Windows 7 Under Construction

So, I just finished installing the new Ubuntu on my office computer.   I had a license for Vista from another computer but it wouldn’t install.  I wanted to use the copy of XP I put on it for another computer so I gave up on having Windows on the computer at all.  That is….until now.  It seems that Microsoft just released release candidate 1 for free until June 2010.  Now when June 2010 hits it will start doing things to let you know it will stop working soon.

You do need a license for it but Microsoft is providing them for free.  The only catch I could find was that they required a Windows Live ID (Microsoft Passport).  I’m not sure if there will be any limit (like one per windows live id) or not.

The only thing I’m afraid of with this new Windows is the death of XP.  Vista is OK but I think Windows 7 will be better.  It’s XP that I will miss.  XP runs better on slightly older machines.  The only reasons my old laptop is running Ubuntu rather than XP are licensing (I wanted to use that copy of XP for another machine) and the virus problem (XP needs a lot of Antispyware and Antivirus protection).   Both XP and Ubuntu run fine on a Pentium III 800Mhz Laptop with only 256MB of memory and a 10GB hard drive, although the Windows programs keep clogging up the hard drive and Linux programs tend to let you know what they put where.  Windows 7 includes an XP mode which I’ve heard both good and bad things about.  I would rather they have revamped XP with some new tools and called it Windows 7 Netbook Edition or something like that. What would really have been cool would have been to release XP to the public for free but we all know that won’t happen