Looking Forward to Windows 7

Part one discussed the major changes to the user interface that have been introduced in the pre-beta release. Part two will take a look at the way Microsoft has implemented networking and security, and discuss the new operating system's application set and device support.  

One of the most frequent criticisms leveled at Vista is its bizarre networking behavior. This can involve almost anything, from multiple reboots being needed to establish connectivity right up to Vista apparently killing networks that worked fine before. The situation wasn't helped by Vista's obscure and hard-to-use Network and Sharing Center, which buried the options in a confusing system of nested dialogs.

Clearly something had to be done, and Microsoft has attempted to improve the Center in a number of key areas. Most significant is the new HomeGroup feature, which as the name suggests has been designed to make home networking easier. Whereas Vista offered layers of concealed options that protected users from the complexities of networking at the cost of making it very difficult for the uninitiated to get things working, HomeGroup sets out to make the most common network options available via a single, straightforward interface. In short, it is the simple way to allow networked PCs to identify and connect to each other.

HomeGroup also provides the tools for users to specify what resources they wish to share and with whom, and to locate and use the shared resources offered by other PCs on the network. On one level it seems astonishing that it's taken Microsoft until late 2008 to implement something so blindingly obvious. On the other we should be thankful for small mercies and accept HomeGroup for what it is: something that should have been done long ago, for sure, but late is a great deal better than never.

All of the HomeGroup interface elements are simple to use, walking users unfamiliar with networking through the steps required to set up the HomeGroup network, add other computers to it, and share resources of various kinds across it. Multiple interfaces have now disappeared entirely, however. For example, the network is protected by an automatically generated password by default, but this can only be changed to something more suitable through a separate interface that provides a range of "advanced" configuration options.

Another major change is the introduction of the View Available Networks interface. This is accessed from the Network Notification icon or the Network and Sharing Center, and provides coherent, interactive access to all the currently available networks. The pane, which pops up above the notification area, shows which networks are connected and disconnected and provides connection tools where appropriate. All of this is backed up by major improvements to 7's power management system, which prioritizes network functions when booting from cold or resuming from standby. Overall, networking is much simpler for the less experienced user, while those with more knowledge should have no trouble adapting to the new approach. 

Vista received much criticism for its overzealous security in the shape of Windows Defender and User Access Control (UAC), with its multiplicity of confirmation prompts for seemingly just about every little task. The early signs are that these dialogs have been greatly scaled back in 7, and UAC itself is more configurable.

A new User Account Control setting is provided in the equally new Windows Solution Center, with four UAC options that vary from "Never Notify" - effectively disabling UAC altogether - to "Always notify me and wait for my response," which is the equivalent of Vista's default behavior. In between are two new, more moderate settings which will retain varying degrees of UAC protection without intruding relentlessly on regular system use.

Security monitoring and reporting functions are now assigned to the new Action Center, which also handles a variety of additional tasks concerning the PC's overall health, such as problem handling, Windows Update, Backup and Restore, and User Account Control.

Unlike Vista's Security Center, and in keeping with the overall impression created by Windows 7, Action Center goes about its work unobtrusively, providing low-key notifications that can be accessed easily through its icon in the Notification Area. Action Center does not insist on an immediate response, meaning that its notifications can be dealt with at the user's convenience, and certain notifications can be disabled entirely if they aren't relevant to a particular machine or configuration.

On the whole, 7's security handling is far more mature and user-friendly than Vista's. Many of that system's frustrations can be relegated to the past, and it would appear that Microsoft is finally starting to trust that its customers are computer literate and capable of figuring out how to work a PC. Hand holding is still there for those that need it, but there is greater scope for experienced users to tone down some of the more annoying features. 

After years of ever-increasing bloat, it is good to see that this latest version of Windows has been significantly streamlined. Many applications, including Photo Gallery, Messenger and Movie Maker, have been unbundled from the core OS and will now be distributed instead through the online Live Essentials suite. Whatever the motivations behind this - and most believe that it has more to do with being able to deliver more regular upgrades to certain applications than is possible when these are embedded in the main OS - the effect is nonetheless welcome. Users who don't need or use these applications no longer have to clutter up their PCs with them, and those that do will appreciate being able to download versions that are up to speed with technological developments.

Best of all, every Live Essentials component is free to download. None of which is to suggest that Windows 7 has somehow become unexpectedly sleek or slimline. There are still plenty of core applications included with the basic installation, some of which have seen their most significant make-overs in years. Among the most noteworthy are: 

Device Stage

The much-improved successor to Vista's Sync Center, Device Stage has been developed to provide coherent support for multi-function devices such as cell phones, advanced printers, media players and digital cameras. The idea is that rather than having to run a separate application for each function of an attached device, these functions can all be accessed through a single interface.

This will allow a cell phone user, for example, to sync the handset to the PC, add new ring tones, manage stored images, video and music, and adjust the device settings, all from one master control panel. The precise options available in Device Stage will vary depending on the services offered by a particular device, but this application promises to offer powerful new functionality in an era of increasingly sophisticated add-on hardware. 

Internet Explorer 8

IE 8 isn't exactly new, with beta versions having been available for XP and Vista for some time. However, the new OS promises to have the full release bundled with it, and system-level enhancements such as Accelerator Support will allow it to take full advantage of the browser.

More applications

Calculator

The Windows Calculator has been given a long-overdue overhaul. It now offers a range of new features, including a scientific mode, a history feature, date calculation, unit conversion and a mortgage estimator. All this is wrapped up in an attractive new interface. 

Word Pad

With most people using some version or another of Microsoft Word, and the few that don't either working in the cloud or using OpenOffice, it's difficult to imagine that Word Pad has a loyal or significant user base. Nonetheless, somebody at HQ has figured that it was worth investing resources into this venerable application, because it has been given a bold new feature set, including theOffice Fluent UIcomplete with its Ribbon toolkit, bullets and indents, print preview, zooming and image handling. It is now capable of serving as a functional, if basic, word processor, although it remains difficult to imagine too many people getting worked up about it.

Paint

Remarkably, the Windows Paint application still seems to have a few miles left in the tank. At least Microsoft developers clearly think so, judging from the effort they have put into this Windows 7 upgrade. It has been given the same Ribbon UI as Word Pad, along with media paint brushes, improved color and shape selection tools, transparent .png file support and variable opacity. All this plus the addition of rulers, grid lines and improved zooming capabilities make MS Paint a functional basic image editor, much as Word Pad has become a functional word processor. It won't satisfy professionals, but offers more than enough power for the new or casual user. 

Alongside these improved applications, Windows 7 contains a number of additional features and enhancements that are intended to simplify and improve the experience of carrying out common tasks. One such is Location Aware Printing, which modifies the default printer setting depending on which network a machine is connected to. This feature will appeal especially to laptop users who change locations frequently. Another enhancement is built-in Blu-Ray read and write support, which should help take the pain out of this format on machines equipped with suitable hardware.

The OS is full of similar small enhancements that promise to make it the most usable and powerful Microsoft OS in years. The developers have done their part. The only outstanding question is whether users will embrace the new release after the damage done by Vista to Microsoft's fragile reputation. As for that, only time will tell.