"Chances are good that almost everyone download and installing the freshly-leaked Windows 7 build 7068 ISO is installing Ultimate Edition - after all, it's the one our product keys work with and it'll run for over year with a valid key. Paul Thurrott, however, has taken the pains of installing each version- including Starter - to get a feel for what's coming. We already knew that Starter would be extremely feature-limited. How full an experience would you expect from an OS that can only run three programs at once? Regardless, one feature has been crippled that has a lot of people confused. In Windows 7 Starter Edition, the personalization option on the context menu isn't available. Worse yet, users can't even change their wallpaper."
Okay, it's not like anyone being reasonable was expecting a full-blown experience from something called "Starter Edition." Seriously. The problem is that changing wallpapers is one of the most basic things people do to customize their computer. In fact, for most people (like myself) that's all the customization that ever happens. I run stock themes on all of my computers and change wallpapers every three months or so; I'm not a huge tweaker that way. But to take even that away from consumers sounds, to me, just flat out stupid. I would say "imagine if Apple had done this," but I reckon that really is already floating through a lot of your minds already.
I have a feeling this will change before the release just based on the negative buzz it's attracting from the folks I've seen writing about it.
The linked article has a workaround for you, if you're toying with Starter Edition, because, as everyone knows, in a life without walls, you don't really need wallpaper, right?
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Current Apple Stuff: 24" iMac, iPhone 4, AppleTV (original), 4gb Shuffle, 64gb iPad 2.
Seems silly, but I'm going to guess this was at the request of the folks selling the systems and not an evil MS plot to get upgraders. This way, the wallpaper can be fixed to a logo as a quasi-advertisement--or maybe even changed dynamically by the provider to show an ad in the background. Sucks, but I'm guessing that AT&T and Verizon are going to be giving away netbooks with Win 7 and this is another form of junkware. Yes, another good thing about a Mac, though I doubt you'll be seeing a Mac netbook for $0 on contract any time soon.
Seems silly, but I'm going to guess this was at the request of the folks selling the systems and not an evil MS plot to get upgraders. This way, the wallpaper can be fixed to a logo as a quasi-advertisement--or maybe even changed dynamically by the provider to show an ad in the background. Sucks, but I'm guessing that AT&T and Verizon are going to be giving away netbooks with Win 7 and this is another form of junkware. Yes, another good thing about a Mac, though I doubt you'll be seeing a Mac netbook for $0 on contract any time soon.
Whatever the reason, it's the kind of anti-choice thing Microsoft seems so dead-set against in its new campaign. Now you can choose whatever you want, just not your background.
No one's gonna buy Windows 7 Starter anyway; it's just the principle of it that annoys me. As if letting all these crapware companies pay their way onto my desktop wasn't enough income already, now they have to buy the wallpaper, too?
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Current Apple Stuff: 24" iMac, iPhone 4, AppleTV (original), 4gb Shuffle, 64gb iPad 2.
Seems silly, but I'm going to guess this was at the request of the folks selling the systems and not an evil MS plot to get upgraders...
I believe it's basically part of Microsoft's effort to get Windows out to the next billion people on the planet - Starter Edition is a "developing nations" OS that sells for uber-cheap. HP, Dell, etc. are pushing into new markets and they need an ultra-affordable OS license. Microsoft doesn't want them using Linux, so they're trying this approach. Apple doesn't have this challenge because they don't care about those markets - it's easy to have one version of your operating system when you're going after a certain type of customer.
What WILL disappoint me is if we see Starter Edition coming on netbooks later this year - if I can't change my wallpaper, yeah, that will piss me off. I doubt that will happen though - netbooks will probably come with Windows 7 Basic. I'll pay a bit more to get 7 Home Premium on there though...
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Done what? Build a very basic stripped down version of the OS. I think folks would have been floored if Apple built more than one version at all.
Wouldn't surprise me in the least if one of the first utilities available for 'Starter' is a wall paper changer. Can't imagine MS went through the effort to not have the stock background a normal file format, and prevent access to it. I can imagine that the target audience for this edition might be one that wouldn't care less what the background is, as long as it isn't obnoxious.
Done what? Build a very basic stripped down version of the OS. I think folks would have been floored if Apple built more than one version at all.
No no no... Now come on Sven...
What I clearly meant was controlling the UI. It would be held up as a shining example of Apple's "my way or the highway" approach to computing, and a rising example of the kind of arrogance that Steve Jobs brings to a company. Instead, since it's MS, it's just a feature omission.
Again, I don't think people in the US are going to even see a copy of Starter, but these are the kinds of things that Windows folks criticize Apple for with regularity.
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Current Apple Stuff: 24" iMac, iPhone 4, AppleTV (original), 4gb Shuffle, 64gb iPad 2.
Ok, that said, any Windows users who is accustomed to changing UI controls to a pretty discrete degree (colors of menu bars, colors of desktop background, color of desktop text, etc.) is likely to be frustrated by Apple's lack of control of similar features.
Sure, you can change the background on OX S, but I cannot change UI elements like the title bar active and inactive windows; the only choices for something called "appearance" are "blue" and "graphite" and, from what I can tell, don't do much but change whether the minimize/close/maximize button controls are in color or gray.
Complaining about this lack of customization in Windows Starter edition is like calling the pot calling another pot a pot.
Complaining about this lack of customization in Windows Starter edition is like calling the pot calling another pot a pot.
***long quote trimmed by mod JD***
That's exactly my point, and thank you for making it for me :-)
Apple's lack of customization is quite frustrating if you're a tweaker type guy. Me? I like the default UI of pretty much every OS (except for Gnome on Ubuntu) so I don't care either way. Windows people have certainly come to expect more (even though themes are locked down since XP unless you get a program to do otherwise like Windowblinds) and if you can't even change your background, that might cause a rebellion.
Of course, that's assuming Starter makes its way into the US market, but like Jason, I sense it popping up on Netbooks and such, which would be terrible.
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Current Apple Stuff: 24" iMac, iPhone 4, AppleTV (original), 4gb Shuffle, 64gb iPad 2.
MS's "Choice:" No Wallpaper Changing in Windows 7 Starter
Linear Mode
