Five Things We Like About Windows 7
We're still a ways off from the 2010 target release date for Windows 7, but we're already loving the OS's new features and usability.
Windows Vista taught Microsoft a lot about what not to do when launching a new operating system. Don't launch an operating system with shoddy driver support. Don't launch an operating system that's ridiculously slower than your last operating system. And finally, don't launch an operating system that requires a huge memory upgrade to run as well as the operating system it's replacing. After spending a week with Microsoft's new Windows 7 beta, we can say that the company has taken the Vista lessons to heart in its latest OS. Windows 7 boots faster, takes up fewer system resources, offers smarter navigation options, and simplifies tasks such as setting up a home network. We're still a ways off from the 2010 target release date for Windows 7, but we're already loving the OS's new features and usability.
There are a lot of features in Windows 7 that we haven't explored yet such as the new touch screen options, hand writing recognition, and DirectX 11. While touch screen computing and handwriting recognition seem pretty cool, they're not particularly relevant to PC gaming. DirectX 11 counts as a gaming-related feature--but it's also coming to Windows Vista, so it's not really a feature unique to Windows 7. (We also have to wait for the game developers to make software that uses the new GPGPU, general processing on the GPU, and tessellation support in DX11.)
That said, here are the five really cool features that we're excited about in Windows 7!
User Account Control
Faster Boot Times
We hate waiting for our PCs to boot. Microsoft knows this and has rolled out a combination attack to reduce boot times in Windows 7. Microsoft trimmed the number of system-critical services, reduced CPU, RAM, and hard-disk overhead, and improved prefetching to speed up disk seeks in Windows 7. The developers also added parallelization in device and driver initialization. And it shows, our Windows 7 beta test system booted in 26 seconds compared to 33 seconds in Windows Vista.Performance
Accelerators
Windows 7 improves usability in a lot of ways and you can find one of the best new features right now in the Internet Explorer 8 beta. Internet Explorer 8 features accelerators--quick built-in shortcuts--that make posting to Facebook, mapping an address, and sending a link a whole lot easier. Actions that used to require multiple steps are now streamlined with right-click menu options. Want a map of that address? Right-click the address and open the map. Done. You're not limited to Microsoft-provided accelerators either. There are already tons of accelerators from Google, Facebook, Newegg, Wikipedia, and more. Windows 7 has the same right-click on anything accelerator options set up for common applications such as Windows Media Player, Windows Live Messenger, and Internet Explorer.Have you tried the Windows 7 beta yet? Interested in the new features? What do you think of the OS?
Taskbar Experience
Windows 7 comes with a snazzy new taskbar that makes finding and using windows, tabs, and programs much easier. The traditional Windows Vista taskbar shows individual folders and programs. It's not uncommon to get taskbars two or three layers deep for users who like to keep a lot of open items. The Windows 7 taskbar helps organize similar items to save space. You have the option to enable folder and application grouping in Vista and XP, but finding individual windows didn't work as smoothly on the older operating systems. Windows 7 taskbar folders stack together and provide clear previews of their contents on mouseover. Internet Explorer 8 Web browser tabs get their own individual thumbnail previews that show up side by side to help you find the page you want.
Users can also pin programs to the taskbar, a la quicklaunch, but these Windows 7 taskbar buttons can do a lot more than just launch the program. Click on the Windows Live Messenger icon to open a host of options that will let you change your away status or send a message right from the taskbar. The Windows Media player button lets you play files or enable shuffle and Internet Explorer brings up a list of recently visited sites that you can launch instantly.
We also like the new window management features. You can throw windows against the side of the screen to make them take up exactly half the screen. Pull two windows to opposite sides to compare and read two documents in a snap. The windows revert back to their original sizes when you pull them away from the edges of the screen. Additionally, you can shake one window side-to-side to quickly minimize everything else on the screen.
A new taskbar action center lets you quickly customize what icons and alerts you want to see. Annoyed by the automatic update notifications? Gone. Don't need to see the network status? Gone.
Home Networking
Sharing files over the network is half voodoo and half luck for many users on older Windows operating systems. Sometimes computers show up on the network, and other times the network neighborhood sits there with a spinning icon before ultimately crashing. Windows 7's new home-networking features should make file sharing at home a snap. New, easy-to-make homegroups let you share files between computers at home very quickly. The system doesn't require any IP addresses or complex share management. Joining a homegroup is as simple as joining a Wi-Fi network now--which, incidentally, is also easier. Joining wireless networks is as easy as clicking on the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar. Simply select the network you want to join without having to open up any extra dialog boxes.Gadgets
SkyDrive
Most everyone has a big hard drive these days, and an extra terabyte is only $100 away at today's storage prices. However, not all of us have easily accessible networks that we can use to store files. The ability to access your files is just as important as being able to store them. With that in mind, Microsoft released SkyDrive, 25GB of free online storage, accessible anywhere as long as you have an Internet connection and a free Windows Live account. The service launched on December 8, 2008, so it's available now. SkyDrive isn't a Windows 7 feature, but we're hoping that Microsoft will increase the amount of storage you get over time and truly integrate the service into the new OS.Power Usage and Battery Life
Device Stages
It's rare to encounter cameras, MP3 players, or other USB devices that require driver installations anymore, and Microsoft wants to make sure things get even easier in Windows 7. Microsoft wants to open up more detailed action menus whenever you plug in a new device. Instead of popping up a generic prompt with a few options, most devices should give specific prompts that will better expose device-specific uses. For example, plugging in a phone might bring up a prompt that offers options for syncing, ringtones, pictures, and music.Have you tried the Windows 7 beta yet? What do you think of the new OS?
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