Looking Forward to Windows 7
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In late October 2008 Microsoft began distributing the first pre-beta versions of Windows 7 at its Professional Developers Conference. This is the clearest indicator to date of the urgency with which it wants to roll out the new operating system and put the Vista debacle behind it once and for all. Welcome to the second part of a two-part series that takes a close look at what we can expect from the new OS.
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.
Networking 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.
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