Microsoft: Netbooks Essentially Changed Win 7

[mdillenbeck]

[citation][nom]squatchman[/nom]Chances are, a netbook version of windows 7 will drop windows xp compatibility. As for three apps at a time: Web Browser, IM client, Email client. What exactly are you using a NETbook for anyway?[/citation]

With that argument, I counter that they should embrace user-friendly linux distributions like Ubuntu instead. These would reduce the cost of the netbook (no OS licensing cost) and easily handle the 3 types of apps you mentioned, all while being easily tailored to look like a windows or mac system.

Also, here are the things I'd see netbook users also using: Solitaire, office suite software, pdf reader, mp3/streaming internet radio player, hamachi (or other "connect to your dynamic IP home network" software), and/or a VPN client.

Hopefully you can see how easy it is to exceed 3 apps.

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]touchdowntexas13[/nom]yeah dreamphantom is right. but i wonder how much memory is really sufficient to run windows 7 efficiently. that's a question that i am sure will be answered not too long from now if it hasn't already.[/citation]
I tested win 7 beta with 500MB,but had a slow system due to too much swap access.
A clean install of Win7 needs about 768MB of ram to operate fine.
Anything higher is for programs. Many netbooks with Win 7 will come out with 2GB which is great, because it doesn't cost more to manufacture them with more ram; but if you want to keep it budget, cheaper mininetbooks probably will come with 1GB of ram,and still run fine!
My estimation is that the trimmed down version of Win 7 will operate fine with 512MB ram,provided if there's no integrated graphics using memory.

As far as needing 2GB to run XP in Win7 is a bit bull.
You basically need 768MB RAM to run 7, and 384MB RAM on a clean install of XP. Add 32MB of VRAM to both 7 and XP, and you'll be able to run XP in a virtual environment in Windows 7 with only 1,2GB of RAM.
Those are minimum specs,and tests done with the 7 beta version and a clean install of XP SP3 in MS Virtual PC 2007.
Besides, as soon as you swap over to the virtual application running XP, resources of Windows 7 get minimized, and win7 won't need as much as 768MB of RAM, because it's statically and not used.
Running XP in 7 might get crammed running on 1GB of ram though...

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]jsloan[/nom]i dont think people with a netbook will be doing windows xp vm, their hardware is not up to it, and if you could would be very slow. yes there will be netbooks with 2gb and 160 gb harddisk. i can buy one right now and 2 ghz atom cpus will be available even before windows 7 ships, but from the stuff ive read and seen windows 7 is a tweaked out windows vista, yeah they have made improvements and it will take those 2 ghz machines with 2 gb to run anything well, sure it will run with 1 ghz and 1 gb. i guess if all you are going to do is surf the web performance will be acceptable, but try to start windows office and things will quickly get ugly, maybe this is why windows 7 starter has 3 application limit, ;-) and if you have one of those older netbooks, forget about it, the pain will be great, i for one can't wait to get off vista and install windows 7.[/citation]
On what facts do you base your theory in saying that 2Ghz Atoms will be available before Win7?
Win 7 is expected to get launched somewhere close to (end of) May 2009, and you are talking of the Atom pc at 2 Ghz,which the press don't even know about?

If they do know,please send the link to the article.
As far as I know before the atom gets bumped up (above 1,8Ghz) , they will get their integrated graphics chip and get released as another type of atom (eg 'Atom X45' or so...).
But I don't see Intel releasing an Atom 2Ghz before win7 comes out.

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]Sicundercover[/nom]If they have a Vista driver it will work on 7. Also its not MSs responsibility to make that happen its on the manufacture, and if they havnt made a Vista driver yet after 3 years then they are slackers plain and simple and you should stop doing business with them.As for what will work on a Netbook. You can use premium easily and not have to go with the starter kit. All you have to do is go to Control panel>Programs>Programs and Features and over on the left you will see "Turn Windows Features On Or Off" in there you can completely disable things like IE8,Media Player, Windows Gadget Platform, Windows search etc. etc. etc.This will reduce alot of whats running in the background. Plus will most likely already be running with Aero off after install.[/citation]
I think a windows rotate on a tablet pc should be an OS issue.
It's sending the same info to the graphics card, only upside down.
I think it should become a standard feat for Win 7.

Sicundercover: just send feedback to MS stating this issue. You're still in time. Perhaps we'll see that being improved in the future, which will release us of drivers and systray programs.

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]bounty[/nom]Add MP3 player and RDP/VNC session(s) and possibly some other application do do actual work, like a word processor (doesn't have to be Office, just wordpad) and or basic spreadsheet. Calculator, paint... I'm not saying you'll use all of these at once, but the limit should have been at least 5 unless they want 75% of users to barf.[/citation]
I Agree fully!

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]NoneNoneNone[/nom]One guy at ComputerWorld wasn't too impressed with Win 7 on a netbook:http://blogs.computerworld.com/run [...] _a_netbookThough it seems like he would have had better experience with 2 gigs.[/citation]
interesting article,though a bit bull!
Who will demand aero to run fine on an Atom powered netbook?
Even my 1,6Ghz core2duo laptop (with same bridge/graphics card) can't run Vista Aero well!