Whiz kid weighs in on Windows 7

I interviewed many IT executives for this week's story on Windows 7 adoption trends in the enterprise, but not all were ready to talk about their plans. At one company the CIO had yet to form an opinion about the nascent operating system. But Xavier Dominicis, the 11-year-old son of one staff person, had plenty to say on the subject. Xavier, a computer enthusiast, upgraded his Vista machine, an HP TouchSmart PC, over the holidays.

So what does this next generation IT leader think of Windows 7? Here's what he had to say.

Name: Xavier L. Dominicis

Age: 11

Occupation: 5th grade student

Location: Texas

You had a perfectly good computer. Why did you want Windows 7?

I saw the Windows 7 demos and I had to get it. I'm really good with computers. I'm a computer guy so I had to get the latest technology.

Why not stay with Vista?

When I had Vista I thought it was good. Then I got to know it better and I thought Vista was a bit slow. When Windows 7 came out it was like the cure. People who switch from XP to 7 or from Vista to 7 will be very happy with that.

What's so cool about Windows 7?

The new interface, I like the way it runs smoothly and I like how you can have it change your background picture every five minutes.

What else do you like?

I like how the windows snap. I like the new task bar. I like the jump lists because I actually use them. It took a while but I got used to it. The new interface, I like the way it runs smoothly and I like how you can have it to change your background picture every five minutes.

When I heard about the Problem Steps Recorder I though it was something that could really help people. It takes screen shots of every single thing you do. You can leave comments about things too and it gives you a bunch of technical data and things that could be wrong.

What's not to like?

I haven't really found anything I don't like about it. It runs great. I have no problems with it.

What do you use your computer for?

I use it for going on the Internet. I do a lot of figuring out of new things. You can do a lot with them by researching about them.

What about games?

I'm not that kind of kid. I just like playing around with the Internet.

Were you nervous about upgrading? Did you back up your PC first?

I definitely backed up my computer. That would just be dumb.

During the install I got scared. It was stuck on something percent done for quite a while. I said, "Did my computer freeze?" But in the end it was successfully installed.

Would you consider exchanging your Windows PC for a nice iMac or Linux machine?

Not really. I hear those are great for gaming but I think Windows is more advanced because it has a lot more settings you can change. The Mac and things like that, they're good operating systems but if I had to choose I'd prefer Windows.

Is there anything you want to tell Microsoft?

They should maybe improve the Windows Media Player because it's OK but it doesn't do that much really. Windows Media Center can do a lot more than the player. It's, like, babyish.

Your dad's company must decide whether or not to give Windows 7 to everyone who works there. They're all using Windows XP. If you were the boss, what would you do?

I would switch them to Windows 7. If you're worried about programs that might not work you can get XP Mode and run a virtual window or a virtual program. So you don't have to worry about programs. Windows 7 is a great upgrade. It's like the repair kit for Windows Vista.