Then again, we’re Swiss, perhaps we’re a bit silly and can’t even “just” party when it’s even labeled as party Always has to have some serious aspects attached to it to make the Swiss happy.

I’d like to host one where a few tech-savy folks with Ubuntu CDs are there to help prospective Ubuntu users launch Ubuntu via Live CD on their own laptops, so they can see, one, how well it works,and two, how absurd it is to continue to give Redmond a few hundred dollars a year in software rental fees.

wow, “few people have the desire or need to partition a hard drive.”, really ? …fact is in a real world, they do !. Windows may do everything for you, seeing you’re thinking that the need to partition is somehow outdated. “I haven’t partitioned a hard drive since my Amiga 500. You are way out of touch”, no, you are the one out of touch !. As its clear your knowledge does not get past everything Windows.

The need to partition comes from knowing what you are doing first, and then knowing what works well for what you are doing. Unlike that faulty nuisance less desirable Windows, Linux is able to accomplish much more at many levels. Stuck with a box of plain outdated partition ideas your Windows makes you believe you know something about partitions and the need or lack off, for them. NOT!.

@Ed B: I think the dynamics here are more complicated. Even top enterprise bosses are humans, fathers, husbands, gamers, sports fans, video buffs. If they have a good experience with Free Software in their private life, this will influence their decisions in the workplace as well.

We have to work on all sides, we have to provide a better user experience, a better server operating system, a better video player, more language choices etc. in Free Software. It’s as shame that being “just as good” or “slightly better” won’t be enough for us, because that way, you don’t get noticed. You only get noticed if you’re different and much better, not if you’re just different and the same quality.

I think there’s more psychology involved than we might think, and the FOSS community often focuses on the technological side.

FOSS doesn’t have the business apps, and that’s where any sense in continuing with a comparison for any reason more than philosophical stops.

It’s like comparing tanks (Linux) with cars (Windows).* Tanks are bigger, tougher and just plain cooler, but you are not allowed to drive to work in one.

Thus: arguing with people who need to drive to work that tanks are, ultimately, better is more than a little pointless.

(*Comparison taken from Neal Stephenson, as you probably know.)

The review is not pointless. I am trying to point out not only ethical/moral differences but also technical ones. The FOSS systems are far ahead of Windows in many areas, and I wanted to rub people’s noses in it.

It wouldn’t be fair to compare a current FOSS system to Microsoft’s eight year old Windows XP, and Vista was a complete disaster. So I think it’s only fair to their “fixed” version of Vista, which is Windows 7, the company’s “modern” operating system, to our modern systems (Debian 5, Ubuntu 9.04, FreeBSD 7.2, OpenSolaris 2009.06 etc.)

As a long time user of Windows from version 3.1 to XP, who recently started to use GNU/Linux Ubuntu, I finally realized, that it was the Windows partitioning and boot-loading concept that have bothered me for years and withhold me to try other competing operating systems on my computer.

Quote:
“The Windows boot manager still believes that only one system needs to be installed on a machine. It flat out replaces any existing bootloader with itself, and then only displays Microsoft operating systems for booting.
This is plain rude, that’s one thing. But it also shows how limited Microsoft’s bootloader technology is.”

I would even go a step further: deleting the MBR, which is not part of any partition and operating system, is not only plain rude. I would call it at least malicious or even illegal. Why?
Because this behavior hinders users to install operating systems other than Windows and effectively hinders competition.
MS has lost its case in the EU with Internet Explorer. Is MS still taking the risk to be declared illegal in the EU with the installation behavior of its complete operation systems?

It’s a very relaxed and cool review. It is very simple and to the point. Good job!

@some of your critics, guys, why do you attack this simple review? There is no emotional or “fight-to-the-last-breath” FOSS promotion? Ramon listed things that he would like to see in the system and I am sure a few million users would like to have these options in Win 7 as well. That’s a big chunk of customers for MS and they also should listen to them if they want to make the product that “fits all the OS needs”.

It feels like you gave up so much of your freedom already, that you are not even opened to changes or suggestions? You like the status quo? How do we improve then?

Life is on constant state of flux. We live, we change, we adapt. Microsoft should listen to its users and not only to their profits.

Again, Ramon, thank you for finding time and writing this well-balanced review!

Alex