There are 2 simple steps to ensure your windows installation is always snappy & clean
1 - Never install any programs, they just clog up the registry and slow down startup.
2 - Never go on the internet or network, this means you don't have to constantly download patches which slow up your machine ( extra code ) and you don't get virus's, trojans, spyware etc etc etc etc .............
By following these 2 simple steps you can always keep your windows box operating at peak efficency.
We have seen windows CE, windows ME, and windows NT and variations of those for some time. Why not combine the strength from those OS's like this? Windows CE+ME+NT= Windows CEMENT
If Apple only would pull their heads out of their asses and start encouraging people and companies to develope various software for their platform instead of suing them.
But in the end, Fista will be a monstrous gore-fest of pure suckage so maybe Apple-folk and Linux-geeks do not need to do anything to win more market share.
A lot of people still wouldn't use Mac's due to the stupid price tag. If Mac allowed anyone to buy the x86 OS and run it on ANY x86 system, a lot of people would change. But that'd mean they'd need to do what MS do, and make the OS work for hords and hords of different types of hardware, which is what keeps MacOS so lean. *nix is the same, if you compile your own kernal then it's fine. Generic however has problems, in speed tests Linux 2.6.x was slower then XP at webserver based tasks. But 2.6 is bloatware anyway, anyone with brains still uses 2.4.
Making an OS work for millions of different combos of hardware is a hardtask. You can either do the Windows approach, and fill the OS with drivers you don't need, go Mac, and force people to use hardware you say, or *nix, and force people to build the drivers they need into the kernal.
Though there is always stripped down versions of Windows, one I have on CD around here somewhere only takes up ~500MB installed, and uses ~40MB page at peak as it has EVERYTHING you don't need stripped out (even has some of the bloat code removed). Takes a bit longer to setup as you need to have all your drivers at hand before you install it. But if you like lean and clean, it's worth it.
Find me an alternative which will run Cakewalk Sonar and all of my VST and DX instruments and plugins and I will happily use it. To what exactly are you referring when you say "use another"? For many of us, there are no other options
Maintaining a fresh installation with no installed programs and no internet connection is certainly effective, but what exactly does one do on that PC?!?!? Paint and Notepad? I guess there is Mine Sweeper, Pinball, and some card games, but I think I would get bored rather quickly with those. LOL.
