Windows 7

Windows 7, Microsoft’s upcoming operating system (OS) will be available on October 22. Unlike Windows Vista, Windows 7 is designed to be a more robust operating system with lots of improvements. It will also have all the hardware and application software compatibility that Vista has. In Windows 7, you will notice the overall responsiveness while performing common tasks such as startup/shutdown. If you are switching from Windows XP, you will be amazed to see the overall design with significant level of improvements. Clean installation of Windows 7 on a new computer takes less than 20 minutes. You can directly upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7, but there is no direct upgrade supported from Windows XP to Windows 7 due to many architectural changes in Windows 7. Users will have to use Windows Easy Transfer or USMT.

USER INTERFACE

Windows 7 Desktop will have a new Windows Taskbar. You can ‘pin’ favourite programs anywhere on the taskbar for easy access. Point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of open files or programs. You can close windows from the thumbnail previews. Management of System Tray icons has become easier with the improvements in the Notification Area Icons. Jump Lists take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. This OS is the first to fully embrace Multi-Touch Technology and Biometric devices.

NETWORKING AND SECURITY

Enhanced Network and Sharing Center makes it easy to manage wired and wireless net works. The new feature Home-Group makes it easy to share your libraries and printers on a home network. Windows 7 is bundled with Internet Explorer 8. Windows 7 has a re-designed User Account Control. There is a new BitLocker to Go feature for encrypting removable storage devices. Windows Security Center is now Action Center.

EDITIONS AND PRICING

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Windows 7 will be available in six different editions — Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. Enterprise edition will be only available through Volume Licensing. Pricing is available on Microsoft’s website.

FINAL VERDICT

Overall, Windows 7 is the most stable release in the history of Microsoft Corporation. Windows 7 has been improved a lot, overcoming all the issues raised in Vista. It has a rich user interface and rock-solid security. Windows 7 is the next big thing that will rule the PC market. It also faces a tough competition against "already-released" Mac OS X Snow Leopard. So will it beat the Leopard or get eaten by it!? Wait till Oct 22nd !!