As a die hard Mac fan I have to admit that MS made some progress towards stability from Win 95 to Win XP SP2, even if it took them the better part of 10 years
To my knowledge OSX 10.0, which was not known for its stability, came out in 2001. I do have to admit that Apple made some progress towards stability from 10.0 to 10.5. And more OSX updates are still on the horizon. Operating systems are complicated things and take time to develop and mature. I'm just suprised that there's already talk of a sucessor to Vista. I predict 4+ years of service packs.
To my knowledge OSX 10.0, which was not known for its stability, came out in 2001. I do have to admit that Apple made some progress towards stability from 10.0 to 10.5. And more OSX updates are still on the horizon. Operating systems are complicated things and take time to develop and mature. I'm just suprised that there's already talk of a sucessor to Vista. I predict 4+ years of service packs.
Yes, I agree, OSs are complex and take time to develop. You're wrong about OSX though, it achieved a decent level of stability with 10.2. which was released only 1.5 years after 10.0. The Win95 code base took much longer to be sorted out.
With something as complicated as an OS, you need to do frequent incremental releases, not big whammys. Apple has the right model (as the progress of OS X vs Windows shows).
These boys can't even get a logical naming scheme.
There were a lot more versions than that:
Windows 1.0 - Nov. 20, 1985
Windows 2.0 - Dec. 9, 1987
Windows 3.0 - May 22, 1990
Windows 3.1 - Aug. 1992
Windows for Workgroups 3.1 - Oct. 1992
Windows NT 3.1 - Aug. 1993
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 - Nov. 1993 (One of my favorites!)
Windows 3.2 (Chinese only) - Oct. 1993
Windows NT 3.5 - Sept. 1994
Windows NT 3.51 - June 1995
Windows 95 - Aug. 24, 1995 (I remember that day vividly)
Windows 95 SP1 - Dec. 31, 1995
Windows NT 4.0 - July 29, 1996
Windows 95 OSR2 - Aug. 24, 1996
Windows 95 OSR2.1 - Aug. 27, 1997
Windows 98 - June 25, 1998
Windows 98 Second Edition - May 5, 1999
Windows ME - June 19, 2000
Windows 2000 - February 17, 2000
(came in Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server)
Windows XP - October 25, 2001
(came in XP 64-bit Edition, XP Professional for Intel IA-64)
Windows Tablet PC Edition
Windows Media Center Edition (2003, 2004, 2005)
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (upgrade 2005)
Windows XP Professional x64 (x86-64)
Windows XP Professional N (no Windows Media Player)
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Home Edition N (no Windows Media Player)
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Starter Edition (for developing countries)
Windows Server 2003 (Small Business Server, Web Edition, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition, Storage Server)
Windows XP Embedded
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
Windows Embedded CE 6.0
Windows Vista (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate)
Windows Home Server)
Windows Server 2008 (upcoming.. to include: Web Server, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition, Storage Server, Small Business Server, Essential Business Server)
Windows 7 (upcoming)
This exhaustive list also does not include the Windows CE based OS: (Windows Mobile, Win CE1.0, Win CE 2.0, Win CE 2.1, Win CE, 2.11, Win CE 2.12, Win CE 3.0, Win CE)
And... I wouldn't be surprised if I'm missing some like the Windows Mobile 4, 5, 6, etc.
I think the Mac is pretty tame when it comes to versions compared to Microsoft.
I am in no way an MS apologist, and I'm a long-time Mac-user, but I really think Windows 7 is going to be a better-than-average release for MS.
They've seen how terrible Vista is, they've seen how far ahead Apple is pulling away, they're beginning to see leagues of people switching to the Mac... point is, they know they're in deep s*** unless they can pull off a good release.
The reason Vista took so long was because of feature-creep. Once management finally said "stop, start over, this is what's in and this is what's out," it only took MS two years to finish development. Comparatively, of course, Leopard is the only OS X upgrade that has taken longer than 2 years, but to "upgrade" a bloated piece of software like Windows, I'm sure that 2 years is no small feat.
So I have the feeling that MS has learned an excellent lesson from Vista, and I'm sure that upper management is closely monitoring the progress of Windows 7 to make sure they don't pull another "Vista."
As for me, (along side my Mac) I maintain a PC for occasional gaming (c'mon Apple, just make me an xMac so I can stop using Windows!) and have a cheapo laptop, which pretty much sums up my interaction with Windows. I'm running XP SP2 and I've honestly had very few problems. Like someone said earlier, even though it took a decade, Windows is finally fairly stable.... in XP, that is. My wife is using Vista and I hear those damn "cancel or allow" windows popping up all the freaking time, it's hilarious, really. I personally, will not upgrade to Vista and have high hopes for Windows 7.... or an xMac, whichever comes first.
Except that they're starting to run out of good cat names, anyway.
After all, who the frak wants something called Mac OS X Ocelot?
Cougar, Lynx, and Sabretooth are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head that are good. And they probably wouldn't use Sabretooth... too many easy "that OS is prehistoric!" jokes for the Windows fanbois to use.
It's from her latest 'bound-to-be-awful' effort, 'The Eye'. I swear, this woman bombs in public more than Hamas. Yet they keep on giving her movies, I guess 'cuz the male 13-35 demographic would go see her even if she was in 'Gigli 2'.
Comments
Oh my...
As a die hard Mac fan I have to admit that MS made some progress towards stability from Win 95 to Win XP SP2, even if it took them the better part of 10 years
To my knowledge OSX 10.0, which was not known for its stability, came out in 2001. I do have to admit that Apple made some progress towards stability from 10.0 to 10.5. And more OSX updates are still on the horizon. Operating systems are complicated things and take time to develop and mature. I'm just suprised that there's already talk of a sucessor to Vista. I predict 4+ years of service packs.
To my knowledge OSX 10.0, which was not known for its stability, came out in 2001. I do have to admit that Apple made some progress towards stability from 10.0 to 10.5. And more OSX updates are still on the horizon. Operating systems are complicated things and take time to develop and mature. I'm just suprised that there's already talk of a sucessor to Vista. I predict 4+ years of service packs.
Yes, I agree, OSs are complex and take time to develop. You're wrong about OSX though, it achieved a decent level of stability with 10.2. which was released only 1.5 years after 10.0. The Win95 code base took much longer to be sorted out.
Quality bar? Quality bar!? Microsoft has a quality bar? I need to see this...
That would explain why they write code like they're drunk.
And it's an animal in real life, too. Apparently lions and tigers can successfully mate:
Offspring of a male lion and female tiger. We have a Liger at the zoo in my town.
If you have a male tiger and female lion breed, you get a tigon
Male ligers are sterile, but females are not. If you breed a male lion with a female liger, you get a li-liger.
http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/ligers2.html
Now back to your normally scheduled Microsoft bashing.
Microsoft should take a cue from Apple and name their OS releases after animals. Windows Wooly Mammoth sounds about right.
windows rats?
Now that Mac OS X has matured I think the next name should be Cougar.
Yeah, but they'd just change it to "OS X Mellencamp" after a year....
I like Ocelot.
Got my vote.
Funny, the disaster of Vista shows that Apple did the right thing re-writing the OS from the ground up. It saved them a LOT of headaches...
With something as complicated as an OS, you need to do frequent incremental releases, not big whammys. Apple has the right model (as the progress of OS X vs Windows shows).
I agree.
... Jessica Alba, screaming into an oven.
What movie is that from?
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.1
Windows 95
Windows NT
Windows 98
Windows 2000
Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Now Windows 7.
These boys can't even get a logical naming scheme.
There were a lot more versions than that:
Windows 1.0 - Nov. 20, 1985
Windows 2.0 - Dec. 9, 1987
Windows 3.0 - May 22, 1990
Windows 3.1 - Aug. 1992
Windows for Workgroups 3.1 - Oct. 1992
Windows NT 3.1 - Aug. 1993
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 - Nov. 1993 (One of my favorites!)
Windows 3.2 (Chinese only) - Oct. 1993
Windows NT 3.5 - Sept. 1994
Windows NT 3.51 - June 1995
Windows 95 - Aug. 24, 1995 (I remember that day vividly)
Windows 95 SP1 - Dec. 31, 1995
Windows NT 4.0 - July 29, 1996
Windows 95 OSR2 - Aug. 24, 1996
Windows 95 OSR2.1 - Aug. 27, 1997
Windows 98 - June 25, 1998
Windows 98 Second Edition - May 5, 1999
Windows ME - June 19, 2000
Windows 2000 - February 17, 2000
(came in Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server)
Windows XP - October 25, 2001
(came in XP 64-bit Edition, XP Professional for Intel IA-64)
Windows Tablet PC Edition
Windows Media Center Edition (2003, 2004, 2005)
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (upgrade 2005)
Windows XP Professional x64 (x86-64)
Windows XP Professional N (no Windows Media Player)
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Home Edition N (no Windows Media Player)
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Starter Edition (for developing countries)
Windows Server 2003 (Small Business Server, Web Edition, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition, Storage Server)
Windows XP Embedded
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
Windows Embedded CE 6.0
Windows Vista (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate)
Windows Home Server)
Windows Server 2008 (upcoming.. to include: Web Server, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition, Storage Server, Small Business Server, Essential Business Server)
Windows 7 (upcoming)
This exhaustive list also does not include the Windows CE based OS: (Windows Mobile, Win CE1.0, Win CE 2.0, Win CE 2.1, Win CE, 2.11, Win CE 2.12, Win CE 3.0, Win CE)
And... I wouldn't be surprised if I'm missing some like the Windows Mobile 4, 5, 6, etc.
I think the Mac is pretty tame when it comes to versions compared to Microsoft.
Yeah, but they'd just change it to "OS X Mellencamp" after a year....
LOL
And I don't care about this, really. By 2011, I'll definitely have a Mac of my own. :P
They've seen how terrible Vista is, they've seen how far ahead Apple is pulling away, they're beginning to see leagues of people switching to the Mac... point is, they know they're in deep s*** unless they can pull off a good release.
The reason Vista took so long was because of feature-creep. Once management finally said "stop, start over, this is what's in and this is what's out," it only took MS two years to finish development. Comparatively, of course, Leopard is the only OS X upgrade that has taken longer than 2 years, but to "upgrade" a bloated piece of software like Windows, I'm sure that 2 years is no small feat.
So I have the feeling that MS has learned an excellent lesson from Vista, and I'm sure that upper management is closely monitoring the progress of Windows 7 to make sure they don't pull another "Vista."
As for me, (along side my Mac) I maintain a PC for occasional gaming (c'mon Apple, just make me an xMac so I can stop using Windows!) and have a cheapo laptop, which pretty much sums up my interaction with Windows. I'm running XP SP2 and I've honestly had very few problems. Like someone said earlier, even though it took a decade, Windows is finally fairly stable.... in XP, that is.
-Clive
Except that they're starting to run out of good cat names, anyway.
After all, who the frak wants something called Mac OS X Ocelot?
Cougar, Lynx, and Sabretooth are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head that are good. And they probably wouldn't use Sabretooth... too many easy "that OS is prehistoric!" jokes for the Windows fanbois to use.
.
Should use "Sachmo". He was a pretty big cat.
I like Ocelot.
"OS X Ocelot" looks fine on paper. Until you say it out loud. Then you start giggling.
Remember, the pronunciation is 'os-uh-lot'.
I guess its kinda like the "Myron" of cat names.
.
What movie is that from?
It's from her latest 'bound-to-be-awful' effort, 'The Eye'. I swear, this woman bombs in public more than Hamas. Yet they keep on giving her movies, I guess 'cuz the male 13-35 demographic would go see her even if she was in 'Gigli 2'.
AUGHHH!!! I burned my career worse than Affleck!
.
I am in no way an MS apologist, and I'm a long-time Mac-user, but I really think Windows 7 is going to be a better-than-average release for MS.
Better than average for Microsoft means half as good as OS X 10.2. I guess I can believe that.
Better than average for Microsoft means half as good as OS X 10.2. I guess I can believe that.
What are you, twelve? Can we cut out the juvenile remarks and discuss this topic like an adult? Please?
-Clive
Now that Mac OS X has matured I think the next name should be Cougar.
That's it! Game over, man! So, what kind of fur should the default desktop be?
Personally, I'll take a nice tight shot of Demi Moore's, er, umm . . ., cleavage! Yeah, that's it.