Windows 7

[the7k]

I do plan to upgrade my clunker at some point (or perhaps I should just get a whole new computer), but I'll probably still be rocking Ubuntu for the most part. I only use Windows when I have to, and I'd probably still have to use WinXP for certain games anyway.

[lordofduct]

I do plan to upgrade my clunker at some point (or perhaps I should just get a whole new computer), but I'll probably still be rocking Ubuntu for the most part. I only use Windows when I have to, and I'd probably still have to use WinXP for certain games anyway.

Virtual Box! It's awesome (though if you have a clunker, it may not work so nicely).

[the7k]

Well, one of the main things I have to use WinXP for is my printer/scanner. It's made by Kodak, and they just flat-out don't support Linux, regardless of how many people beg for it.

I guess I'll have to try Virtual Box out and see if it can solve this problem...

[Hatta]

One thing the non open source(free as in beer) version of Virtualbox does really well is USB forwarding. It just passes the USB device through to the virtual machine and it's recognized like it's actually attached to the machine. If it's a USB printer/scanner it will probably work well in VB. It might suck a bit to have to open a VM whenever you want to print from Linux though. It's always worth considering that printers are nearly disposable these days, and it's a good idea to give your money to people who support your operating system.

As for Windows 7, I'll probably upgrade when I need it to play games. Of course I won't get around to playing any modern games until they're retro so maybe in 5 or 6 years.

[the7k]

Well, I got the printer for dirt cheap on Woot.com ($50 + $5 Shipping), and the ink cartridges are also dirt cheap. That's the main reason I use it. Plus, the print quality is pretty freakin' amazing.

[fastbilly1]

What capture cards do you have Duct? I need to get a new one since the new nvidia drivers dropped support of my fx5700's tuner. Well that and Id rather turn that pc into a jukebox.

I am tempted by 7 but refuse to play $300 for my Operating System. So I am trying to find someone I know that is still in college to buy the student pro for me. I could probably get by home premium, but I want that XP mode (Ive spent the past decade getting old games running in xp, Ill be damned before I learn how to do it all again). I will probably just buy 7 for my gaming rig and swap to ubuntu for my primary desktop. Like Duct I like multiple desktops. The only things holding me back are expensive old printers I use for a side job and gaming. With that job going away in the near future and a second pc becoming the gaming pc, well I have little excuse now...

[RCBH928]

Why would any one wants to install Win7?
I have no idea about the OS other than it is the new version...

As far as I know with XP they got to a really good stable status then with Vista it went downhill or in best case scenario it just equals XP. Now we have win7 to upgrade the computer once again, but does it really have any features worth it?

Like will it be faster? Less spam/virus/adware? better compatibility?
Or is it Vista with a facelift filled with bugs until the first SP comes along(recall Vista's early days)

[AmishSamurai]

Funny story- I got a new laptop this summer, and it turns out that if I had waited a day i would have opted for a free upgrade to Windows 7.

I don't mind Vista despite the gripes about it, but the campus library here keeps several OS boot discs on hand. if they add Win7 to their repertoire, I may sneak over and see if I can get a free upgrade anyways.

[cubingmelons]

I recently had an install of Windows 7 Ultimate that I liked, but for some reason I couldn't get my Steam games to function on it, namely my Valve titles. World of Warcraft and everything else seemed to run wonderfully, but I ended up caving and going back to XP.

Chances are I'll end up installing Windows 7 here soon from a retail copy, because I really liked it during the few days I was using it.

[fox099]

I still have my student email from college and was able to get Win 7 Pro for free. I love it. I use it on my HTPC and everything runs perfectly. I also plan on getting an Acer 1410 with Win 7 installed as it does really well on lower chipsets!