Is Windows 7 any different?
I realize that I may not know enough, but does Windows 7 offer any radically different stuff? I mean I am one of the few people who likes Vista, but how exactly is Windows 7 more than a sort of addon? I always feel that instead of a new OS, Windows 7 is what Vista wanted to be. We were promised a completely redesigned and different OS by Microsoft a while ago and I don't really thing they're delivering again.
Sure, it looks better, it's possibly faster, it might even have some cool new tech under the hood, but in the end I don't really care, and I doubt 98% of the end users care. Aeroshake is a nice innovation and the other special actions, taskbar stuff, it shows the company is thinking about users finally, but is it doing enough? I can't really see the awesome breakthroughs, the innovations, radical new ways of OS design. I'm starting to think Microsoft would rather stay with the old and at least keep most of their market, then go for something new and risk it.
With even free OS-s like Ubuntu starting not only to catch up, but surpass Microsoft Windows in many ways, perhaps it's time to start thinking differently, since in the long run Windows won't stand a chance. 3 years ago I couldn't get my internet connection to work with Ubuntu, I couldn't read Windows partitions, the software available was limited or for tech savvy people. Now ubuntu is more plug and play than Windows! Microsoft better starp on a pair or they will be in real trouble.That being said I like Windows 7, but I don't see the radicaly changes I thought would come.
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windows 7 is Windows Vienna; hence, Windows vista was a VIEW of windows vienna.
Why do people constanly comment on things they know vaguely about?
I have been a programmer since Dos and windows 1.1 and I have used every version of windows extensively. With this note, I have to attack some things in these comments.
This article was written on windows 7 BETA ONE; I am using the latest public beta and I think, as mentioned in the article, it is a massive improvement on XP and, of course, vista. I hated the problems with vista but before vista was released, I knew it was going to be terrible. How? Because I am not too lazy to read, unlike someone who posted the comment “It has been well and truly written about that 7 is being developed from the Vista code base.”
Windows 7 is NOT being developed from vista. IT IS THE VICE VERSA; Vista was developed from Windows 7.
Microsoft finally decided to listen to us hybrid users who think linux has been more stable than windows for the past 10 years. They decided the new Filesystem, winfs or EXNTFS, would be build off of linux.
The same goes with the way the SVChost, aka the kernel, accesses memory; it is similiar to that of the linux kernel. This, in the end, caused great stability in windows 7 build 7000 – greater than XP!
So, what happened? Why was vista so buggy being based off the new fantastic windows 7 made of linux modules? Microsoft Got greedy; they knew they weren’t done and weren’t going to be completely done with this new hybrid windows/linux version for ten years.
So what did they do? They pulled out the new svchost and the halfway-done features of 7, kept the window dressing, and released it as windows vista. Windows vista was a crossbreed of windows 7 and windows xp; they weren’t done with the core of 7 so they tried to go backwards quickly and throw in architecture of xp to “complete” it – hence all the problems with Vista.
What is vista italian for? View… View of what? View of windows 7!
windows 7 is quite good in comparision with vista b’cos many application cant run in vista they run in 7 and 7 is quite faster than vista.
look is same but working experience is better than vista.
i think ubuntu is usefull has low virus and now we have lots of software for linux at low cost, and widely available on net.
today virus is a big hangover for netizen.
thats why ubuntu is ??????????????????????
i think the superbar makes windows 7 harder to use, instead of clicking once to swap windows now you have to click twice and to view the control panel in classic mode now instead of just clicking once on control panel you now have to click on control panel / show all items / .. lol its just annoying having to click an extra time.
Yes… I have win7 build 6801 with enabled new taskbar on virtual PC 07 SP1 and its fast. Start take 30-40 seconds and I see my desktop :) The best thing is I have 513 MB ammount of ram alowed. Clasic installtion on HDD should be faster.
In reply to some comments, I don’t think that a speed increase should be a reason to develop a new OS. They should have made it fast in the first place, or used service packs (like they actually did) to make it faster.
Also, the ribbon is great and it is innovative, I love it in Office 2007, but the release was more than 2 years ago.
Also Microsoft keep saying that their new OS releases will be dramatically different with completely new user experiences. I wouldn’t say that making it prettier and faster accounts for this.
Don’t get me wrong I actually love Windows, and I will enjoy Windows 7 when it comes out. I love eyecandy, and I like my OS to look just how I want it too. However Microsoft should announce “the same OS basically, just prettier, with some new features and innovations”.
I haven’t been fortunate enough to sample Windows 7, however, I have been a windows user since the beginning. I have just decided recently to install Ubuntu 8.10 on a spare box. I must say that Ubuntu is impressive, and I think I will continue to follow its progress. I too feel that it getting time to look in another direction, however, until software and game developers look in the other direction as well, I feel that Ubuntu will always be on step behind. I personally hope that this will not be the case for the future of Ubuntu.
Maybe i’m just softening up on being critical of Microsoft, but i see a lot of innovation in Windows 7. The Ribbon UI in default Windows apps along with Microsoft offering it to developers to use, Device Stage, the new taskbar (Dock-inspired, sure), the push towards cloud computing with Windows Live apps and Azure, etc. Microsoft’s got a serious balancing act, trying not to alienate their monstrous base of users, maintain relationships with partners, push computing forward, and of course turn a profit. i think they’re finally loosening up and getting more creative instead of sticking to the Windows paradigms we’re used to, it’s just not at the pace we want. Changing the taskbar, which will have basically been the same for fifteen years when Windows 7 gets released, is huge. Even moreso with the Ribbon UI — the old toolbars have remained largely unchanged since Windows 1.0 IIRC.
It also doesn’t help that, frankly, Apple is meticulous and, in my humble opinion, just better at UI design. They also know how to make the user actually create an emotional connection to their OS — see Leopard’s Time Machine for an example.
Also, Ubuntu more plug and play than Windows? Maybe if you’re considering older devices that Vista won’t recognize, but that’s an odd statement to make given the fact that most devices are made with Windows in mind and Vista does a good job of snagging drivers for newer devices. Ubuntu’s hardly a threat to Windows at this point, still not ready for the mainstream yet. There’s still a lot of nagging issues, particularly if you’re running a laptop. It’s always fun to put a distro on a new box and see just what hardware it picks up and autoconfigures. It’s always *not* fun to have to google issues, particularly things that break unexpectedly after they’ve worked for so long.
If you want to talk about Windows threats, Google would be at the top of the list.
Try it and see, as I said I know is only in pre beta but so far it’s so much faster, more responsive and better looking then Vista.
Yea I agree it’s too soon to judge. :)
Ummm… a little quick to judge dont you think. Windows 7 is FAR from done…
WTF?
I have been using Windows7 pre Beta for a few days now and I must admit it is very fast and user friendly unlike its predecessor Vista which I hate with a vengeance. I know it’s still only in beta but it has already surpassed Vista in speed and performance. The start up and shutdown times have vastly been reduced and the new features are really cool like the new WordPad, paint, aero shake and the general look and feel of it. I think it will be a very good operating system and can’t wait until it is released.
Q: Why should you upgrade form Vista?
A: Because Vista is slow as shi%.
For once Microsoft is actually thinking about the end user
Paul Thurrott wrote a pretty good list of Windows 7 features-
http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/ff.asp
I agree with your assessment of Ubuntu. I am a first time installer, and can’t describe how amazed I am.
The whole process took less than 25mins, and wham! internet, cross-platform read/write, my own desktop, printing paper, storing photos…the list goes on.
Like the rest of the world I’m locked into MSWin for a ton of reasons, but this experience has me convinced that the future really doesn’t include MS.
IMHO Vista vs 7 is same situation as 2000 vs XP. Both do same things, but XP little better.
I was so disappointed when I found out Windows 7 wasn’t a codename for Vista SP2. That was the moment I lost what little faith I had left in Microsoft. The only reason I use Windows anymore is to play certain games, and that’s not going to last much longer.
Best line I’ve heard so far:
“Microsoft better strap on a pair…”
LOLz
This is basically what I was saying in my blog: http://www.prupert.co.uk/2008/11/10/when-will-techies-be-satisfied/
I also quite like Vista, I dont see why MS is so keen to replace it with something new already. I think MS needs to step back and think why they are making a new OS, not just churn out another OS with a few new eye candy features.
I seem to recall reading that Win7 will have a lot less code b/c it is shaking off all of the backwards compatibility code. IIRC, it was mentioned that you will have to run previous apps in some kind of an emulator rather than the native Win7 code.
Or I may have just read someone’s wish list, I’m not sure.
Hi skrollan!
Loads of people always want to know about new OS releases, so writing about Windows 7 is a way to get some visitors coming :)
WORD!
i also don’t get whats up with the windows 7 hype on all the tech-blogs…
Like you even I like Vista, and love Ubuntu!
Even I feel that Windows 7 doesn’t offer much different. But why would M$ do it?
The situation seems to be that Microsoft are in a situtaion they have created by releasing what it seems an unfinished product in WIndws VIsta and are now fixing in Windows 7. I also like Windows 7 but as a consumer, would you want to pay another premium price when you’ve already done it shortly before for Vista.
Sylvain
i also wonder this.
I have been very impressed recently with ubuntu 8.10 and opensuse 11.
I use OSX as my home os and Vista Ultimate for my Media Center and love them both for their strengths but those linuxes have really started to grow on me and I have only used them as live cds.
I fail to see any reason so far to move to windows 7 when it comes out (other than improved media center design and functionality