[South Florida DX Association] Windows 7 info

[Kai Siwiak]

I've gained some experiences with Windows 7 when  Ann got a new laptop 
with W7 on it, and
I've been using it as a test bed for applications (mostly professional 
aps, but some ham as well).
Overall experience with W7 is positive.

Moving from XP to W7 in not an upgraded. You need a new machine. (It is 
NEVER a good idea to upgrade to
a new OS on an old machine). If it works, don't "fix" it.
Attachments sent from "Windows Mail" do not always open properly in 
standard email clients like Thunderbird.
Windows calendar items sent in Windows Mail  might  be stripped off by 
other email clients.
Thunderbird mail, Mozilla Firefox, and AVG-Free (antivirus) work just 
fine under W7.
Office 2003 works well under W7. I retained Office 2003 to avoid that 
horrible non-intuitive ribbon interface.
There are Microsoft converters that let Office 2003 programs read and 
write the latest Office files (,docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.).
Always save Office files in "Office 2003" format, even from Office 2007 
or later.
Old programs and applications can be  coaxed to operate under W7 in a 
"compatibility mode"; even in the Home edition. (Did this change??)
Some graphics features of older programs (like 3-D plotting in Mathcad 
7) don't work in compatibility mode (but Mathcad 7 works just fine).

A note on opening really OLD Office files. Microsoft has chosen to 
disable old office files generated by early versions of Office  from 
opening under newer Office versions, supposedly as a security measure. I 
found a simple work-around. The disabling occurred with no notice during 
a routine Microsoft security update.

Note on ham applications: I've had issues with popular ham software 
(like MMTTY) even on an XP laptop. Hams often use undocumented OS 
capabilities  that are non-standard, especially with regard to I/O and 
USB access. This is an issue!

If you hate W7, then note that W8 is just around the corner and we can 
go through the pains yet again.

73
Kai, KE4PT





n8pr wrote:
> From the estpark Radiops Newsletter:
> DIFFERENCES YOU WILL SEE IN
> WINDOWS 7...
> If you are considering upgrading from XP to Windows 7, be
> prepared for these changes. 
>   -No e-mail Client.
> Outlook Express (OE) has been removed from Windows.
> But it was replaced by Windows Mail.  Or you can use other
> email clients such as Outlook (costs), Windows Live Mail, a
> free one such as Mozilla Thunderbird.
> - 32-bit vs. 64-bit
> You will have to decide whether to load the 32-bit version
> (x86) or the 64-bit version (x64). Which you choose largely
> depends on your computer’s hardware and the availability of
> drivers and other software to make everything work in your
> PC.  You can't load x64 in a single-core 32-bit machine!
> -  Aero Desktop A  a collection of window and desktop
> behaviors that make Windows 7 have a new “wet” look.
> Features such as Aero Snap let you quickly organize open
> windows and a new transparency makes it easy to see what’s
> underneath 
>    - Documents and Settings 
> The Documents and Settings folder,  has been
> replaced with a simple Users folders. 
> -  Start Menu 
> The Start menu in Windows 7 has been completely reworked
> and has  had many criticisms. You will need to relearn how to
> get things going and are forced to have a simpler  folder
> system that uses a scroll bar to access shortcuts that can’t be
> displayed because you’ve reached the maximum number that
> can be shown at one time. Luckily, if you really like the
> Windows XP Start menu, there is a way to make Windows 7
> Start menu act like XP. 
>   - Ribbon Introduced in Office
>   The Ribbon interface replaces the more familiar drop-down
> menu and toolbar approach to using programs. 
> - Libraries
> Collections of similar files, allegedly makes finding files
> easier. But you can choose to use/not use Libraries depending
> or modify the organization a bit to suit your types of files.
>   - DirectX 11 basically for games
>   - HomeGroup
> takes   the   guesswork   and   troubleshooting   out   of   home
> networking on any scale. 
> - Touch Support  new for  touch-screen  laptops, where you
> can skip using a mouse to steer your way around the screen.
> ----- 
>    For amateur radio, you might be disappointed.  Gone is the
> ability to run certain older 16-bit applications from the Win
> 95/98 era.  Certain programs that need XP support can be
> set up in “XP Mode” in all higher editions  BUT NOT IN
> THE TWO HOME EDITIONS.    The   bad   news   is  that
> Microsoft’s products “don't care” about amateur radio needs
> ______________________________________________________________
> South Florida DX Assoc. Reflector
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