THE reality behind Vista 7 is distant from perception. Microsoft has spent so much money on marketing and bribed so many people (we have given actual examples) that a lot of people perceive Vista 7 as a success and Vista as "merely a mistake". Intel has learned from its own experience that Vista 7 does not work for business, but it's good for increasing sales of chipsets.

I kvetched when Windows 7 came out, and then again six months later.

After installing Microsoft's latest operating system, one business owner finds his staff covering less ground

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Yet so much of Windows 7 resembles Microsoft's operating systems of the past. Some of my applications still freeze, and I still reboot and start over, hoping it won't happen again. Networking still takes an information technology professional to set up.

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Running a business? Buying a new computer? Don't get too excited about Windows 7. It's fine, but our upgrade didn't improve our game. And I'll never be able to cover as much ground at shortstop as I once did.

“Vista to Windows 7 will speed your PC up about 5% and cost at least $120.”
      --Ryan Farmer"Vista to Windows 7 will speed your PC up about 5% and cost at least $120. It's better to upgrade a Vista era PC with more RAM and a new CPU than with a copy of Windows 7."

Microsoft still relies on bundling here. Microsoft doesn't need to sell Vista 7; it just needs to ensure -- using illegal tactics most of the time -- that OEMs do not offer anything but Vista 7 and then convince people to spend their money on a new PC.

Those who are looking for a well-behaved and light operating system should take a look at GNU/Linux. Increasingly, Linux gets preinstalled on devices (tablets and smartphones for example), often with GNU. ⬆