First let me thank the MS dev folks for fixing UAC in Windows 7. The new default setting has nearly eliminated the twitching I got when I tried to use Vista. It’s still not perfect though. I have two apps that I use all the time, a screen rotation controller and the excellent Acronis True Image Home 2010 that continuously pop that Allow application to write… dialog box. I trust both apps and the Acronis one is even digitally signed so it should be simple, like on a Mac for example, for me to say ONCE that I trust this app and to keep trusting it unless it changes.

Nope, that’s not possible.

I found a number of very well-written posts on Technet and other sites about how UAC works and how to modify the settings. The net is a) Vista level homicide inducing annoyance b) what you have now c) what you have now without dimming the screen d) no UAC security at all. Funny, none of these do what I want.

The reputed workaround is to uninstall the app and then reinstall it in another folder structure other than Program Files. Maybe a folder called trickthereallyannoyingUACpopup. According to those who have tried this solution it works, or works for a while, or doesn’t work at all. Not going there. You could also create a new shortcut using the built in task scheduler service. Seems like a lot of work for what should be a simple enough selection. Most of the folks on the MS forums made real efforts to be helpful and most of the questioners were very cool, but as soon as someone suggested that the answer was not acceptable and that they wanted, well what I wanted, the answers got snooty from some folks fast. Too bad, because Windows 7 is really good. For Windows at least, and being snooty to people trying to use your product is really bad form.

Oh and in case you haven’t grokked the actual answer to how to do this, you cannot. MS knows what’s good for you so suck it up. Or switch to a Mac.

I hear a lot that Windows 2000 was the last good version of Windows. Up until the release of Windows 7 I would have to agree. XP looked like it was designed by Fisher Price, who do great work but are not a leader in operating systems, and Vista was, well until the last service pack, it was like Vger from Star Trek the Movie (4 out of 5 sucking chest wound rating) and the reason I kept referring to it as Veester.

Well we’re a month post release of Windows 7. Updates post release have been minor, and while it is highly unlikely I will ever make a switch from OS X to Windows as my production environment, W7 is superb. Many folks that I respect greatly have made the same determination. Where running Vista was like removing your own appendix with only a jackknife, a bottle of Vodka and a hand mirror, Windows 7 has been a no pain zone for me. I have done clean installs and using tips from Ed Bott and Paul Thurrott done upgrades from the RTM releases and have not had any issues so far, even when running it on old junk like the IBM Thinkpad X41, a previously documented piece of crap that left the factory with an 80% lobotomy. Windows 7 just works, and even the tablet services are so usable, you actually enjoy using them.

I found a badly beaten Dell C400 in a box and will try W7 on this ancient critter that was born in the days before laptop builders understood the concept of “wireless” I think it will be faster than the Windows 2000 that is on the ginormous 30GB hard disk. Why will I do this? I actually believe that Windows 7 will run better on this aged machine that was pretty darn cool when it was born.

I have also done VM implementations of Windows 7 using VMware’s excellent Fusion 3 and they work flawlessly. In fairness I didn’t keep them running because I was doing an experiment only and dont’t own enough licenses to keep all this stuff live and running.

Congrats to the Windows 7 team, great work! And if you are going shopping for the holidays and some dorkstick offers you a Vista machine because “it’s really the same”, run do not walk from that establishment and go somewhere where they sell machines with Windows 7 preinstalled. You do not want XP and you definitely don’t want Vista.

In my world you really want a Mac, but Windows 7 is wicked good if you tend to fall that way.

I’ve now installed the beta of Windows 7 in two locations. First I upgraded a Vista Business install on a Lenovo T60P. Then I did a brand new installation as a Virtual Machine in the excellent VMware Fusion on my Mac Pro.

Spell EXCELLENT. I’ve worked with Windows in one way or another since V1.03 and while it’s not my first choice as a desktop OS, I did think Vista had more promise than XP as it should have, but it really failed to launch. For me and apparently a zillion others.

The W7 team have done a great piece of work. Paul Thurrott of Windows Weekly says his beta machine is his production machine and I can see that. The install is mostly painless and moves along quite snappily. Only the fast irda port on the T60p presented a driver issue and since I never use it, I don’t care.

Apps install nicely and work really well. OpenOffice3, Firefox, Avast Antivirus all work splendidly. Microsoft said they would allow 2.5M downloads. This is, after three days, the best Windows I have seen so far.