Technology, Gadgets, IT, Games

At CES last night, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the public beta for Windows 7.

MSDN, TechBeta and Technet subscribers can download the software now, whilst the rest of the public can get their hands on it on Friday 9th Jan (tomorrow) from microsoft.com/windows7

I’ve been using a pre-beta build of Windows 7 (build 6801)as my main PC for a month or so now. With the exception of a couple of drivers missing (which also don’t exist for 64-bit Vista), and the system bluescreening when I overclocked too much, there have been no problems. At all.

It has been a lot more stable than I’ve ever seen Vista, and appears to be just as fast as a ‘used’ installation of XP. Now imagine what the final build will be like!

It has loads of nice features, and seems to be much more logical than Vista. All the changes are necessary and concise, rather than anything feeling like they changed it because they “could”. The new taskbar (which you can enable in 6801) took a small amount of getting used to, and can be slightly confusing if you don’t see the orange glow, or you can’t tell if a programs running, or you accidentally bring up the menu instead of the list of windows. But overall it’s a good feature.

I suggest that anyone who ever tries out new operating systems gets the Windows 7 beta. Your faith in humanity (and Microsoft) might just be restored…

Check out our (small) Windows 7 Image Gallery, or google for images.

EDIT: You can now download the beta version of Windows 7 here – choice of 32 or 64 bit. The server seems to be busy (and refusing requests), and there are only 2.5 million downloads available, so you might not be lucky!

EDIT: It’s gone! “Due to very heavy traffic we’re seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta. We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and we will be updating this page once the beta goes live. Stay tuned! We are excited that you are excited!”

EDIT: “Thanks for your interest in the Windows 7 Beta. The volume has been phenomenal — we’re in the process of adding more servers to handle the demand. We’re sorry for the delay and we’ll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience.”

EDIT: The links are still down (Saturday 4pm GMT) but the downloads are actually still available on the Microsoft servers. Click to download 32 Bit or 64 Bit Windows 7.

There have always been groups of people who rebel against the norm, who reject the status quo and choose to stand out. Bohemians, Hippies, Mods, punks… and now linux and mac users.

There is a growing number of people who have deserted Microsoft Windows in favour of macs and the likes of Fedora, Ubuntu and Debian. Some regard this group as an elite – true technical power users whose use these ‘better’ operating systems. Some regard them as connoisseurs, whose specific needs and tastes surpass the meagre capabilities of Windows. Some identify themselves as frustrated former Windows users, who have given up trying to make the mainstream work for them. And others treat them as snobs, who just want to be different.

I’m a Windows user, I always have been (since 3.11) and I use Windows all day every day, at home and everywhere I’ve worked. I currently use Windows XP SP2 as my OS of choice on all my desktop and laptop machines. Sure, I’ve tried Fedora, Ubuntu and a few other operating systems, but none of them have really cut it for me.

However, even though I wouldn’t dream of using anything other than Windows as a desktop operating system, there is a big difference in the world of servers. As a server admin, I use Linux on every web server I run, and I wouldn’t dream of using Windows.

With all these disadvantages, why do I still use Windows for my Desktop? One simple answer could be that I’m used to it. I’ve been using it since 3.11, through 95, 98 and 2000, to XP and (reluctantly) Vista… Read more

In one US university, an Xbox games console had been loaded with Linux and used as a web server for Philosophy students. A couple of years later, the Unix Administrator received a support ticket to say the students’ websites weren’t accessible. On visiting the server room, he discovered the Xbox server had disappeared without a trace.

He took the issue to his manager, who was silent for a moment, then sheepishly revealed it was he who had removed the server. He assumed it was a normal Xbox, used for gaming by the technicians whenever it was quiet. So, with the school holidays approaching, he took it home for his son to play with.

The manager then drove home and retrieved the Xbox. The administrator got a labeling machine and plastered the words “This is actually a server” all across the console.

Another case solved! If you have any funny tech stories, or another mystery that you solved, leave a comment here.

Acorn Studios have created the ultimate accessory range from old computer media and peripherals. Floppy disks, keyboard keys, circuit boards and scratched CDs have been transformed into clocks, notepads, jewellery and other gifts. Check out this pair of cufflinks available for $14.95.

Click on for some more pictures… Read more