Lucky Number 7 for Windows?

October 26, 2009 - 11:12 am

Microsoft has made the newest version of its Windows Operating System available to the world. We peer through the glass to see what all the fuss is about.

It’s safe to say a lot of people don’t like Windows Vista, claiming its slow, a memory hog, battery guzzler, or that things just don’t work properly on it. But there’s a lot of excitement about Windows 7, with people positing that Microsoft got it right this time around. It remains to be seen whether that’s because people really like the look of Windows 7, or just that they hate Vista so much!

Let’s see what Microsoft has done to entice us into buying PCs with Windows 7 installed, or indeed buying a Windows 7 upgrade.

7 in a nutshell

Microsoft has gone to great lengths to ensure compatibility is as broad as possible for Windows 7. It’s got thousands more certified applications at launch than Vista had, and if something already works in Vista, Microsoft says it should work on Windows 7 too, ironing out tonnes of bugs in the process. For those that still have trouble, it’ll be possible to run Windows XP from inside Windows 7.

Performance is paramount, but how do you make an Operating System that looks and feels great on a high end system but also runs like a dream on a tiny netbook? You’ll have to ask Microsoft that one, but they reckon they’ve done it. It boots faster, runs faster and generally squeezes more performance out of your system – even when compared to XP, so say the results of early tests.

The best news is, the minimum system requirements for Windows 7 are the same as for Vista, so if you’re running Vista now, you can be pretty sure you can run Windows 7. Oh wait, that’s not the best news. The best best news is that Windows 7 has improved support for SSD drives, making a systems carrying these super-fast drivers speedier still!

There’s more good news for laptop and netbook users. Windows 7 will not just run quicker, it’ll use less juice by turning off software and services that are not needed and being generally more frugal with power usage.

The Windows 7 desktop looks familiar, but has undergone a number of changes.

The look and feel is similar to Vista, but Microsoft has made tweaks in response to feedback and sought out ways to streamline things further. The task bar is different, with the ability to pin items to it. Clicking on a pinned item will either launch it, or bring up its window if it’s already running. The gadget sidebar seen in Vista is gone, but don’t worry, gadgets are still there and are easier to install than ever.

The visually appealing Aero interface has been updated to include some neat tricks, such as snap that lets you snap windows together or to edges of the screen, making it easy to rearrange them and compare open documents. Other bits of magic include Aero Peek and Aero Shake.

If you’ve ever taken Office 2007 for a spin, then you’ll have seen its unique “ribbon” style menu system. Microsoft’s included the ribbon in a number of bundled Windows 7 programs, so the familiar, easy to use menu system will be more widely used – great news, we think.

MS Paint has a makeover and been accessorised with a lovely ribbon.

There’s more… lots more

We could go on to talk about the new version of Windows Media Player, easier networking, or the new touch-screen support… but you haven’t got all day and neither have we.

Instead, if 7 has peaked your interest, check out Microsoft’s Windows 7 Home site to learn more. Watch out for the Internet erupting with Windows 7 reviews in the next few days and prepare yourself for the onslaught of Windows 7 marketing material.

When you get a chance, have a play with a Windows 7 PC and decide for yourself whether it’s worth having, then let us know what you think! We’ll be bringing you a round-up of what the world thinks of Windows 7 once we’ve scoured the web’s reviews.