Windows 7 & If Microsoft made cars...

Well, one of the predictions has already come true: You have to push the start button to shut off the car. And then there's the annoying one which I don't think was predicted: You have to push the "I accept" button way too much. With computer programs it seems to be mainly when a program is installed or updated. Can you imagine how annoying it would be if computer programs were like the LEAF and you had to push "I accept" each time you opened a Word document?

As I was watching Windows 7 apply updates, which seems to have become an almost daily experience, I noticed the update screen seemed to be stuck at "Applying Updates 0% complete" for a long time, before it jumped to "complete".

So, if Microsoft made cars, the speedometer would read 0 MPH while you were driving, and suddenly jump to 90 MPH. I guess the LEAF sort of has this problem with the estimated range indication.

One other thing I've noticed with Windows 7, more and more, the update fails and then the next day I get one that succeeds. What's going on at Microsoft? And will they ever fix the "Preparing your desktop" problem?

One other thing I've noticed with Windows 7, more and more, the update fails and then the next day I get one that succeeds. What's going on at Microsoft? And will they ever fix the "Preparing your desktop" problem?

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More often than not issues like this are due to bugs in third-party software or malware. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date (e.g. run "Live update" a few times if you use Symantec's Norton Antivirus) and run a full scan.

Microsoft pushes out updates on the same day each month, unless a really critical issue is found then a fix will be pushed out of cycle. There have been one or two of those in the past year, nothing like 10 years ago.

Writing code that does reliable progress indicators can be hard whenever there's a big range in the performance of the underlying hardware or software. The software industry has gotten better at this but there's still room for improvement.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read an article last year saying the touch screen's operating system is Windows Embedded Automotive 7.

intrepion said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read an article last year saying the touch screen's operating system is Windows Embedded Automotive 7.

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Yes, Unfortunately. It sucks about as bad as Windows but I refuse to use any MS products in my home.

intrepion said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read an article last year saying the touch screen's operating system is Windows Embedded Automotive 7.

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Yes, that is correct. However, Windows Embedded Automotive 7 is the successor to Windows CE (A Technical Companion to Windows Embedded Automotive 7, page 7), which is a distinct operating system and kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows.

That is simply to say that Windows Embedded Automotive 7/Windows CE does not necessarily share the same degree of robustness (or lack thereof) of the more commonly known "Windows" OS's.

EVDRIVER said:

Yes, Unfortunately. It sucks about as bad as Windows but I refuse to use any MS products in my home.

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You are talking about the UI ? That is written by Airbiquity.

evnow said:

EVDRIVER said:

Yes, Unfortunately. It sucks about as bad as Windows but I refuse to use any MS products in my home.

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You are talking about the UI ? That is written by Airbiquity.

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Airbiquity, very interesting! One more piece in the puzzle that is LEAF software witch's brew.

AFAICT, Airbiquity provides the "plumbing" between a LEAF, a PDA, and the "central servers". They provide the "platform", in other words. The press releases, their Web site, and their "solutions" brochure say things like "operation and management of connected vehicle service delivery infrastructure". I wonder if their stack includes stuff as near to the end user as the UI.