WINDOWS 7 REVIEW
Windows 7 gets the basics right. Here's what you need to know
about the new OS.
Harry McCracken, PC World
Monday, October 19, 2009 2:00 pm
What if a new version of Windows didn't try to dazzle
you? What if, instead, it tried to disappear except when you
needed it? Such an operating system would dispense with glitzy
effects in favor of low-key, useful new features. Rather than
pelting you with alerts, warnings, and requests, it would try to
stay out of your face. And if any bundled applications weren't
essential, it would dump 'em.

It's not a what-if scenario. Windows 7, set to arrive on
new PCs and as a shrinkwrapped upgrade on October 22, has a
minimalist feel and attempts to fix annoyances old and new. In
contrast, Windows Vista offered a flashy new interface, but its
poor performance, compatibility gotchas, and lack of compelling
features made some folks regret upgrading and others refuse to
leave Windows XP.

Windows 7 is hardly flawless. Some features feel
unfinished; others won't realize their potential without heavy
lifting by third parties. And some long-standing annoyances
remain intact. But overall, the final shipping version I test-drove
appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista
never was.

(Adapted from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html

WINDOWS 7 REVIEW
Windows 7 gets the basics right. Here's what you need to know
about the new OS.
Harry McCracken, PC World
Monday, October 19, 2009 2:00 pm
What if a new version of Windows didn't try to dazzle
you? What if, instead, it tried to disappear except when you
needed it? Such an operating system would dispense with glitzy
effects in favor of low-key, useful new features. Rather than
pelting you with alerts, warnings, and requests, it would try to
stay out of your face. And if any bundled applications weren't
essential, it would dump 'em.

It's not a what-if scenario. Windows 7, set to arrive on
new PCs and as a shrinkwrapped upgrade on October 22, has a
minimalist feel and attempts to fix annoyances old and new. In
contrast, Windows Vista offered a flashy new interface, but its
poor performance, compatibility gotchas, and lack of compelling
features made some folks regret upgrading and others refuse to
leave Windows XP.

Windows 7 is hardly flawless. Some features feel
unfinished; others won't realize their potential without heavy
lifting by third parties. And some long-standing annoyances
remain intact. But overall, the final shipping version I test-drove
appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista
never was.

(Adapted from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html

WINDOWS 7 REVIEW
Windows 7 gets the basics right. Here's what you need to know
about the new OS.
Harry McCracken, PC World
Monday, October 19, 2009 2:00 pm
What if a new version of Windows didn't try to dazzle
you? What if, instead, it tried to disappear except when you
needed it? Such an operating system would dispense with glitzy
effects in favor of low-key, useful new features. Rather than
pelting you with alerts, warnings, and requests, it would try to
stay out of your face. And if any bundled applications weren't
essential, it would dump 'em.

It's not a what-if scenario. Windows 7, set to arrive on
new PCs and as a shrinkwrapped upgrade on October 22, has a
minimalist feel and attempts to fix annoyances old and new. In
contrast, Windows Vista offered a flashy new interface, but its
poor performance, compatibility gotchas, and lack of compelling
features made some folks regret upgrading and others refuse to
leave Windows XP.

Windows 7 is hardly flawless. Some features feel
unfinished; others won't realize their potential without heavy
lifting by third parties. And some long-standing annoyances
remain intact. But overall, the final shipping version I test-drove
appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista
never was.

(Adapted from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html

WINDOWS 7 REVIEW
Windows 7 gets the basics right. Here's what you need to know
about the new OS.
Harry McCracken, PC World
Monday, October 19, 2009 2:00 pm
What if a new version of Windows didn't try to dazzle
you? What if, instead, it tried to disappear except when you
needed it? Such an operating system would dispense with glitzy
effects in favor of low-key, useful new features. Rather than
pelting you with alerts, warnings, and requests, it would try to
stay out of your face. And if any bundled applications weren't
essential, it would dump 'em.

It's not a what-if scenario. Windows 7, set to arrive on
new PCs and as a shrinkwrapped upgrade on October 22, has a
minimalist feel and attempts to fix annoyances old and new. In
contrast, Windows Vista offered a flashy new interface, but its
poor performance, compatibility gotchas, and lack of compelling
features made some folks regret upgrading and others refuse to
leave Windows XP.

Windows 7 is hardly flawless. Some features feel
unfinished; others won't realize their potential without heavy
lifting by third parties. And some long-standing annoyances
remain intact. But overall, the final shipping version I test-drove
appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista
never was.

(Adapted from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html

WINDOWS 7 REVIEW
Windows 7 gets the basics right. Here's what you need to know
about the new OS.
Harry McCracken, PC World
Monday, October 19, 2009 2:00 pm
What if a new version of Windows didn't try to dazzle
you? What if, instead, it tried to disappear except when you
needed it? Such an operating system would dispense with glitzy
effects in favor of low-key, useful new features. Rather than
pelting you with alerts, warnings, and requests, it would try to
stay out of your face. And if any bundled applications weren't
essential, it would dump 'em.

It's not a what-if scenario. Windows 7, set to arrive on
new PCs and as a shrinkwrapped upgrade on October 22, has a
minimalist feel and attempts to fix annoyances old and new. In
contrast, Windows Vista offered a flashy new interface, but its
poor performance, compatibility gotchas, and lack of compelling
features made some folks regret upgrading and others refuse to
leave Windows XP.

Windows 7 is hardly flawless. Some features feel
unfinished; others won't realize their potential without heavy
lifting by third parties. And some long-standing annoyances
remain intact. But overall, the final shipping version I test-drove
appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista
never was.

(Adapted from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html

O andar do bêbado

Nadar contra a corrente da intuição é uma tarefa difícil.
Como se sabe, a mente humana foi construída para identificar
uma causa definida para cada acontecimento, podendo por isso
ter bastante dificuldade em aceitar a influência de fatores
aleatórios (*) ou não diretamente relacionáveis a um fenômeno.
Portanto, o primeiro passo em nossa investigação sobre o papel
do acaso em nossas vida é percebermos que o êxito ou o
fracasso podem não surgir de uma grande habilidade ou grande
incompetência, e sim, como escreveu o economista Armen
Alchian, de "circunstâncias fortuitas". Os processos aleatórios
são fundamentais na natureza, e onipresentes em nossa vida
cotidiana; ainda assim, a maioria das pessoas não os
compreende nem pensa muito a seu respeito.
O título deste livro - O andar do bêbado - vem de uma
analogia que descreve o movimento aleatório, como os trajetos
seguidos por moléculas ao flutuarem no espaço, chocando-se
incessantemente com suas moléculas irmãs. Isso pode servir
como uma metáfora para a nossa vida, nosso caminho da
faculdade para a carreira profissional, da vida de solteiro para a
familiar, do primeiro ao último buraco de um campo de golfe. A
surpresa é que também podemos empregar as ferramentas
usadas na compreensão do andar do bêbado para entendermos
os acontecimentos da nossa vida diária.
O objetivo deste livro é ilustrar o papel do acaso no
mundo que nos cerca e mostrar de que modo podemos
reconhecer sua atuação nas questões humanas. Espero que
depois desta viagem pelo mundo da aleatoriedade, você, leitor,
comece a ver a vida por um ângulo diferente, menos
determinista, com uma compreensão mais profunda dos
fenômenos cotidianos.

(*) aleatório: que depende das circunstâncias, do acaso;
fortuito, contingente. (Houaiss)

(Do prólogo de Leonar Mlodinow para seu livro O andar do
bêbado)

O andar do bêbado

Nadar contra a corrente da intuição é uma tarefa difícil.
Como se sabe, a mente humana foi construída para identificar
uma causa definida para cada acontecimento, podendo por isso
ter bastante dificuldade em aceitar a influência de fatores
aleatórios (*) ou não diretamente relacionáveis a um fenômeno.
Portanto, o primeiro passo em nossa investigação sobre o papel
do acaso em nossas vida é percebermos que o êxito ou o
fracasso podem não surgir de uma grande habilidade ou grande
incompetência, e sim, como escreveu o economista Armen
Alchian, de "circunstâncias fortuitas". Os processos aleatórios
são fundamentais na natureza, e onipresentes em nossa vida
cotidiana; ainda assim, a maioria das pessoas não os
compreende nem pensa muito a seu respeito.
O título deste livro - O andar do bêbado - vem de uma
analogia que descreve o movimento aleatório, como os trajetos
seguidos por moléculas ao flutuarem no espaço, chocando-se
incessantemente com suas moléculas irmãs. Isso pode servir
como uma metáfora para a nossa vida, nosso caminho da
faculdade para a carreira profissional, da vida de solteiro para a
familiar, do primeiro ao último buraco de um campo de golfe. A
surpresa é que também podemos empregar as ferramentas
usadas na compreensão do andar do bêbado para entendermos
os acontecimentos da nossa vida diária.
O objetivo deste livro é ilustrar o papel do acaso no
mundo que nos cerca e mostrar de que modo podemos
reconhecer sua atuação nas questões humanas. Espero que
depois desta viagem pelo mundo da aleatoriedade, você, leitor,
comece a ver a vida por um ângulo diferente, menos
determinista, com uma compreensão mais profunda dos
fenômenos cotidianos.

(*) aleatório: que depende das circunstâncias, do acaso;
fortuito, contingente. (Houaiss)

(Do prólogo de Leonar Mlodinow para seu livro O andar do
bêbado)