Windows 7: A better Vista?

[abousoun]

Windows 7: A better Vista? (CNET)
Posted on Tue Oct 28, 2008 12:00PM EDT


LOS ANGELES--Microsoft on Tuesday offered up far more details on Windows 7, successor to the company's oft-maligned Windows Vista.

In particular, Microsoft is focused on improving the time it takes for Windows to start up and shut down. In addition to its own work, Microsoft has been working directly with computer makers to address all of the factors that affect system performance.

As far as other features, Windows 7 features support for multitouch input and a new taskbar that makes it easier to manage multiple open Windows.
"The focus is on making sure the things you do (today) are easier and that the things you always wanted to do are possible," Corporate Vice President Mike Nash said in an interview Monday. "There's a lot of work we've done to just make things easier and faster.

The early, prebeta version being handed out to developers at the Professional Developer Conference here has all of the programming interfaces that will be in the final version but only some of the planned features.

Several enthusiasts who have been checking out the new code for the past couple of days praised the stability of the release, particularly for an operating system, at this early stage.

With Windows 7, Microsoft has changed the way it approaches building early releases. In the past, Microsoft included features at various stages of development. With Windows 7, features are included in the main Windows build, only after they are fully baked.

Microsoft is clearly looking to leave a far different first impression than it did with Windows Vista, which made major changes under the hood and led to considerable incompatibilities. With Windows 7, Microsoft is not introducing any major changes to the Windows kernel and is keeping much of the other plumbing substantially similar to that of Vista.

The software maker has also tried to reduce some of Vista's other annoyances, such as the frequently criticized User Account Control feature, which some complained led to too many annoying dialog boxes. With Windows 7, users will be able to choose for themselves how often the system warns them of changes being made to their computer.

The next external release of Windows 7, a feature-complete public beta, is slated for early next year.

Nash wouldn't say whether the company plans more than one beta version before its final release. "We'll see how the first one goes," he said.

The company has said it will have the release out within three years of Vista's January 2007 mainstream release, however, CEO Steve Ballmer has said he wants Windows 7 out next year.

source :tech.yahoo.com

Thank You ...

[Babylon]

[Kingroudy]

the revolution is within the Multitouch, and Microsoft has been pioneering this technology for quite some years, and it now first introducing it in Windows 7 and later in the upcoming Microsoft Surface.

[abousoun]

Windows 7 version lineup revealed: Prepare for disappointment



Remember when Vista was announced, and Microsoft decided to release six different versions of the operating system, much to the confusion, disappointment, and ridicule of potential buyers? Well guess what? Microsoft is back with the Windows 7 strategy. What has it learned in the last three years? Pretty much nothing.

While Microsoft is touting the "two primary editions" of Windows 7 -- a Home Premium edition and a Professional (intended for business) edition -- the fact is it's sticking with the same six different versions (or SKUs, stock-keeping units) that it had for Vista.

The real difference is that Windows 7 Home Basic -- the much-reviled stripped-down version of Vista that was designed for bare-bones PCs -- is now being shunted to emerging markets only, though it will still exist. But to confuse matters, a Windows 7 Starter edition, which will run only three applications simultaneously, will also be available.

Also a glimmer of hope: Home Premium will have most of the same features you're used to in Vista Home Premium, but the new Windows 7 Professional is a nice improvement over Vista Business Edition in that Windows 7 Pro will include all of the features from Home Premium (including Media Center and gaming capabilities), plus some other business-centric extras. If there's a bright spot in this news, it's that the Pro version finally looks enticing, unlike the neutered business version of Vista that was pawned off on workplaces two years ago.

But Microsoft blows it again with two more SKUs, again offering an Enterprise and Ultimate version of Windows 7, both containing features that ought to be included off the shelf in Windows 7 Professional. That means nickel-and-diming buyers once again in order to get the BitLocker encryption system.

Microsoft touts the new SKU structure as a "streamlining" of its product line, but I'm having trouble seeing how the Windows 7 lineup is much of an improvement. Things seemed to work pretty well with XP's two versions -- and the Mac folks get along fine with just one. But in an attempt to wring every last dollar out of every last customer, Microsoft again sticks us with a complicated version nightmare that no one's going to like. Is the honeymoon over already? Dang.

source : tech.yahoo.com

Thank You ...

[chaingang_100]

Windows 7 is just gonna crash xp and vista, just wait and see, and mark my words

[ulias]

its a new version of vista, same core but diffrnt behavior :
[not mine but from microsoft ]
till now games are few FPS slower, but it should be fixed with the new drivers.
rating is at 7.9 and not 5.9, eye candy stuff are MAC competition.. will be booming unless priced like vista and xp
5 versions.. akhhh 3a waja3 el rass :P ultimate, basic.. stuff ma 2ela 3ase :P

[Neoxter]

so guys anyone is using the RC version of win 7 ? i downloaded the RC version from microsoft and i got the genuine key for RC only for sure..i installed it on my P4 3.0 Ghz 1 gb ram 256mb nvidia 5500 FX, and its running very smoothly! i was surprised.. so i want to install it on my other pc,way better, what do u think?

[Google]

I advice to test any OS as virtual machine instead of installing it on the real machine. Visualization, is a very important concept and approach to a real time software threading simulation, where we can implement and prepare the necessary environment for real time testing. You can create some snapshot and play with the system like you want and then restore the system to its previous state (when the snapshot was taken).
I personally have a large variety of virtual environments. Withing these labs, I deploy the newest viruses and worms available on the market and enjoy watching them happy.

[P337]

[offtopic]Try Linux people. At least try Kubuntu (if we can call this linux anyway). So yeah, very handy; friendly windows.[/offtopic]

[Neoxter]

@edgard : u can't know whether ur pc will handle the new os if u ran it on a virtual machine cuz it will not run as smooth as if it were installed on that pc, cuz the virtual machine system mainly depend on ram i think, i once installed xp on virtual machine it was too damn slow, while that pc was running vista so smooth and fast.
but yeah i almost forgot the virtual machine thing, i'll try to install win7 on it and give a try.

@peet:i dont have the time to move to linux, maybe i'll try to install it on a virtual machine.one more reason,can i play pc games on linux? the ones i got only work on windows i guess.