it's 500mb? Talk about taking "The Wandering Salesman" out of a 10 family neighborhood and putting him in the middle of Mumbai's 13 million people. If you don't know what I'm referring to when I speak of the salesman, google what's in quotes.

    Now before someone chimes in and tries to say that I don't know what I'm talking about, I'm going to predict your future.

    Most of you will disregard this information mainly because there's nothing you can do about it. You are going to eventually make your way down to the electronics store and within 2 years you are going to spend over $1,000 on new hardware & software to do exactly the same crap you were doing 10 years ago, you may even be doing less and many of you will spend much more. =)

    You will continue to do this, year after year, until you've spent enough to buy a home.

    You may someday realize that upon your desktop is enough computing power to run a country or predict the lottery with frightening accuracy. But you've been bottlenecked by your OS and the linear thinking of 50 years to the point where you can only chat, blog, download movies and music, read news, check your stocks, etc ...

    Meanwhile, with every new upgrade and trip to the electronics store, these very words will rear their ugly little face in the far recesses of your subconscious until one day they manifest themselves into your conscious mind and you cry out, much like this, believing the concept to be your own unique creation. And you will leave an impact and the truth will remain lingering out there.
  • JTIT
    This article is right on:

    #3 - I think XP's eject feature is crap. Vista was better but 7 is the best I've seen.
    #5 - WMP has always been bloatware in the past (like iTunes) and takes forever to launch even on fast machines. In beta and RC it launches like a bat out of hell! Gotta love that.
  • lmathews
    Pretty sure they were talking about an XP->7 upgrade install, which there is not.
  • QAwitch
    This post suck. And there IS upgrade install.
  • Andrew Ribbons
    Oh come on, Gizmodo are notoriously biased against Microsoft, you couldn't expect them to seriously to be straight and fair with Windows 7 can you? By their own admittance they "all have Macs in the office", says it all really.

    The reasons they give are overly picky and lame, besides the RC is a fantastic technical achievement. To have an OS as stable as Win7, as fast and responsive as Win7 and as supportive with drivers and software as Win7, before it's final Retail build, is something i doubt Apple could hold a candle to. Mind you, they aren't kind enough to release free Betas of their software at all are they XD
  • BannedUser
    Well, Mac OS X is more stable than Win7, its faster and responsiver and...
    Better Drivers.
    Lemme see,
    I plugged in my Printer - Windows: I had to download a driver, Mac: Driver installed
    I plugged in my Cam - Windows: I had to download a driver, Mac: Preinstalled
    I plugged in my TablePad - ...

    I dont know why, but to me it seems that Mac has more drivers.

    Mac pwns Windows at all
  • torps
    great stuff!!!

    gizmodo's post probably sucks even more now that RC is out...
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