Who cares whether Windows Mojave is actually Windows Vista? For those of us who are PCs, there is intended to be an incremental upgrade called Windows 7, which is slated for release in 2010. The new operating system aims to be compatible with device drivers, applications and hardware that works with Vista.
Microsoft's Windows 7 beta spigot closed Feb. 10; however, Microsoft has declined to comment on whether its $2.5 million cap had been reached.
On April 14, Microsoft will begin to retire Windows XP by changing its mainstream support into a more limited support plan. With Microsoft's most successful operating system's days numbered, what does this mean for the rest of us who still don't want anything to do with Mojave, Mojito, or whatever?
Windows 7 will not contain the gratuitous architectural revisions that Microsoft offered with Vista. Many who use Vista have complained about outdated software and incompatible applications. A new display came at a price of mismatched drivers between hardware vendors and Vista's new sound subsystems. With many users frustrated, Microsoft hopes to offer a fast-installing remedy.
Windows 7 advances in touch, speech and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance and kernel improvements.
Any software that works with Vista should be compatible with Windows 7. Microsoft realizes that the roles of computers are changing in family households and thus hopes to offer an operating system more focused on the user experience. And to get a better grasp of its market, Microsoft will include a program that provides extensive data on how people use its software. Using a Customer Experience Improvement Program, Microsoft says it will be able to better advance the user experience.
After trying out the Beta, I have found installing Windows 7 is faster than installing Windows Vista or Windows XP. In an average of about 20 minutes, I was already getting started.
There are plenty of new features on the Windows 7 desktop. First, the taskbar is a new visual masterpiece. The new, big icons can finally be rearranged, and futile text descriptions have disappeared. Navigating between windows is now a two-level process: pulling up window thumbnails and switching by clicking. It's much more intuitive this way.
There are more quick lists that allow you to jump to particular application features. Most recently used applications will automatically be acquired through a "Jump List," which can be customized to use Windows Media Player or Minesweeper. Perhaps using these lists may be awkward for practical use.
Windows 7 also has new "Aero-features" that help organize your Windows. "Aero Snap" benefits multiple application users, allowing you to drag your windows to the top and drag away to restore it, allowing you to tile to half of the screen. "Aero Peek" allows you to see your desktop without minimizing your applications. Although you can catch a glimpse of shortcuts, since you can't interact with anything on your desktop once you move your mouse off the application, this function seems rather useless.
If you're really into personalizing your desktop, Windows 7 will satisfy your inventive needs. A new concept named Libraries allows you to view arbitrary parts of the files system with organization optimized for different kinds of files.
Early reviews of the Windows 7 Beta have unanimously deemed the operating system as a faster Vista, and what Vista should have been, with no real surprises. Since Vista's foundation doesn't seem to have gone away, many of us are dreading the slow, confusing, consumer-focused operating system.
Nobody can say yet how Windows 7 will perform in the market, but we still have a couple years to brace ourselves.