Ah Windows, if it werent for the fact that people essentially dont like installing every tiny bit of the operating system on certain Linux distributions or shelling out a small fortune for a Mac, you would be long extinct. You’re not without your strengths though: the ability to work with just about any piece of hardware and of course the ease of use. Microsoft recently released the latest addition to the series: Windows 7, thus starving the temptation a rising number of people have been feeling to grab the free cyber lego that is Ubuntu Linux.
Windows 7 is essentially a trimmed and streamlined version of Vista. The Kernel (links application software to computer hardware) has been slimmed down and the GUI (Graphical User Interface) scheduling has been reworked to the advantage of the everyday user. It boots with greater speed and will happily run on machines where running Vista is either not an option or so slow that a downgrade to XP would be more viable. Battery lives of laptops should also see a small improvement. Before downloading any new computer software (such as Windows 7 or Webmin), you should do plenty of research to learn about the changes it will make to your computer. Websites like Webmin World can be helpful for your research.
The Aero interface remains but now, theres a shiny new taskbar similar to the dock of Mac OS X instead of quick launch. The Aero Peek utility allows all windows at once to be viewed in the desktop. A nifty little feature is the Aero Shake which allows you to minimise all other windows except the one youre using by shaking it with the mouse. By highlighting the icons, thumbnails appear and can be closed by clicking the X icon. Aero Snap allows windows to be maximised to either full screen by dragging a window to the top of the screen or to half screen by dragging it to the far-right or far-left.
The start menu has been upgraded. You start typing and the results start appearing. Its range has also been extended to include control panel items. Spotlight on OS X is more thorough but its also slightly more draining on the system.
Windows Media Player has received something of a codec overhaul and now sports a decent arsenal of codec playing capabilities straight out of the box. The Play to function allows playlists to be imported directly from external devices such as the PS3 and the Xbox 360.
Another newly improved feature is the system tray, or rather the lack thereof. The tray has been downgraded into a popup menu which only appears when clicked so applications you never wanted cant pester you with those horrid little popup balloons. Speaking of which, these balloons are no longer used by Windows. Instead we have the Action Center which is essentially a functional revamp of the Security Center on Vista. The alerts can be shut off if you wish and can now be viewed here at your convenience.
Rather than lagging Windows 7 with new software, Microsoft has actually removed three programs it considers nonessential: Windows Mail, Movie Maker and Live Photo Gallery. These are now included in the Windows Live Essentials pack, which is available free on the web. There are also no lightweight office applications such as the Works word processor; Microsoft is blaming Anti-Trust laws. Windows Messenger and a PDF viewer are also missing, but manufacturers may include these. They arent hard to install but it does feel like Microsoft are being a tad on the skimpy side here.
A definite plus has been ensuring that the OS is capable of recognising virtually any device around. If unlucky, you still have to lock horns with the device manager which doesnt appear to have been touched during the development process. Device Stage is essentially a sugar-bathed version of the above which is tailored to specific types of hardware developed by Microsoft in collaboration with manufacturers.
So, is Windows 7 worth shelling out for? Essentially, its what Vista should have been. Its faster, more organised and probably more secure than its predecessor (well know this for sure after the hackers have had a proper crack at it). Its not all that much faster than Vista, and it is outperformed by XP in certain categories. Its not really a new OS, just a cleanup of the mess Vista was initially, and in fairness the updates made it a much better OS.
To sum up, the future for Windows and its latest edition looks bright and comes as a relief to those of us who will inevitably end up. Before you know it, we’ll all be talking about the Windows 7 end of life strategy when they upgrade to a new system, haha!
