I recently had a phone interview with a technology reporter from Arizona on Win 7. I told her that based on our experience at Liberteks.com to date, Win 7 was largely success in terms of migrating and upgrading XP and Vista to run in Win 7.
But I could tell that she wanted more, that she was looking for something negative, or something that wasn’t working well. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s a top writer and editor with over 20 years in the technology industry. But her desire for news was understandable – she’s writing for software developers nationally and internationally who are looking for the latest cutting-edge information on the product.
In one circumstance, I was able to provide the case of a realtor client of mine who had an application (Top Producer), which the manufacturer claimed would only work in XP. We were able to get it to run in Win 7 using the “Compatibility Mode” function.
This created great business value for the client, who didn’t have to purchase a software upgrade and perhaps more importantly, all of her data and settings were restored exactly where she left off.
When the reporter asked if at some point old software needed to be ported to Win7 – if updated software needed to be purchased—I told her no, an upgrade would not appear to be necessary if the program was working adequately for the user.
And that was my eureka moment: Software updates were part of the old paradigm. In today’s desktop the operating system can run both the old and new apps. The desktop user interface manages the back end application.
In other words, if you want the new features and functionality of the latest update, you can go out buy the newest version, but if your software application is working well for you, you can continue to use it in the Win 7 environment. So you can have your cake and eat it with Win 7. Give me a few months and we’ll continue to monitor it, but the ability to run all of your old programs smoothly in a Win 7 environment is a major accomplishment. I’ll continue to keep you updated…
Simple is good. Simple is fast and easy. And when it comes to your computer, you should always keep it as simple as you can.
Everyone thinks computers are complicated, but I believe the best way to manage a computer network is by keeping it simple, so that you never have to think about the technology. (Do you ever worry about how the electricity in your house works when you turn on the light?)
Einstein said “Keep it simple, but no simpler,” and that’s what our technicians do at Liberteks.com. We take a complex assortment of operating systems, applications, networks and files and make it simple, fast and easy to use — you dont’t need to think or worry about the computer.
Too often, computer users have added applications that muck up and slow down the computer’s performance. You know, those old photo display programs (Picasa, etc.) or trial software that are still on your hard drive taking up space, constantly bugging you to purchase them as well as interfering with other programs and slowing down your system.
I don’t mean to be crude, but it’s like trying to put 10 pounds of ass into 5 pounds of pants…
Today those functions are often available on you operating system or on preinstalled software programs.
In the same way, there had been the trend to develop custom programs for a business’ specific operating. I would argue that this is costly and unnecessary in the majority of circumstances.
And that’s where Liberteks.com “Best Practices” and “Managed Care” programs come in. We clean up your system, remove old programs and files and reconfigure you system to run more efficiently. I’ve been told by my customers that their computers operate even faster after an upgrade than they did when they were first purchased.
On the business end, most small businesses would find it more efficient and cost effective to use pre-developed software and incorporate it into their system. Most programs can be customized to meet your exact specifications, and provide all of the functionality you seek.
The benefits of this approach are numerous. Your network runs smoother and more efficiently by uploading the specific programs you need. Upgrade and repair/reprogramming costs are significantly reduced.
More than 50 people showed up Thursday for the Liberteks.com open house and technology workshop on Windows7 — one of many events held nationwide for the debut of Microsoft’s new operating system analysts hope will reboot the company’s reputation.At its Guilderland office at 1648 Western Ave., Liberteks.com President Larry Zimbler led presentations and paraded users through “hands on” demonstrations of the new user interface that marked the first Microsoft system upgrade in nearly three years.
“The biggest question people here have been asking is should they change [their operating system] now and is it something they need to do urgently, and if so, what the path is,” Zimbler said.
The upgrade disc for the new operating system may cost from $120 to $250, depending on customized options, Zimbler said.
“Most people don’t upgrade. Most just get a new machine when they are ready,” Zimbler said.
But for computer notebook or laptop users, it may be worth the cost because of features that extend battery life and improve connections to wireless networks, Zimbler pointed out.
According to Zimbler, the new Windows7 allows users to “easily restore files or folders that are accidentally deleted or overwritten, protect confidential information with new encryption technologies, choose the level of security and prompts, protect data and the operating system from Internet threats, spyware, and other threats.”
Microsoft hopes people like Windows7 much more than Vista, which is slow and didn’t work well with existing programs and devices. Microsoft fixed many of Vista’s flaws, but it was too late to repair perceptions. Many businesses avoided Vista altogether, preferring to keep using Windows XP, an operating system that is now 8 years old.
Windows7 promises to boot up faster and reduce the clicks needed to get common tasks done. Microsoft has cut out some redundant ways to start programs and added flourishes that can help users keep track of all their open windows. It promises to put computers into sleep mode and wake them faster, too.
Windows7 is also meant to be “quieter” — with fewer pop-up boxes, notifications, warnings and “are you sure” messages. Instead, many of those messages get stashed in a single place for the user to address when it’s convenient.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer celebrated the arrival of Windows7 in New York with a few hundred people who had helped test early versions of the software that runs PCs. One of them, technology consultant Jonathan Kay, flew from Toronto to attend.
“Windows7 will redeem Windows,” said Kay, 27.
But Capital Region institutions and businesses are likely to be slow to adopt the new operating system.
“At this time, the college is reviewing Windows7 and will decide at a later date [whether] to install it at the college,” said SCCC President Quintin Bullock.
At the University at Albany, Windows7 will be phased in among the computers for the school’s 3,000 faculty and staff, according to spokesman Karl Luntta.
“When a new program comes out ” it generally gets phased in as machines are purchased or if people ask for it,” Luntta said. “We have the beta version. We’ve been working with it, testing it and when the university begins to acquire it the university will be able to service it.”
For Rotterdam-based Price Chopper’s 120 stores, corporate offices and all warehousing and distribution facilities, no operating system upgrade to Windows7 is expected.
“We do not have plans in the immediate future to transition,” said Price Chopper spokeswoman Mona Golub.
For Saratoga Springs-based Stewart’s Shops, which has more than 300 stores spread across upstate New York and southern Vermont, there will be no changes based on the release of Windows7 either, spokesman Tom Mailey said.
“Not in the near future. We’re happy with what we have rolling,” Mailey said.
Even as retailers such as Best Buy cut prices for PCs to spark holiday-season sales, analysts at Gartner don’t expect PC sales to benefit much from the launch of Windows7.
The PC industry has seen considerable decline as global shipments declined through the first half of this year.
Businesses are also delaying spending on PCs and other technologies during the recession — conditions PC makers expect will change beginning in 2010.
Reach Gazette reporter Ameerah Cetawayo at 395-3040 or acetawayo@dailygazette.net. Material from The Associated Press was included in this story.
Copyright (c) 2009 The Daily Gazette Co. All Rights Reserved.
To mark the nationwide product launch of Microsoft’s Windows 7, Liberteks.com will host an open house and technology workshop on October 22 at our Guilderland office at 1648 Western Ave. (opposite Crossgates Mall) from 4-7 pm.
Win 7 is the first Microsoft system upgrade since Windows Vista nearly 3 years ago, and its scheduled release for the general public is widely anticipated. Liberteks.com staff will provide a “hands on” demonstration of the new operating system at the open house, and answer your questions on a operating system upgrade.
Windows 7 is the first Microsoft operating system that will allow small businesses to run any computer program virtually anywhere, and it will allow small business to use technology better than many large businesses. I predict it will be a powerful new tool that moves small businesses toward a level of reliability where they will no longer have to worry about technology.
Other new Win 7 features allow users to easily restore files or folders that are accidentally deleted or overwritten, protect confidential information with new encryption technologies, choose the level of security and prompts, protect data and the operating system from Internet threats, spyware, and other threats.
For more information, or to schedule an update, contact Liberteks.com at 452-0550 or visit us at Liberteks.com. You can also see some of the new features of Windows 7 by watching the videos found on our Windows 7 webpage.
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