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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
September 26, 2010
Q.
Should I upgrade to new versions of Windows
like Windows 7 and to other applications
like Internet Explorer 9 when they are
released?
A.
That depends on a lot of factors that I'll
try to explain. Generally speaking, it is
not a good idea to upgrade to a new
operating system, but it is usually OK to
upgrade an application. Of course, there are
exceptions to this.
In the
early days of the personal computer, the
hardware was designed first, and then the
software was written to be compatible with
it. This was true of the first Apple and IBM
computers. It continued for years that way
but somewhere along the line things got
reversed. Today, it seems it is the hardware
that is playing catch-up to the software.
When a
computer manufacturer builds a computer, to
keep its price as low as possible, it is
usually designed for, and designated as
being compatible or ready for a given
operating system. The hardware in the
computer supports the operating system for
which it has been designed. Therefore, if an
operating system is upgraded to a new one,
it is likely that the hardware will not
fully support it. So, as a general rule, it
is not a good idea to upgrade a computer to
a new operating system.
There are
exceptions to this rule and the upgrade from
Vista to Windows 7 is one of these
exceptions. The jump in hardware
requirements from XP to Vista was pretty
steep, but Windows 7 runs on hardware
designed for Vista quite well. So, although
there is nothing really wrong with Vista,
other than the initial lack of third party
support and bad press, if you are faced with
the opportunity to upgrade your Vista
computer to Windows 7, take it. Almost
without exception, if your software worked
with Vista it will work with Windows 7.
Support for Vista from Microsoft as well as
others is already diminishing pretty
quickly. This is not because Vista is so
bad, but rather because Windows 7 is so much
better
Upgrades
to an installed operating system and
applications whether in the form of
individual file updates or service packs,
should almost always be done. These updates
are primarily for security reasons, but many
desirable features are also added with
service packs. There is really no good
reason for the average individual user to
not install all the updates that are offered
for the operating system. Businesses that
are using expensive proprietary software may
need to be more cautious though.
Upgrades
to new versions of applications are another
story. Application updates must be
considered on a case by case basis. A
version update of an application should, and
usually does, include the software and
hardware specifications that are required.
On many occasions, a new version of an
application will require different software
and hardware to work. Most, but not all
applications are designed to be backward
compatible up to a point. Microsoft Office
2010 for example will run satisfactorily on
any computer that supports Office 2000. Some
of the newer features may not be available,
but it will work.
As an
example of the opposite, Internet Explorer
V9 will not run on any operating system
below Vista SP-2. Although Windows XP is
still in general use by many, it doesn't
support the hardware acceleration in IE-9
and IE-9 will not be available for XP. This
hardware acceleration capability was
designed in Windows 7, and added to Vista in
SP-2, but will not be available in XP.
However, as IE-8 is quite capable, it is the
browser recommended for XP, and much
superior to IE-6 that was originally
distributed with XP.
In
conclusion, upgrades to a new operating
system should be done when the computer is
replaced. Improvements to an installed
operating system like service packs should
be, in most cases, installed when they
become available.
Upgrades
to new versions of software applications
should be considered on a case by case
basis. Improvement or security updates to
installed software applications should be
done when they become available. |
