Topic: Windows 7 gets built in XP mode
ThomasJB's photo
Mon 04/27/09 11:21 AM


Microsoft's new OS comes with compatibility insurance policy (sort of)

By Kelly Fiveash • Get more from this author

Posted in Operating Systems, 27th April 2009 10:29 GMT

Microsoft is adding a "Windows XP Mode" to Windows 7, in a move to encourage users to make the switch to the software vendor's forthcoming operating system.

The firm has built its XP mode into Windows 7 by using the Windows Virtual PC technology Microsoft acquired in 2003, to make the OS compatible to run apps designed for Vista's predecessor.

Redmond was keen to emphasise in a blog post late on Friday that it's hoping to woo small businesses to move to Windows 7 by bigging up the XP mode feature.

"Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7," said Microsoft. "Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC."

Users can install apps directly into the virtualised XP environment. The applications are then published to the Windows 7 desktop and they can be run from within that OS.

Microsoft said it will release a beta of Windows XP mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate "soon" but wasn't more specific about when the test builds will land.

When Microsoft released Vista over two years ago, many businesses and individuals complained about compatibility snafus with applications that simply wouldn't work within the new OS.

Presumably Redmond has built in its virtualised XP insurance policy into Windows 7, a release candidate for which is expected on 30 April, to avoid some of the problems that dogged Vista from day one. ®

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/27/windows_7_xp_mode/

So if my programs run just fine under xp, where is my motivation to upgrade to windows7 just so I can run them under a virtual machine. Seems it would make more sense to just skip it and stay with XP.

no photo
Mon 04/27/09 11:49 AM
I have long since switched from Windows/PC to a Mac! But I still have a customer base of PC's for repairs! My questions is: "If it ain't broke, why fix it"? Seems as when they try to improve it, they only make it worse. Why can't they just leave well-enough alone? If Windows was so great...why are all the "patches" needed?

OK, I've said my peace...now, good luck to all those Windows users. Have a great day.drinks

nogames39's photo
Mon 04/27/09 02:04 PM


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/27/windows_7_xp_mode/

So if my programs run just fine under xp, where is my motivation to upgrade to windows7 just so I can run them under a virtual machine. Seems it would make more sense to just skip it and stay with XP.


Support the economy, get stuck with entirely new platform for absolutely no reason.

Once majority are on it, then Micro$oft will be in business again, and everybody will need Micro$oft license.

no photo
Mon 04/27/09 02:32 PM
lawl at poor windows users

a helpful suggestion --> ubuntu

*posted from Debian* =o)

RainbowTrout's photo
Mon 04/27/09 04:02 PM

lawl at poor windows users

a helpful suggestion --> ubuntu

*posted from Debian* =o)


I think it would be nice to have ubuntu at the windows update site.
Windows is updating its operating system. continue? Y ... Press enter.:smile:

ThomasJB's photo
Mon 04/27/09 05:30 PM
I prefer Fedora or Mandriva, but I am on XP for time being. I am trying to get contract job using my home PC and they require XP. :cry: tears frustrated sad

Atlantis75's photo
Mon 04/27/09 05:41 PM
Edited by Atlantis75 on Mon 04/27/09 05:42 PM
Excuse me, but this is stupid. windows 7 supposed to be compatible to Vista and Win XP out of the box, if I am the designer and planning..otherwise why even bother buying Windows 7, especially if it doesn't add anything new functionality beside the fancy desktop?

I have windows 7 beta, still trying to have my sound car working on it (creative x-fi), so far unsuccessful with the beta drivers..so it's just resting (and waiting to be formatted off the drive) on my other hard drive, but so far, beside smal quirks, making it slightly better than Vista..I still can't find a real reason why I should upgrade if I got winXP.

Here is microsoft for you:

WinXP is finally working ----> Vista comes out, slower and bulkier and more expensive -----> Windows 7 showing up, trying to surpass Vista, by being trimmed down and "offering backward compatibility to winXP and claiming better than Vista.

????

How about just staying with WinXP ? whoa spock

Totage's photo
Mon 04/27/09 05:46 PM
I have Vista home premium, works for me. I have an Unduntu disk somewhere, I'd like to start playing with that.

nogames39's photo
Mon 04/27/09 08:18 PM

Excuse me, but this is stupid. windows 7 supposed to be compatible to Vista and Win XP out of the box, if I am the designer and planning..otherwise why even bother buying Windows 7, especially if it doesn't add anything new functionality beside the fancy desktop?

I have windows 7 beta, still trying to have my sound car working on it (creative x-fi), so far unsuccessful with the beta drivers..so it's just resting (and waiting to be formatted off the drive) on my other hard drive, but so far, beside smal quirks, making it slightly better than Vista..I still can't find a real reason why I should upgrade if I got winXP.

Here is microsoft for you:

WinXP is finally working ----> Vista comes out, slower and bulkier and more expensive -----> Windows 7 showing up, trying to surpass Vista, by being trimmed down and "offering backward compatibility to winXP and claiming better than Vista.

????

How about just staying with WinXP ? whoa spock


Let me expand a bit on your idea... with your permission.

Microsoft yesterday:

There is inconvenience in how computer users use software -> Find someone who solved it -> acquire his solution -> brand it as Microsoft -> Demonstrate solution -> sell licenses, make money.

Microsoft today:

Need money to feed the incredible army of careerists -> create new O.S. with cosmetically different look and feel -> bugs and problems, bloating be damned -> force people to buy it with new hardware -> release small amount of better code that is purposefully hardwired to run only on new OS -> gamers and teenagers buy new OS -> manufacturers of software forced to code for new OS because of that new code hardwired to it -> business users forced to update because some clients are already running new software -> business streamlines their overhead suspending support for older OS and corresponding software -> everybody needs to upgrade to new OS to run new software and hardware -> Microsoft makes money without solving anything.

Atlantis75's photo
Mon 04/27/09 09:23 PM
Edited by Atlantis75 on Mon 04/27/09 09:45 PM



Need money to feed the incredible army of careerists -> create new O.S. with cosmetically different look and feel -> bugs and problems, bloating be damned -> force people to buy it with new hardware -> release small amount of better code that is purposefully hardwired to run only on new OS -> gamers and teenagers buy new OS -> manufacturers of software forced to code for new OS because of that new code hardwired to it -> business users forced to update because some clients are already running new software -> business streamlines their overhead suspending support for older OS and corresponding software -> everybody needs to upgrade to new OS to run new software and hardware -> Microsoft makes money without solving anything.


LOL...

One funny thing most people just don't realize. What happened to the A.I. ?

Why there is no A.I. Why is it not utilized more? Why there is no better coding? How come, high school kids with a lot of time to waste can make a better OS (linux distributions) than highly paid "experts"?

How come OS is only using a fraction of the processing power of the PC? You'd say- yeah but when i check the activity process monitor it says 20% etc..etc...that's only type of calculation most of the time.

I usually explain this to people like this:

Imagine having a Ferrari car, but your gas pedal is fixated, so you can only travel with idle speed, despite the 300+ HP and 220mph end speed.
Microsoft is the one who designed this gas pedal and refuses to make it travel more up/down, instead it makes it shinier and bigger, but it still fixated in the same position.


Not long ago, I played a game, it was like a first person shooter, similar to Doom II. I know that's old, but imagine, this game was just as long and here comes the hitter: it was less than 1 mb. that's one megabyte. Now, that's coding. It won a competition of who can optimize and shrink the codes to be smaller and more efficient, and it was like a 3 men team who did it. Microsoft could learn a lot from them.

my bad..here it is, I googled it, it's only 96kb

Amazingly Small Full 3D FPS Game (96KB)
http://www.theprodukkt.com/kkrieger

ThomasJB's photo
Mon 04/27/09 09:49 PM
Look at the memory footprints of *nix vs XP, Vista, or 7. If you like pretty desktops with lots of bells and whistles look at what those *nix OS's do with half the memory of m$. Take a look at what the latest Ubuntu has for system requirement vs Vista or 7. Regardless of rather you are *nix fan, it clear m$ with all there $$$$ could do a better job. The most wild part of it is most the work on *nix OS's is done for free!

nogames39's photo
Tue 04/28/09 09:59 AM
The bloatmath goes as follows:

How much will it cost a stupid user who will buy maximum ram anyway, to save us a whole sh!tload of money in coding hours? Who cares? Let the interpretor interpret what the preinterpretor wrote for the post-interpretor.

In other words, I am saying that there is a cost and a benefit to using AI. The cost is born by user, and the benefit is reserved to a software company.

It can't be any other way in conditions when price margin is set by majority of customers, and on one side, the majority of customers think there is something wrong with their hardware as soon as their AOL browser loads them full of bugs, while on another every company thinks dayly of how to improve their bottom line.

Yeah, Atlantis, I used to run Descent on a machine that wouldn't even load windows these days. Have you seen any of the "scene" assembly animations? Talking about coding done right...

ThomasJB's photo
Tue 04/28/09 09:12 PM


the majority of customers think there is something wrong with their hardware as soon as their AOL browser loads them full of bugs, while on another every company thinks dayly of how to improve their bottom line.



I used to work for an ISP as a service rep. I had people call in because their internet was out and when asked them what lights were on their modem they asked if had to be hooked up to work. I had one person call in because their monitor wasn't turned on. The average person doesn't know anything about computers, many think IE is the internet.

no photo
Wed 04/29/09 11:40 AM
lol - windoze is silly :tongue: