Getting to grips with Windows 7
Microsoft didn't endear itself to computer users with Vista, but can Windows 7 – now available in beta – replace XP in people's affections?
Early adopters are eagerly downloading the first beta release of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7. Microsoft no doubt hopes it will repair the reputation of Windows, tarnished by too many bad user experiences with Vista, and by the steady growth of Apple's market share. The buzz is mostly positive, though there are dissenters.
Paul Thurrott, a Windows expert, likes it overall, but says that the "comingling of different functions" in the taskbar "is a whopper of a mistake, and one that will actively harm most Windows users", adding that the new libraries feature "will confuse users for years to come". These are described below - see what you think.
That said, most agree that Windows 7 is smoother, better-looking, and less annoying than its predecessor. It has similar internals, which means that most software that worked in Vista should continue to work after the upgrade.
Raising the (task)bar
Windows 7 makes significant changes to the desktop and taskbar, the strip of icons that by default runs across the bottom of the screen. The taskbar was introduced in Windows 95, and has worked in broadly the same way since.
Windows 7 changes the rules. The taskbar is bigger by default, and its icons can be shortcuts for launching applications as well as showing what is running. In this respect it is like the Dock in Apple's OS X, though the Windows effort is chunkier and not as pretty. Only frequently used applications that you choose to "pin" appear there, and a subtle difference in shading shows what is actually running. Clicking an icon has varying results depending on the context: it could activate a window or launch an application, or summon a preview or pop up a customised "jump list" menu.
Sneaking a peek
It sounds confusing, but in practice feels mostly intuitive. If you hover the mouse over a preview, other applications go temporarily transparent - which can be disconcerting, particularly if you do not actually click and the window fades back into the background.
There are more tricks to come. Sometimes you can do all your work from the preview or jump list, for simple actions such as playing or pausing a song in a media player. A new "peek" feature is triggered by hovering over the Show Desktop icon, and uses temporary transparency to show your desktop icons and gadgets.
Libraries lets you merge several locations into a single view: each library has a "Save location", which determines where stuff goes if you save it there. The feature is powerful but can be confusing, such as when two different documents of the same name exist in separate folders. In some views they cannot be distinguished.
Homegroups form a simplified approach to home sharing. They are aimed at homes with a wireless network, several PCs and perhaps a game console and network storage device.
The first PC defines a new homegroup with a password; others on the network can then join the group. There are options to share media, using the standards of the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance - dlna.org) - although Apple, unfortunately, is not a member. Support for online identity providers will enable per-user permissions even in a home network, though this is not working in the beta. The Device Stage appears when users connect a device such as a camera, mobile phone, printer or MP3 player. I connected a Sansa Clip, one of the few devices supported in the beta, and was able to follow a link to update its firmware. Other features are aimed at businesses, including encryption for USB storage devices and direct access to server applications online. Built-in support for a variety of sensors will enable location-aware software.
You can touch this
Another theme in Windows 7 is touch control, and some of the user interface enhancements have this in mind. The Windows 7 beta is high quality, and although Microsoft will not commit to a date, there are indications that the company is aiming to complete the software in the summer, with general availability by autumn this year.
Microsoft's reluctance to reveal a release date may partly be for fear of stalling sales of Vista. Windows users who can afford to wait will probably want to do so. That said, behind the revamped desktop Windows 7 is not radically different from Vista, and Vista today is more mature and reliable than it was on first release.
There are several implications. Hardware requirements will be similar - a machine bought now with Vista should be fine for running Windows 7 later, and application and driver compatibility should be good. On the other hand, users who have stuck with XP will be faced with the same compatibility issues in Windows 7 as they would get with Vista. That is not surprising, as XP is now more than seven years old - an eternity in computing. Windows 7 may be the release that persuades XP diehards to upgrade.
Test driving Windows 7
Microsoft has made Beta 1 of Windows 7 publicly available. Anyone can download and install it, and a previously announced limit of 2.5m has been lifted at least until 24 January.
Several health warnings apply. Beta software is unsupported, and this one will expire on 1 August, by which time either an updated pre-release or the final version will be available.
It is not normally possible to upgrade from a beta, so you should expect to zap the install completely when you are done with it. The beta is intended for testing on a spare machine, not for real work.
The Windows 7 download comes as a file with a .iso extension, which is a software image of a DVD. This can be copied to a real DVD using any DVD writer, or mounted as a virtual DVD using a software utility.
There are several strategies you can use to install it. An actual spare PC or laptop is ideal, if it is not too old; the rule of thumb is that it should be able to run Vista. Technical enthusiasts can also use a spare hard drive or partition in their main PC, and choose which Windows to run when starting up.
Another popular approach is to use a virtual PC. These systems let you emulate a PC in software. Microsoft's Virtual PC is a free download, as is the excellent and open source VirtualBox.
You can even attach the downloaded .iso file directly, with no need to burn a DVD. They are isolated from the rest of your system, and removing the beta later is as easy as deleting a file. The main drawback is that you need a more powerful base PC, and the performance will not be as good as with real hardware, particularly for graphics.
Tim Anderson
Wednesday 14 January 2009 17.40 GMT
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
Microsoft didn't endear itself to computer users with Vista, but can Windows 7 – now available in beta – replace XP in people's affections?
Early adopters are eagerly downloading the first beta release of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7. Microsoft no doubt hopes it will repair the reputation of Windows, tarnished by too many bad user experiences with Vista, and by the steady growth of Apple's market share. The buzz is mostly positive, though there are dissenters.
Paul Thurrott, a Windows expert, likes it overall, but says that the "comingling of different functions" in the taskbar "is a whopper of a mistake, and one that will actively harm most Windows users", adding that the new libraries feature "will confuse users for years to come". These are described below - see what you think.
That said, most agree that Windows 7 is smoother, better-looking, and less annoying than its predecessor. It has similar internals, which means that most software that worked in Vista should continue to work after the upgrade.
Raising the (task)bar
Windows 7 makes significant changes to the desktop and taskbar, the strip of icons that by default runs across the bottom of the screen. The taskbar was introduced in Windows 95, and has worked in broadly the same way since.
Windows 7 changes the rules. The taskbar is bigger by default, and its icons can be shortcuts for launching applications as well as showing what is running. In this respect it is like the Dock in Apple's OS X, though the Windows effort is chunkier and not as pretty. Only frequently used applications that you choose to "pin" appear there, and a subtle difference in shading shows what is actually running. Clicking an icon has varying results depending on the context: it could activate a window or launch an application, or summon a preview or pop up a customised "jump list" menu.
Sneaking a peek
It sounds confusing, but in practice feels mostly intuitive. If you hover the mouse over a preview, other applications go temporarily transparent - which can be disconcerting, particularly if you do not actually click and the window fades back into the background.
There are more tricks to come. Sometimes you can do all your work from the preview or jump list, for simple actions such as playing or pausing a song in a media player. A new "peek" feature is triggered by hovering over the Show Desktop icon, and uses temporary transparency to show your desktop icons and gadgets.
Libraries lets you merge several locations into a single view: each library has a "Save location", which determines where stuff goes if you save it there. The feature is powerful but can be confusing, such as when two different documents of the same name exist in separate folders. In some views they cannot be distinguished.
Homegroups form a simplified approach to home sharing. They are aimed at homes with a wireless network, several PCs and perhaps a game console and network storage device.
The first PC defines a new homegroup with a password; others on the network can then join the group. There are options to share media, using the standards of the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance - dlna.org) - although Apple, unfortunately, is not a member. Support for online identity providers will enable per-user permissions even in a home network, though this is not working in the beta. The Device Stage appears when users connect a device such as a camera, mobile phone, printer or MP3 player. I connected a Sansa Clip, one of the few devices supported in the beta, and was able to follow a link to update its firmware. Other features are aimed at businesses, including encryption for USB storage devices and direct access to server applications online. Built-in support for a variety of sensors will enable location-aware software.
You can touch this
Another theme in Windows 7 is touch control, and some of the user interface enhancements have this in mind. The Windows 7 beta is high quality, and although Microsoft will not commit to a date, there are indications that the company is aiming to complete the software in the summer, with general availability by autumn this year.
Microsoft's reluctance to reveal a release date may partly be for fear of stalling sales of Vista. Windows users who can afford to wait will probably want to do so. That said, behind the revamped desktop Windows 7 is not radically different from Vista, and Vista today is more mature and reliable than it was on first release.
There are several implications. Hardware requirements will be similar - a machine bought now with Vista should be fine for running Windows 7 later, and application and driver compatibility should be good. On the other hand, users who have stuck with XP will be faced with the same compatibility issues in Windows 7 as they would get with Vista. That is not surprising, as XP is now more than seven years old - an eternity in computing. Windows 7 may be the release that persuades XP diehards to upgrade.
Test driving Windows 7
Microsoft has made Beta 1 of Windows 7 publicly available. Anyone can download and install it, and a previously announced limit of 2.5m has been lifted at least until 24 January.
Several health warnings apply. Beta software is unsupported, and this one will expire on 1 August, by which time either an updated pre-release or the final version will be available.
It is not normally possible to upgrade from a beta, so you should expect to zap the install completely when you are done with it. The beta is intended for testing on a spare machine, not for real work.
The Windows 7 download comes as a file with a .iso extension, which is a software image of a DVD. This can be copied to a real DVD using any DVD writer, or mounted as a virtual DVD using a software utility.
There are several strategies you can use to install it. An actual spare PC or laptop is ideal, if it is not too old; the rule of thumb is that it should be able to run Vista. Technical enthusiasts can also use a spare hard drive or partition in their main PC, and choose which Windows to run when starting up.
Another popular approach is to use a virtual PC. These systems let you emulate a PC in software. Microsoft's Virtual PC is a free download, as is the excellent and open source VirtualBox.
You can even attach the downloaded .iso file directly, with no need to burn a DVD. They are isolated from the rest of your system, and removing the beta later is as easy as deleting a file. The main drawback is that you need a more powerful base PC, and the performance will not be as good as with real hardware, particularly for graphics.
Tim Anderson
Wednesday 14 January 2009 17.40 GMT
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
