Of Windows 7, the Nokia N97 and a 9600GT made of fail
Posted 18 Jun 2009 by Akinwale Ariwodola
After reading initial impressions and seeing screenshots of the early releases of Windows 7, I was unfazed. I simply dismissed the whole thing as features which could've been implemented in a service pack, hence why I coined up Windows Vista SP2 (which later evolved to SP3). In any case, I decided to give it a try just to see what it was all about since I had a newly built system lying around and I wasn't really liking Ubuntu 9.04. Took about a week to download the RC (thanks to my speedy Internets) and it took just under 15 minutes to get it up and running. I am so not exaggerating here. Being the skeptic that I am, I was like, "Eh, impressive, but that could've been a fluke." I logged in. Fast. Checked for drivers that may not have been detected during installation. None. Mucked around with a number of settings. Fast. Rebooted. Fast. I have to say, Windows 7 is very snappy. It feels faster and more responsive than Vista, and speedy boot up and shut down times are a huge plus.Which brings us to the new major feature, the taskbar. I initially saw this in the screenshots and thought, "Why did they do this?" But after using it, I've come to like it very much. Basically, what they did here was take the OS X dock, and make it better. How'd they make it better you ask? The mini previews you get when you mouse over the taskbar icons. It shows you the windows that you have open associated with the taskbar icon and makes it much easier to know what you want to switch to. Everything has been polished and I haven't experienced any slowdowns whatsoever. I have been completely impressed so far. I'd have to say though, I'm still sticking to the belief that all these nice improvements and features could've been implemented a service pack. In any case, my recommendation is if you're still using Windows XP, skip Vista, and if you've already jumped on the Vista bandwagon, upgrade to Windows 7 as soon as it's released. More money for Microsoft, I know, but it's worth it. Fun fact: The initial boot up animation with the coloured dots reminds me of the Playstation 2 animation right before a disc is launched. Obligatory screenshot #1:
Speaking of the Nokia N97, I had been waiting patiently for its release, and since that's happened, I am now waiting patiently for it to be available here. If you don't know what it is, it is a smartphone with every single feature that I've ever wanted in a phone. In order to keep myself sane with the waiting I've had to endure, I decided to download the SDK for the phone which was about 630MB (newer SDKs keep getting bigger and bigger!) In any case, after so many years of trying out J2ME and failing at it each time (I mostly found something else that was shiny which distracted me long enough to forget), I have finally come to grasp it. Let's just hope the knowledge sticks this time. There are still some limitations that I'm trying to overcome, but all in all, I'm almost finished with my first complete J2ME application, an IRC client aptly called SimpleIRC. Original, I know. Obligatory screenshot #2:
My 9600GT has clearly been infected by the black screen of death. At first, I thought it was overheating, but I ruled that out. Then I installed the latest drivers and ruled out faulty software. Then I replaced the PSU in my box and ruled out a faulty PSU. Then I got a new motherboard and ruled out a faulty motherboard. Then I... Apparently, other people are having the same issue and there is no official word on it. I would've returned it for a replacement, but PNY's warrantly terms clearly state that I would have to pay for all shipping costs which isn't going to be worth it. Sadly, I'm currently stuck with the Intel integrated G33/G31 chipset on my motherboard. I'll be picking up a 9800GT sooner or later. Obligatory screenshot #3 (Yet more proof that Intel integrated graphics suck):
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