What I’m Tweeting: Win7 and Other Topics

As you know, Twitter is a way to microblog in 140 characters or less. But sometimes, 140 just aren’t enough. Here are some of my thoughts from earlier today, with a bit of expansion. I should note that most of my comments are directed at the larger part of my audience: Home users, hobbyists, gamers. There are good reasons for corporate users not to follow some of my suggestions, but that’s a whole different world from the one most of us live in.

• Just upgraded to WordPress 2.8.5. Reminder: All WordPress upgrades include security updates. UPGRADE NOW!
• Does the thought of upgrading #WordPress scare the bejesus out of you? Then install WordPress Automatic Updater: http://bit.ly/4cWIZV

Not a lot to add to these two tweets. If you use software that accesses the Internet, and there is an upgrade or update, the chances are extremely high it includes one or more security fixes or enhancements. Don’t hesitate to upgrade.

I’ve mentioned WPAU a couple times before. While the built-in updater is fine for a lot of people, I find it more confusing than helpful. WPAU presents a very logical, very easy step-by-step process that has been fail-safe for me. The key is to carefully read the minimal instructions. Can’t get any easier!

• Finding it hard to see a difference between new #Mac Magic Mouse and a touchpad. And, it’s fugly. D/N seem ergonomic at all.

I admit it: I’m a mouse geek. I have a Logitech MX Revolution for non-gaming, and a Razer Naga for WoW. Both have LOTS of buttons. I have also used a trackpad, and I really like the idea of Apple’s new buttonless trackpad on its newest laptops to be a great idea. But combining a trackpad with a mouse (as it seems the Magic Mouse does)? Hmm…not so much.

• 10 months into 2009, the most overused and uninformative noun in tech this year is "netbook." Have yet to see one with netting of any kind.

What, exactly, does "netbook" mean? In Twitter, we’re restricted to 140 characters. In "Real Life" we have no such restriction. How about "small form-factor notebook computer"? And if you don’t like that verbiage (go ahead, click the link!), explain to me why my 14.5" MacBook Pro isn’t a "netbook." And I swear, if I see "green netbook" I’m going to puke.

• Media bias? The # of Win7 stories I’m seeing today is way less than SnowLeopard stories 24 hrs before its release last month. I’m just sayin

It strikes me that 24 hours before the release of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in September, there was a flood of stories about the new Mac OS. Today, Lifehacker has a few, but most other tech blogs/sites (that aren’t Windows/Microsoft-specific, of course) have very, very few. This strikes me as odd, to say the least, given that Win7 is Amazon UK’s biggest preordered item ever.

• After tomorrow, I will brook no bitching about Vista. Instead, I will say "buy a Mac, b/c you’re not smart enough to upgrade to Win7."

Seriously. Win7 fixes just about every single valid complaint I’ve ever hear or read about Windows Vista, and does so elegantly. Here is a very telling reply I received to this tweet, which just about says it all: @runycatWhat’s hilarious is that Windows 7 really feels like OSX when it first came out. In other words, I like it. 

I’ve upgraded PCs (desktop and laptop) with the Win7 release candidate, and I’ve installed it in a virtual machine under OS X. Piece of cake. Flawless. The new OS looks and feels great. It’s as big a step as the move from Windows 2.x to 3.1 or from 3.1 to WinXP. The best part? The hardware required to effectively run Win7 is almost the same as for WinXP. In other words, you don’t need the huge hardware upgrades you needed to get from XP to Vista!

So if you can’t bring yourself to like Win7, get a Mac. 

• WAY TOO MUCH crap on "Which version of Win7 is best for you?" For 99.9 percent of you, it’s Home Premium. Empahsis on HOME.
  

I can’t count the number of new or re-released articles I’ve seen, with all their confusing or "simplified" charts, on "Which version of Windows 7 is right for you?" While I contend there are still too many versions of Win7 available (gotta love Apple’s single flavor of OS X: It may be vanilla, but it’s rich vanilla!), for home users, gamers, and anyone not in a corporate environment, Windows 7 Home Premium is what you need.

Even if you’re a geek, the chances are Professional or Ultimate offer no additional features you’ll use, because you probably don’t have a server-based network, and BitLocker is overkill, not to mention the fact that you don’t need 128¹ language versions. In addition, most of us don’t have more than 16GB of RAM. Small business? Then yes, Pro or Ultimate may be a better solution. But folks, it’s called "Home Premium" for a reason!

Do you have a 64-bit CPU? Then install the 64-bit version. Just do it! I can also give you 80 or 100 more reasons to stick with Home Premium. They’re called "dollars."

So those are my thoughts today, the day after Apple announces major new lineup changes, the day WordPress announces an upgrade, and the day before Windows 7 takes over the (PC) world. What are your thoughts? Am I a clueless n00b or a tech savant? Or somewhere in between? Let me know in the comments!