Windows new software(Operating System) - Windows 7

        Microsoft announced that their new software(Operating System) Windows 7 will be available from October 22, 2009. The company boasted that new Operating System "includes tons of little refinements— and a few big ones—many suggested by you. The result? Everyday computing is faster, simpler, easier."

Is the new OS - Windows 7 really worth the claim?

        A quick look at some of the new operating system's added features, pros & cons of Windows 7.

The new Windows 7 interface:

        The look and feel of the new software - Windows 7 is very pleasing to the eyes. Starting from the bootup screen to the desktop & windows aero themes, the graphic design is cool & different from other windows operating systems. The placement of menus & buttons though are mostly the same as the earlier Operating Systems therefore there is no time needed to adapt before using this new software.

        There is one rectangle button on the bottom right corner of the desktop which is a 'one click shortcut' to the desktop in case you have multiple windows open. This proves to be very useful as it does away with the earlier time-wasting method of minimising all opened windows to get to the desktop. And if you just need to peek at the desktop and return to your open window, just hover the mouse cursor over this rectangle and it will render all the open windows transparent .

        Another useful enhancement in the new software is that, if you have multiple browser page and folders open, the taskbar will only show one instance of them in the taskbar, and not clutter them like in the earlier Windows operating systems. All you have to do to get to them is to hover the mouse over the particular icon and it will show you miniature windows of the items from whom you can pick which one to maximise.

Windows 7 Desktop gadgets:

        The new OS comes preloaded with desktop gadgets like, clock, calendar, CPU meter, weather, slideshows, puzzles etc.

Fast boot:

        One of the most promising feature of this new Operating System is its quick booting time. From the moment the computer is turned on, it takes approximately 25-35 seconds for Windows 7 to fully load for use. Of course this time would vary from system to system depending on your system's hardware and how many programs requiring startup initialisation were installed in the computer.

Automated driver installation in Windows 7:

        For those of you who have installed a new operating system on computers, the most frustrating & problematic is usually the driver installation for hardware components like graphics, network adapter and audio. Kudos to Microsoft for incorporating the first Operating System that installs these drivers automatically from its own archive (seems to be pretty exhaustive), if not, downloading them from the internet during the installation itself. Add to that, if you plug in a new hardware to your system that requires a driver, the new software recognises & downloads the required driver from the internet and installs it automatically. It is a "handsfree" Operating System!

Backward Compatibility:

        It is surprising to find that most of the software applications currently used in Vista do run in Windows 7 without the need for upgrade. Switching to a new Operating System tends to be not so enticing because it usually requires shelling out more greenbacks towards upgrading your software programs. For those applications that works poorly in Windows 7, there is a neat feature at work. The "program compatibility" feature in the new software lets you run these applications in a simulated earlier versions of windows i.e. XP or Vista.

        For those users who are still glued to Windows XP, there is a new feature called Windows XP Mode which lets you run WinXP right inside the Windows 7 desktop. This feature comes as a separate download and works only with Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate versions. Windows XP Mode also requires virtualization software such as Windows Virtual PC. Both, Microsoft promises, will be available free on the Microsoft website.

Windows 7 Performance:

        Windows 7 is basically a strip down version of its immediate predecessor, Windows Vista, with a variety of new and improved features added. Windows Vista is rich in features which in turn makes it unwieldy and slow in response. Many of the features included in Windows Vista are seldom used by the common user. Windows 7 seems to unload quite a bit of these unwanted features, and in comparison has a very speedy response, uses less memory and its overall performance is quite satisfying.

Windows Media Player 12:

         Windows 7 includes the latest Microsoft Windows Media Player version 12. The new media player is very promising in that, apart from supporting playing of media formats included in earlier versions, it also plays the new media formats including 3GP, AAC, AVCHD, MPEG-4,  MOV, and Xvid files.

Cons:

          Of minor irks in the new software (OS) - Windows 7, two things Microsoft might like to pay their attention to. One is the User Accounts Control system incorporated in the OS. This security feature might be a bit too constricting. Some legitimate programs and applications are blocked by this feature thereby the only option is to run it in Safe Mode.

        The other is audio problem. It looks as though the new software supports only Stereo system and do not support multi-channel audio system i.e. quad, 6 channel & 8 channel system.

        Although, the problems, if true, could be fixed by the time the new software arrives at the stands. The Operating System reviewed here is Windows 7 RC(Release Candidate).

Conclusion:

          All things said and done, Windows' new software(Operating System) - Windows 7 is, I'll say, a very serious contender to be the best operating system till now. From the speedy performance to the 'handsfree' driver installations, from the multiple added features to the easy to use & cool user interface, this new software from Windows holds great promises.  And with some minor tweaks could indeed be the Operating System of choice for the future.