What I want from Windows 2005 (RANT)

[Dameon]

Since Microsoft has listed their demands here. in this thread, here is my personal response, feel free to add:

1) A built in Unzip / UnRar application for gods sake! How much longer must I violate my 30 days of Winzip! It should have been in Windows 98, 98se, ME, and XP... but still isn't there.
2) An OS that recognizes that it didn't boot the last time, then on reboot offers a list of options to undo the last changes to the OS or add/remove drivers.
3) The option to insert Windows Updates, IE updates, and driver updates into the OS installation. I'm sick and tired of rerunning 23 patches by the time the OS is a year old when I reinstall.
4) Virus Scan.. you're already probing the innermost reaches of my system, might as well get rid of the nasty critters while you're at it.
5) A partitioning utility built in the OS that allows to resize a partition. I can't tell you what a nightmare this is for technical support having to convince people that with the PROVIDED utilities there is no way to resize.
6) Built in DVD player in the OS. If it's mandatory, buyout PowerDVD or WinDVD and integrate.
7) Backup Reminder for Desktops. Alerts you every two weeks to backup. No disable option.
Sick of having sob stories from people about this.

I'll think of more.. please add..

 

[luv2chill]

Why not build everything into the OS so there would be no need for such a thing a third-party software? Why not build in the Office Apps and Counterstrike while they're at it!

I like MS integration, and pretty much any app they touch is of incredibly high quality, but I don't want EVERYTHING built-in.

You ever think about paying the $$ to register Winzip? It ain't that much...

l2c

Edit: Don't get me wrong--I totally sympathize with your list. The built-in DVD player is going to be part of WMP 8, btw.

 

[blurredvision]

<< 1) A built in Unzip / UnRar application for gods sake! How much longer must I violate my 30 days of Winzip! It should have been in Windows 98, 98se, ME, and XP... but still isn't there. >>


WinME actually does have it's own built-in Unzip program, but as far as I know, only to unzip archives, not to create them.


<< 6) Built in DVD player in the OS. If it's mandatory, buyout PowerDVD or WinDVD and integrate. >>


Click Start, then click Run, and type in dvdplay.exe. Ta-da!!! Your very own, built-in, windows DVD player. (only works in WinME and Win2000)

 

[Dameon]

woodchuck charlie, that requires a hardware decoder... and as MS is pushing software.. and if Intel wants to hock higher speed processors... build in a SOFTWARE DVD player. Not just a replacement for Hollywood Plus Card player or Cinemaster DVD card player.

 

[Pretender]

You make these sound like good and feasable ideas. First off, do you want a built in virus scanner? No, it will probably suck (everything with the microsoft tag on it is usually crappier than the competition, but the competition dies off quickly)...so built in virus-scanners kill off McAfee, Trend PCCillin, and Norton, and then in 5 years, Microsoft gets lazy because there's no competition and reduces updates to like once every 8 months. Sound like a bright future? Didn't think so.

And to be honest, I don't want windows to have MORE control over my system. BTW, how do you plan on having windows connect to a website *during* install, when the goddamn NIC isn't even configured? Smoke and mirrors? It's just an OS, it's not houdini...

And yes, we could start adding in frills into every nook and cranny, have it back up the registry every 22.5 seconds or any time any change is made, but do we really want a system requirement of a Quad-P8 32.65 Ghz system with 550 GB of RAM, while Moore's Law (which isn't exactly accurate, but is a rough estimate) can't bring that to us any time soon? Besides, the more crap they integrate (a euphemism for buying-out-and-cramming-semi-useless-junk-into-a-program) into the OS, the slower it'll be, the more it'll cost, and the less our options will be. Sure, let them integrate a DVD player, I can almost guarantee any bugs it had will be fixed with the pace of a snail, and any improvements to be made will be made on a biyearly basis at the cost of an addon OS (Windows 2005 Plus++!). Competition? Not anymore, once Microsoft buys something and &quot;integrates&quot; it, no one would pay money to buy that software from a competitor. I say leave it as it is.


Sorry, the insomnia has put me in a ranting mood.

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

WTFC!

 

[IcemanJer]

<< Why not build in the Office Apps and Counterstrike while they're at it! >>

I like that Counterstrike idea

 

[thegreatjeff]

<< 1) A built in Unzip / UnRar application for gods sake! How much longer must I violate my 30 days of Winzip! It should have been in Windows 98, 98se, ME, and XP... but still isn't there. >>


WinME has it, WinXP will too probably...


<< 4) Virus Scan.. you're already probing the innermost reaches of my system, might as well get rid of the nasty critters while you're at it. >>


Yup, so then hackers can direct their attention to building viruses that outsmart ONE virus scanner, instead of McAfee, Norton, and all the others...


<< 6) Built in DVD player in the OS. If it's mandatory, buyout PowerDVD or WinDVD and integrate. >>


You already have one if you have WinMe/2000 and also it's going to be in WinXP in Windows Media Player. Haven't you seen the screenshots on the XP site of WMP8 playing &quot;Gladiator&quot;?


<< 7) Backup Reminder for Desktops. Alerts you every two weeks to backup. No disable option.
Sick of having sob stories from people about this. >>


Yup, so then you can whine about Windows' stupid alerts that popup every 2 weeks without a disable option...I can hear it now...&quot;What does MS think I am, a dummy?!?!?&quot;

Any other ideas?

 

[bleuiko]

<< 1) A built in Unzip / UnRar application for gods sake! How much longer must I violate my 30 days of Winzip! It should have been in Windows 98, 98se, ME, and XP... but still isn't there. >>


WindowsME already has this option built in.


<< 2) An OS that recognizes that it didn't boot the last time, then on reboot offers a list of options to undo the last changes to the OS or add/remove drivers. >>


Where were you the last few years? Windows95 and up all recognizes booting errors and prompts you for safe mode. Especially with WindowsME, it has a backup and restore feature for you to &quot;undo&quot; your settings.


<< 3) The option to insert Windows Updates, IE updates, and driver updates into the OS installation. I'm sick and tired of rerunning 23 patches by the time the OS is a year old when I reinstall. >>


Not feasible since during installation you do not have the proper drivers to connect to the network and internet. Maybe when broadband is more widely use there might be some hope.


<< 4) Virus Scan.. you're already probing the innermost reaches of my system, might as well get rid of the nasty critters while you're at it. >>


Microsoft is already getting its ass sued for imbedding IE and other monopoly methods. An imbedded AV product will drive the Supreme Court crazy. Also, i think I trust Norton with antivirus better than MS.


<< 5) A partitioning utility built in the OS that allows to resize a partition. I can't tell you what a nightmare this is for technical support having to convince people that with the PROVIDED utilities there is no way to resize. >>


There is hope for this one yet, but also have the same problem as the above wish. In the meantime, we all must live with FDISK and third party software (go partition magic!)


<< 6) Built in DVD player in the OS. If it's mandatory, buyout PowerDVD or WinDVD and integrate. >>


A DVD player has already been encoded into Windows98 and above. Windows will NOT install the DVD player unless you have a hardware DVD decoder card. Otherwise, they will get too many people calling their technical support wondering why their DVDs won't play... not knowing that their video card does not decode DVD or that they do no have a DVD-ROM.


<< 7) Backup Reminder for Desktops. Alerts you every two weeks to backup. No disable option.
Sick of having sob stories from people about this. >>


This option is suck. MS tried to include a Task Scheduler and still does into its OS, but most people do not use it, or they shut it off. I HATE Task Scheduler.


<< Why not build in the Office Apps and Counterstrike while they're at it! >>


You, my friend, are a genius. I say we call Bill Gates right now.

 

[Dameon]

Personally, I think alot of those virusscan companies make their own viruses to keep themselves in business....

 

[KotchY]

<< Personally, I think alot of those virusscan companies make their own viruses to keep themselves in business.... >>




LOL

 

[Pretender]

<< Personally, I think alot of those virusscan companies make their own viruses to keep themselves in business.... >>

LOL, yeah, they need to spend time making hundreds of viruses a year, while little kiddies just learning C++ can make them voluntarily.

 

[littleprince]

sorry, but as mentioned, a lot of your ideas don't work.
1: it is built into Me, maybe its time to upgrade b4 u rant about it
2: windows does recognize that you didn't boot up properly last time, thats why it asks if you want to go to safe mode
3: you mean provide windoes on a cd-rw to make it even easier for ppl to crack it and such?? or else how would u store the update? on a floppy?? windows on floppy??????
456: hello?!?!? microsoft.... trial.... IE built into Windows?!?! ANYONE?!?!? i'd say that would add quite a few lawsuits.... putting all those other poor companies out of business.
7: windows can do a backup reminder... task scheduler... besides, the only ppl who can back up mainly are ppl with cdrw drives, and the software that comes with that should be able to remind u...

if microsoft just started building in every little thing into the next windows, it'd come on 50 cd's, and 99% of ppl on boards like this would complain its all bloatware as opposed to like the 98% now........

 

[warcleric]

I agree with the .zip archiver being integral, the other thing I would like to see is a &quot;Never ever ever have to reboot the machine for any kind of install&quot; kind of a load on the fly driver model for all devices. Win2k is close, but it needs to be even more far reaching. I really agree about making it easier to include the updates through the original install, it makes alot of sense when you are supporting 4500 workstations.

 

[Czar]

Only one thing, to be able to have the computer on two domains, so a domain goes with the user and not the computer.

 

[warcleric]

Czar: its called Netware Always has been, always will be superior to MS

 

[Cable God]

yea, it would be nice

 

[sandorski]

1) Win98 or Plus98 does/did this. I remember seeing it when I first installed Win98. It was lame, unzipped only, and I quickly disabled it. Haven't seen it since, so it's probably part of Plus.

 

[vi edit]

What would be the best solution is for Microsoft to take the Linux approach by licensing out the O/S to various companies and then allowing the companies to make different types of Distros for it.

You could buy the &quot;gaming&quot; distro, the &quot;developer&quot; distro, the &quot;music&quot; distro, ect. ect.

Of course Mickeysoft would never do this because it would
a) make for a support nightmare
b) kill the &quot;by the balls&quot; licensing agreements that M$ currently imposes
c) will be possibly be commercial suicide for them
d) make too much damn sense

 

[JellyBaby]

Just fix the bugs.

 

[Elledan]

Give me SuSe Linux 7.1 or higher + KDE 2.0.1 or higher anytime.

If you crave for integrated unzip/unrar and text-view features, use KDE 2.x or Nautilus in Gnome, nuff said

With Linux you can also: update the whole base-system via FTP (or install Linux via FTP) and you don't have to worry about viruses as long as you're not logged in as root.

Conclusion: get Linux

 

[Demon-Xanth]

What do I want from Windows 2005? I want MS to support it in 2011.

 

[elasmobreath]

<< WinME actually does have it's own built-in Unzip program, but as far as I know, only to unzip archives, not to create them. >>



Yeah and it's slow as the line at your dept of motor vehicles!

 

[thegreatjeff]

<< I agree with the .zip archiver being integral, the other thing I would like to see is a &quot;Never ever ever have to reboot the machine for any kind of install&quot; kind of a load on the fly driver model for all devices. Win2k is close, but it needs to be even more far reaching. I really agree about making it easier to include the updates through the original install, it makes alot of sense when you are supporting 4500 workstations. >>


That install w/out rebooting is going to be a major thing in XP.