No doubt, Windows 7 is a significant improvement over Windows Vista and Windows XP. So, what are the features that make Windows 7 click? Is the hype justified? You decide! I have used Windows 7 for a while and the features which impressed me are listed below. In no particular order - 1. It's Zippy - My Eee PC 1000H can comfortably handle Windows 7. Yep, it is the first Windows OS which does not need better hardware compared to previous editions. Windows Vista failure hit home and how! And, performance with Windows 7 is actually better than Windows XP - applications open in a snap and responds quicker. Another thing - this OS will boot as fast as Windows XP on the same system, if not faster. My Eee PC boots in 25 sec on Windows 7 - time taken from pressing the ON button to desktop. Neat, eh?
2. Customizable System Tray - The system tray got a makeover in this edition of Windows. Users have a lot more power to manage applications residing in the system tray. You do not want an application in the system tray? Or maybe, you do not want the application, but do not want to miss any notifications from that application in the system tray? Either way, you got it!
3. UAC got Hippier - The User Account Control feature was first introduced in Windows Vista as a means to prevent unauthorized programs from executing. But, it was a nagging nanny! The new UAC got hippier, so to speak - it no longer nags you about all the programs that you run. You can select from 4 levels of protection. Lowest level turns off UAC, while highest level behaves like the UAC found in Vista. The other two intermediate level lowers the level of UAC nagging and makes it actually usable!
4. New Generation Taskbar - This is the most noticeable change in Windows 7. All the windows related to the same software are grouped together using a single icon in the taskbar. Hover your mouse over a icon - you will get a list of thumbnails of windows opened by that particular application. Now bring your mouse to the thumbnail of any one window on that list - the AeroPeek feature gets activated. That window comes to the forground as long as you keep the mouse over the thumbnail of the window on the list. Move away the mouse - the window retracts to the background as before. Else click on the the thumbnail of the window and the window shifts to the foreground permanently. Neat! But, it did take me a few moments to get hang of the new system. The icon can also act as quick launch button when the application is not running. This reduces taskbar clutter. Right-clicking these icons allows access to specific lists like the recently opened documents lists for the particular applications. This change is just like the difference between the iPod and normal music players - normal button can do what the scroll wheel does, but the scroll wheel provides a cleaner, easier to use interface which is more pleasing to use and at the same time highly functional.
5. Dedicated Show Desktop Button - Finally, users get a dedicated Show Desktop button! Whew! This button makes all open windows transparent when you hover the mouse over the icon - allows a quick peek at that Weather Gadget before continuing other tasks.
6. One-click Connect Network - A single click on the network system tray icon produces a pop-up of available networks, rather than having to delve deeper into the OS as was the case in XP and Vista.
7. Fewer Bundled Applications - Thanks to antitrust lawsuits from around the world, Windows 7 no longer includes applications such as Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery, or Windows Movie Maker with the OS. They can be installed through the Windows Live service as desired. As a result, the OS is less bloated.
8. Supercharged Calculator - The calculator can finally be used for other purposes than silly 1+1 mathematics. The calculator now supports different modes of operation - Standard, Scientific, Programmer and Statistics. And you can also configure calculator to expand to display additional Unit Conversion functionality. The calculator can also provide various date/time calculations, including the difference between two dates and adding or subtracting days to a specific date.
9. Bundled Applications Pimped Up - The applications are updated. Internet Explorer 8. Windows Media Player 12. New Windows Media Center. New Microsoft Paint and Microsoft Wordpad - they sport the ribbon interface carried over from Microsoft Office.
10. Easy Customizations - Windows 7 makes it easier to customize window settings with background images, colors, and sounds via a new set of custom windows themes. Users can also create custom themes.
There are many other nifty changes made to this version of Windows. Try out Windows 7 and be pleasantly surprised! Let me know what your favorite feature is.
And as you can see, yes the hype over Windows 7 is JUSTIFIED.
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