MAYBE IT IS related to DRM being added or maybe it's something else, but watch this long-time Windows fan finding out that Vista 7 (in RC) is too fat for sub-notebooks. It got heavier. It's not even a done product yet, but as Microsoft puts it [PDF], "In the face of strong competition, Evangelism's focus may shift immediately to the next version of the same technology, however. Indeed, Phase 1 (Evangelism Starts) for version x+1 may start as soon as this Final Release of version X."

What has Microsoft added to the RC code to slow things down? Why does XP still feel so much faster than Windows 7, when earlier Windows 7 builds screamed along on netbooks in comparison?

“Actual benchmarks provided concurring numerical evidence, but those who published these results got attacked by the Vista 7 mob. ”Since Microsoft has given up on Windows Vista while offering no replacement (XP does not count), a pro-Microsoft writer has just published the post "Rumors of Vista's Demise Should Be Greatly Accelerated," but he echoes the very same marketing pitch that we see coming from Microsoft and its paid-for people at Gartner. It was the same with Windows Vista back in 2006 when Microsoft orchestrated public discussions of its coming product -- the platform which is the bread and butter of the company's franchise. The new tune goes like, "forget Vista because Vista 7 will be much better," but apart from many bribed bloggers and the bribed (by Microsoft) Gartner analysts [1, 2, 3], we mostly find evidence suggesting that Vista 7 (RTM) will more of the same. It gets even worse as the release date is approached. ⬆

"My initial evaluation of Windows 7 shows that it's really just Vista with a fresh coat of paint."

--Randall Kennedy