Does anyone have either of these OSes?

To quote wikipedia: (Note MUI = Multi User Interface, which is means the OS is running a different language than it's default)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingua..._Interface

Quote:Functionally, MUI packs for a certain product perform the same task as localized versions of those product, but with some key technical differences. While both localized versions of software and MUI versions display menus and dialogs in the targeted language, only localized versions have translated file and folder names. A localized version of Windows translates the base operating system, as well as all included programs, including file and folder names, objects names, strings in registry, and any other internal strings used by Windows into a particular language. Localized versions of Windows support upgrading from a previous localized version and user interface resources are completely localized, which is not the case for MUI versions of a product. MUI versions of a product do not contain translated administrative functions such as registry entries and items in Microsoft Management Console.

Just wondering how prevalent the English is if you switch an English Win 7 to Japanese.

I have Windows 7 Ultimate 日本語版 running on both my CPU and laptop. I used to use the little locale option they had for the English Vista a while back prior to me getting 7 and I remember they didn't translate everything for me. I think it was because I had Vista Home Premium, but now if you have any language version of Windows 7 Ultimate (ultimate only I believe), you can download full complete language packs from Windows Update and install them yourselves (meaning you might not need to get the Japanese version, but although I have not experienced this myself, I don't know for sure.) My best recommendation is to just get the Japanese version, or get Windows 7 Ultimate (of any language) and see what those HUGE language packs on Windows Update are all about.

See http://www.froggie.sk/notes.html for the limitations on using multiple MUIs in Vista/Windows 7 and a possible workaround (if you don't have Ultimate).

I can't comment on how well Vistalizator works, as I'm running Vista Ultimate...

I use vistalizator on my Windows 7 netbook to get it 100% Japanese, and it's just like the Windows 7 on my Japanese friend's notebook. It works well

Wow vistalizator works just fine on Windows 7 Professional.
Now I can't understand my OS anymore but hey, it's Japanese! Really cool!
Thank you :-)

I vistalized my Vista laptop quite a while ago and it's been perfect, recently got a netbook with win 7 on it and vistalized that and it's just as solid. There's isn't English anywhere really.

You know it really pisses me off how they took a perfectly functional operating system and stripped functionality OUT solely to make peoples wallets hurt who want functionality that could just be included in the OS anyway.

There's a word that begins with C but I forget how the rest of it goes...

Thanks, that is interesting.

Was planning on just 'acquiring' a Japanese version, but think ill buy an English one and switch it over.

mezbup Wrote:You know it really pisses me off how they took a perfectly functional operating system and stripped functionality OUT solely to make peoples wallets hurt who want functionality that could just be included in the OS anyway.

By that logic, they could as well just be giving the whole OS away for free. You know, instead of making people's wallets hurt.

Would attempt this, but I'm too afraid of what could happen while it's in Japanese considering I am not that great at the language yet.

I think what gets on my nerves even more though is that it's not like a language option is an "accessory" or "advanced feature", but they consider it to be. To me, anyway, it's basic functionality that's necessary in any advanced operating system trying to reach a wide market.

Vistalizator is great but people really shouldn't need to use it in the first place.

Hah, nevermind the OS interface.

You guys haven't felt nothing until you try voice commands in vista/7 in Japanese.
Overwhelming to the extreme!

JimmySeal Wrote:

mezbup Wrote:You know it really pisses me off how they took a perfectly functional operating system and stripped functionality OUT solely to make peoples wallets hurt who want functionality that could just be included in the OS anyway.

By that logic, they could as well just be giving the whole OS away for free. You know, instead of making people's wallets hurt.

Isn't that what Linux is?

rosenafglenn Wrote:

JimmySeal Wrote:

mezbup Wrote:You know it really pisses me off how they took a perfectly functional operating system and stripped functionality OUT solely to make peoples wallets hurt who want functionality that could just be included in the OS anyway.

By that logic, they could as well just be giving the whole OS away for free. You know, instead of making people's wallets hurt.

Isn't that what Linux is?

Atylmo kinda summed it up nicely.

The point is their shouldn't be 5 versions of the same operating system 4 of which are crippled and one which is priced insanely. I thought the idea was to improve functionality and make it easier and better for the end user to use not turn around and go... hey, if we take all this functionality out then we can put it back in at a higher price. They do it only cos they have a mean monopoly on things.

Why do they need to do it? They don't need to. It's illogical in a sense of "progress" but it's a brilliant plan for "business". So it's all money motivated which is just how the cookie crumbles - therefore I have 0 problems using a tool that restores functionality that they took out of the operating system with the intent of charging me the MAXIMUM price to use it. Treat others how you wanna be treated, they wanna rip me off, I'll just rip them off.

Heh, thanks mezbup. I used to feel guilty about using Vistalizator but I had the same thought process as you. I don't use Windows much now though.

ocircle Wrote:You guys haven't felt nothing until you try voice commands in vista/7 in Japanese.
Overwhelming to the extreme!

Yeah those voice commands are pretty rough. I tried to go through the tutorial and I was like "Uhh..how do you read that?" every other word. I had to mumble a lot.

I screamed myself hoarse trying to get it to recognize what I was saying too. I could blame it on my terrible accent but I don't wanna admit it, so... the computer's recognition sucks.

mezbup Wrote:The point is their shouldn't be 5 versions of the same operating system 4 of which are crippled and one which is priced insanely.

What are you talking about? The Ultimate MSRP is $20 more than Premium. Is that an "insane" price difference? If you think it's unreasonable to cough up a measly $20 to get Japanese localization (and about 30 other languages along with it) then you don't really have any moral ground to stand on.

Quote:I thought the idea was to improve functionality and make it easier and better for the end user to use not turn around and go... hey, if we take all this functionality out then we can put it back in at a higher price. They do it only cos they have a mean monopoly on things.

No, the idea is to run a profitable business, just like every other company in the world is trying to do. I don't know how you think software development works, but it costs time and money to develop software. A lot of it. Why should they give something away for free? As I already said: by your logic, they should just be giving the whole OS away for just the cost of the discs and packaging because "they can."

Quote:Why do they need to do it? They don't need to.

Like any other company in the world they need to make money in order to stay in business and pay their employees.
Their strategy for doing that is to offer lower priced versions with less features for people who don't need/want them, and higher priced versions for people who are willing to pay for them.
They build the software with all of the features included, but some deactivated, because this enables people to purchasing an upgrade and upgrade instantly if they need/want to, instead of having to go acquire a whole new set of discs. Would it make you happier if they actually stripped the features out for different versions? That's what you seem to be implying.

JimmySeal Wrote:

rosenafglenn Wrote:By that logic, they could as well just be giving the whole OS away for free. You know, instead of making people's wallets hurt.

Isn't that what Linux is?

Don't be ridiculous.

What do you want me to do anyway? Go pay $500 for an upgrade? Really? If it was $50 that'd be fair enough. It's $500. Seriously? Bill Gates one of the single richest people on earth... does he need it? I think I need my $500 more than he does. Far as I'm concerned he already got his cut when I bought my computer - they just forgot to include a feature but luckily I restored it and didn't let their hard work go to waste. No need to dip into my wallet again.

To tell you the truth... the only reason it annoys me is that I'm actually from the future. We don't pay for software in the future. I just took a trip back in time because I wanted to see the turn of the Millenium... thought it'd be kinda cool but then the Y2K bug struck and I got stuck here. I know it's impossible to get back to exactly where I'm from in the future but I want to get back to the same kind of future as soon as possible. Then last year it hit me, in the future no one works because robots have freed humanity from physical labor (hence there's no business and no need to "pay" for stuff, it's really irksome) so I thought well the fastest way to do that is to just study robotics and get into R&D working on ushering in the robotic revolution (it's closer than you think). Now to do this I obviously need to learn Japanese because that's where the major research is happening and to do that I needed the aid of a computer... And you see the point at which I wanted to use my computer in Japanese I noticed they had stripped out the functionality to do so. This makes no sense where (when) I'm from and only spurred on the desire to help in ushering in the robotic revolution more and so I vistalized the functionality back into my computer. Something I should never have to have done in the first place. One day you'll see...

mezbup Wrote:Go pay $500 for an upgrade? Really? If it was $50 that'd be fair enough. It's $500. Seriously?

Where the heck are you getting these prices? Windows 7 Ultimate full version's MSRP is $319. Upgrades from other versions to Ultimate are priced as follows:

From Win 7 Starter: $164.99
From Win 7 Home Premium: $139.99
From Win 7 Professional: $129.99

Quote:What do you want me to do anyway?

Really I don't want you to do anything, except lay off the self-serving ridiculous rationalizations.


Must be nice to come from the hi-tech communist wonderland you describe.

It is. I'm talkin bout the price it gets sold for where I live. It sucks. The retail for the full version (not upgrade) for ultimate is $600 and the upgrade is $500. Bit on the high side.

mezbup Wrote:It is. I'm talkin bout the price it gets sold for where I live. It sucks. The retail for the full version (not upgrade) for ultimate is $600 and the upgrade is $500. Bit on the high side.

Well I can't argue with you that $500 is too much to pay for Windows, if we're both talking about US$. Where do you live that charges such high prices?