Microsoft Details Shift From Entourage to Outlook for Next Major Release, Announces Office 2008 Business Edition

[macintoshtoffy]

unlike apple making "under the hood changes" and charging $$$ for it. windows 7 is a legitimate new OS.

Lets compare:

Snow Leopard:

All user land libraries are now 64bit - those components which were Carbon have been re-written in Cocoa. Grand Central Dispatch isn't some clip on library that dangles to the side and is left up to the developer to include if they give a damn as with the case of ConCRT - GCD is built right into the operating system with everything floating on top reaping the benefits of it. Interface cleans and tweaks, kernel improvements, lots of new developer orientated features to ease development.

Compare that to Windows where these features are either included but never used, offered but are still in beta (ConCRT) or the customer is sold a dud and told they must shell out more money to upgrade - case in point being computers that were loaded with 32bit Windows Vista or retail copies of Windows Vista 32bit where the customer then has to spend another NZ$50 to obtain a 64bit version of Windows that should have come with the box - and Windows 7 is looking no better.

 

[KnightWRX]

unlike apple making "under the hood changes" and charging $$$ for it. windows 7 is a legitimate new OS.

So wait, what defines an operating system ? Is it the kernel ? Is it the interface ? Or is it the whole enchilada, from top to bottom ?

Apple's offering is as legitimate as Microsoft's. The "under the hood" changes are massive and to put them out as a 10.5.X would be a huge disservice to developers everywhere as compatibility is bound to have taken a hit somewhere. Not to mention the new APIs that are introduced.

So what if they didn't change the dock or the default colors of the scroll bars ?

 

[MWPULSE]

So wait, what defines an operating system ? Is it the kernel ? Is it the interface ? Or is it the whole enchilada, from top to bottom ?

Apple's offering is as legitimate as Microsoft's. The "under the hood" changes are massive and to put them out as a 10.5.X would be a huge disservice to developers everywhere as compatibility is bound to have taken a hit somewhere. Not to mention the new APIs that are introduced.

So what if they didn't change the dock or the default colors of the scroll bars ?

+1 And SL is supposed to be noticably faster, and less system resource intensive just as WIn7 is as well lol
PTP

 

[str1f3]

The Windows system didn't come with an "Apple tax", so the user probably paid $500 (or more) less for hardware.

That could be argued forever. People have different views about value. I'm not getting into the whole Mac vs. PC debate.

Microsoft needs to emphasize that Windows 6.1 is very compatible with Windows 6.0, when talking to the hardware OEM and software ISV communities. If software (including drivers) works on Vista in native mode, there's a 99% chance the same bits will work without problems in Windows7.


So, do consider the audience and context - Ballmer was talking at a Gartner IT symposium. Of course he would focus on the compatibility

That can be argued both ways. People could say it would be wiser for Ballmer to separate Windows 7 as much as possible from Vista. I don't pay that much attention to Windows but it's hard for me to believe that Microsoft could do a major rewrite of an OS when Vista was just released so recently and took years to make. Even you have argued that Vista was pretty good. Why would it necessitate a rewrite? On the surface very little seems to have changed except things like UAC, a dock and it's faster.

 

[Frosties]

...case in point being computers that were loaded with 32bit Windows Vista or retail copies of Windows Vista 32bit where the customer then has to spend another NZ$50 to obtain a 64bit version of Windows that should have come with the box - and Windows 7 is looking no better.

Acer among other manufacturers have now taken the decision to have Windows 7 64 bit as default install on most systems. This is from Magnus Lilja, productmanager at Acer Sweden. Samsung has not taken the decision yet but is leaning to it says productmarcetingdirector, Fredrik Pantzar Samsung Sweden.

 

[DELLsFan]

All Mac OSes used to be free, up until 8 or something. Not pre-release-beta… just free. And IIRC, Mac OS X Server 1.0 was free.

But a free pre-release OS is kind of a cruel joke for end-users (though great for IT departments and developers). It is admittedly underdeveloped and could destroy your everything. And if you don't pony up for the release version, you're stuck trying to downgrade back to your old OS.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, however I would hardly call the Win 7 RC a cruel joke for end users, though. Most people are installing the RC with discretion - knowing full well it will expire in March. Until then, it should run on a surprisingly large number of older and newer systems alike.

I appreciate the opportunity given by Redmond to test drive the upgrade to Vista. It's what Vista should have been and they know it - which is why I tend to think Microsoft afforded consumers an opportunity to try it for free for such a generously long time.

 

[*LTD*]

All Mac OSes used to be free, up until 8 or something. Not pre-release-beta… just free. And IIRC, Mac OS X Server 1.0 was free.

But a free pre-release OS is kind of a cruel joke for end-users (though great for IT departments and developers). It is admittedly underdeveloped and could destroy your everything. And if you don't pony up for the release version, you're stuck trying to downgrade back to your old OS.

Whoa, hold on. This is tripping me out,

I remember paying for OS 8 back in '97. Fine. But I also picked up a copy of System 7.5 in '96. I remember paying for that . . . I think. Then again, I'm really hazy on the subject anyway. Too much Marathon (and Myst) and coffee at the time.

My first one (bought July 1994):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh_6100

 

[khosna]

I can't wait.

Apple Mail is a joke in comparison with Entourage. While Outlook 2007 on the PC completely kills Entourage. Hopefully we finally get perfect Exchange syncing on Macs.

I'm agree ... with all that is good with a mac and its softare, how can they continue to have such a bad mail client -- especially running iMap. I hope Outlook works like it does on the PC; intergrated calendar, addrerss book and mail will be very nice.

 

[MorphingDragon]

Whoa, hold on. This is tripping me out,

I remember paying for OS 8 back in '97. Fine. But I also picked up a copy of System 7.5 in '96. I remember paying for that . . . I think. Then again, I'm really hazy on the subject anyway. Too much Marathon (and Myst) and coffee at the time.

My first one (bought July 1994):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh_6100

The most I remember about my mac is my sister waking me up to use it.

 

[MorphingDragon]

I'm agree ... with all that is good with a mac and its softare, how can they continue to have such a bad mail client -- especially running iMap. I hope Outlook works like it does on the PC; intergrated calendar, addrerss book and mail will be very nice.

Outlook is an abortion on anything that isn't exchange for IMAP.