What Windows 7 Brings to the Table
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Ever since the future of Windows Seven was clarified, large crowds of enthusiasts have become supporters and now wait anxiously for some official leakage or tidbits from the Redmond giant. Right now, we aren’t relying on gossip or beta tests, but rather we will overview the real stuff—the Windows 7 that is officially hitting the shelves on the 22th of October, this year, 2009. Let’s see what it brings to the table in its very essence.
Almost three years ago, when Windows Vista was released, it promised lots of new features, user interface improvements, and basically claimed that it would redefine the entire computing experience. Windows 7 does not make such claims; instead, it focuses on being an operating system that just works. One of the significant design goals was to offer full hardware compatibility. They could not afford failures.
Windows 7 is based on the Vista code, but it is an entirely different beast. Months ago we learned that Windows 7 is going to be faster, more responsive, and less cluttered (read as: less bloated) than Vista was. If all goes well and the pieces of the puzzle fit together for Microsoft, there's an excellent chance that Windows 7 will deliver all that Vista promised and much more. There are improvements everywhere.
As with every new operating system, we must analyze the system requirements. Microsoft Windows 7 does not seem to be more power-hungry than Vista was. Due to performance improvements, Windows 7 will seem much faster to the average user run on the same machine as compared to Vista. This is because it feels more responsive.
Three of the software bundles were dropped due to recent lawsuits. This means Windows 7 does not come with Windows Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, and Mail. These are freely available with the Windows Essentials update package. The "custom" edition that is shipped within European Union countries is called Windows 7E (E marks Euro); it is an edition that lacks Internet Explorer.
The official SKU lineup for Windows® 7 is the following: Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. For an in-depth analysis of what each version offers, please head over to this website. Our article's scope is to point out the new features, enhancements, and additions to the entire OS.
Let's start reviewing Win 7. We're testing the RTM version while writing this article.
Next: Revamped User Interface >>
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