Archive for January, 2009

Windows 7 First Impressions

// January 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Late in the fall of last year I “upgraded” my computer to Windows Vista. I can’t say I was very pleased with the operating system. My computer slowed down noticeably and it continued to get worse with time. I never went back to Windows XP, though, because I was too lazy. The whole process of reinstalling Windows felt like such a pain considering everytime I do so I have to call Microsoft because when XP tries to authenticate itself over the internet it always fails. Apprently my CD Key has been flagged as a potentialy pirated copy of Windows XP. Thanks Microsoft!

January 9th saw the release of Windows 7 Beta to the public. Windows 7 is the next iteration of Windows. I like to think of it as “what Vista was always meant to be”. Recently I downloaded the Windows 7 Beta and installed it on both my Desktop and Laptop. I was so excited to get Vista off my Desktop that when I heard about the Windows 7 Beta I jumped at the opportunity. I figured if the software was abismal then I would finally have an excuse to reinstall XP. I was hoping, though, the software would live up to expectations and wow me with it’s awesomeness. Come a breath of new life or blue screen of death I figured it was a win.

So, what ended up being the results of my Windows 7 Beta experience? I LOVE IT! I can honestly say that Windows 7 Beta works better than the current version of Vista. I kid you not. I’ll start from the top. I notice a difference the moment I turn my PC on. The boot sequence is noticeably shorter than Vista. The computer definitely doesn’t insta-load, but it doesn’t take nearly as long as Vista did. I think the reason for the performance gain has to do with the fact I have a 500gb external hard drive. On Vista when I had the hard drive plugged in it always seemed to slow down the computer considerably. Under the same conditions on Windows 7, though, the machine doesn’t slow down at all.

When it comes to everyday tasks like moving files, word processing, watching tv shows, and exploring the interwebs I have again noticed a performance gain. Specifically the performance gain has been in the time it takes for an action to occur from the moment I actually click the mouse. For instance, if I click on the start icon then the menu pops up nearly instantaneously. On Vista, however, the menu would pop up only after a noticeable delay. Opening broswers or videos doesn’t happen instantaneously, but I have noticed they do pop up sooner than they did on Vista.

The only area in which I have been frustrated with Windows 7 is networking. The interface has changed and accessing advanced features has been hard to find. Microsoft moved things around in an effort to create a more intuitive interface. This has thrown me off, though, since I was used to the old XP and Vista interface. I don’t think the average user will have a problem with this, though, since they don’t access advanced networking features. I figure most users only need to be able to access wireless internet which the software does all by itself for simple wireless networks. I’m thinking my pain happens to be the average users gain in this case.

All in all I give Windows 7 two thumbs up. In fact, I say release Windows 7 today and call Vista a beta. That would more accurately reflect the two products in my mind.

For those of you who care to know the specs on my desktop… When I started college five and a half years ago I bought a high end Pentium 4, 2.4Ghz Dell with 1gb of RAM. I replaced the original underjuiced powersupply with a 500 watt one (brand has escaped my memory… it was years ago). I also replaced the video card 3 years ago with a Nvidia 6600 GT. In retrospect I should have built my own computer rather than buy a Dell, but that is a different story for a different time.

Ivory Towers

// January 19th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

I’m frustated with how the process of getting a post-graduate degree functions. When I signed up for two years of school after receiving my B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Supervision I was told I would have to take 30 hours of course work and complete either a thesis or directed project. I opted for the directed project path since I prefer the application of knowledge rather than the pursuit of new knowledge (aka I don’t enjoy research or long papers postulating on the meaning of life).

My frustration stems from the fact that I have worked tirelessly with the Entrepreneurship Department of Purdue University for the last year to help them improve the quality of their ENTR 201 course, but none of that means anything towards the completion of my directed project. You see, it turns out that graduate degrees aren’t handed out like undergraduate degrees. In undergrad you go through a process and when you have acheieved certain criteria you are free to go. In graduate school, though, there is a professor assigned to you and there is no graduating until that professor says you are done. In my case, the professor could care less about entrepreneurship and therefore will not allow me to graduate until I have done something he deems worthy. I found this out today when my professor literally raised his voice and told me I need to understand who it is that let’s me out of here. He said I should research mentoring relationships and then asked if I thought that would be a good idea. What choice do I have?

Professors ask why students don’t think outside of the box very often and try new things. Is it that my generation can’t think critically or that the reward structure (grading / graduating) encourages follow the leader behavior? There is a right answer to that question.