Windows 7 doesn't require new hardware

[yours truly]

i was just listening to the radio and heard bill gates an co, saying the next Windows wont even need a mouse, instead use a touch sensitive screen

 

[Roguestar]

Looks like the kind of thing you'd really start to appreciate a tablet PC for!

 

[nerp]

Another small step towards ubiquitous computing. Enjoy your days handling bare circuit boards, wires, plugs and BIOS screens. They're numbered.

 

[Fox5]

Meh, a bit lame if they charge for Vista Mark 2.
I think Windows 98SE was a free upgrade to 98. (and if not, it should have been with how little it added)
Windows ME should have been a free upgrade, as it was virtually identical.
XP got a huge upgrade going from release to SP3, XP is basically a new OS by the 2nd service pack.
And I know MS would love to copy Apple's model of yearly OS releases or whatever, but they really shouldn't. I think there'll be a consumer backlash if they release a "new" OS that offers little over Vista when people already complained about Vista not offering enough over XP and try to sell it to current Vista owners.
Then again, I think there's a good possibility that Vista may be the last Windows OS I buy. Desktop Linux has really reached a critical stage of usability, and really now just needs app and hardware support. (and the hardware support is coming)

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Fox5
Meh, a bit lame if they charge for Vista Mark 2.
I think Windows 98SE was a free upgrade to 98. (and if not, it should have been with how little it added)

No, it wasn't a free upgrade. About $80, as I recall. About the same price as the Retail Upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows 98.

We tried the "no keyboard, no mouse" theory once before. Touchscreens failed in the mid-80s. They aren't precise enough and require too much awkward hand movement. HP built quite a few touchscreens. Imagine keeping your hand lifted off your desk all day long, moving it across a large screen. Now you see why touchscreens don't work for most applications.

Mice and keyboards are brilliant devices and are going to be VERY hard to replace. Tablets, touchscreens, and voice recognition all have their place. But they won't replace keyboard/mouse.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Mice and keyboards are brilliant devices and are going to be VERY hard to replace. Tablets, touchscreens, and voice recognition all have their place. But they won't replace keyboard/mouse.

Absolutley. And if you really get down to it, a keyboard is remarkably similar to a manual typewriter. The keyboard is entrenched from much earlier than just the PC boom. The difference is that more people are actually encountering keyboards during normal life. Back in the day, the really good jobs came with a secretary and typist.

I think keyboards appearing on your desk via lasers or holograms or a combination of surface/screen technology is where we're heading. Even then, I think a keyboard that can talk to all your devices and be carried around the house will be standard like the TV remote. People are going to want to put their feet up and tap away on a board out back on the garden porch for a few more generations, I promise.

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
We tried the "no keyboard, no mouse" theory once before. Touchscreens failed in the mid-80s. They aren't precise enough and require too much awkward hand movement. HP built quite a few touchscreens. Imagine keeping your hand lifted off your desk all day long, moving it across a large screen. Now you see why touchscreens don't work for most applications.

Mice and keyboards are brilliant devices and are going to be VERY hard to replace. Tablets, touchscreens, and voice recognition all have their place. But they won't replace keyboard/mouse.

Even the Microsoft rep doing the demo in the video made it clear that touch was not intended to replace the keyboard and mouse. It is intended to augment other input methods because touch is certainly faster/better at some task.

What I would like to see for the desktop is an input device for touch that would sit flat like a keyboard and not require touching the screen. Could you imagine always looking at a fingerprint smudged screen all the time?

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Aberforth
LOL I guess your Anti-Spyware is incorrectly reporting good sites. Everybody knows redmond mag is a legit site.

It's Firefox 3 doing it, cos I just saw it on mine too.

 

[Aberforth]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper

Originally posted by: Aberforth
LOL I guess your Anti-Spyware is incorrectly reporting good sites. Everybody knows redmond mag is a legit site.

It's Firefox 3 doing it, cos I just saw it on mine too.

Yeah I know, the new version certainly freaks people out.

 

[toadeater]

Originally posted by: Aberforth
I sugest you use IE instead of Firefox, here another link: http://redmondmag.com/news/art....asp?editorialsid=9892

My Firefox didn't report it as an attack site. I turned off that "feature." It also blocked the annoying full-screen ad that shows up in IE. Use Adblock if you want to block those kinds of ads.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure that Windows 7 is going to be worse than people expected.