rocketfuel - 4:08 pm on Oct 23, 2010 (gmt 0)

For my main machine, I have used Microsoft operating systems since the 1980's. I have worked at M$, I have been a partner, I have evangelised MS to my friends.

I currently use 1 Win7 laptop, an Ubuntu netbook, a hackintosh, a Win 2k8 server and 3 linux servers. As a human, I am biased, but I do like to spread the love.

For a *very* long time, Windows XP was easily the best desktop OS there was. I love and use Linux every day, but normal humans can't edit xorg.conf. Macs are high-quality machines, and the OS is beautiful to use, but I get frustrated by the lack of options.

I ran vista since the day of RTM, and I was not pleased. As I said, I am pro-MS, and I still hate that OS. I made an agreement with myself: if Windows 7 didn't do the trick, I was gonna get a Mac.

Windows 7 did the trick.

Win7 is an achievement. It doesn't crash, ever. I install drivers that have warnings on the download page, and it still doesn't crash. I periodically get pleased when I discover some new usability improvement.

In this day and age, with all the cloud stuff etc., for how long will the OS matter? For most people I know, it doesn't any more. Every OS, and any computer less than 5 years old, can do everything that the majority needs. Gamers and nerds are the only people who need faster CPU's (I am talking desktop here). I am a massive nerd and my computer is 2 years old- 8gb ram and an SSD make it do everything I need without any delay or frustration.

Anyway, enough drunken rambling. Win 7 is a triumph, and congratulations to the many hundreds who worked so hard to give it to me.