Windows 7 Pre-beta Preview
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Rumors have been circulating for months that after the debacle that was Windows Vista, Microsoft has been planning to move swiftly on to Windows 7 in much the same way that it dealt with the ME shambles by cutting its losses and rushing out XP. And now we can be certain of it. Join us as we take a look at some of the important changes and improvements you'll see in Windows 7.
The distribution of pre-beta copies of Windows 7 to journalists, developers and hardware suppliers is the clearest signal yet of the company's determination to bring its new OS up to speed as quickly as possible. It has even been hinted that the first commercial version could be ready as early as the summer of 2009 - almost a year ahead of the expected schedule.
But quick is not always good, so what is to be made of this early version of the code that is likely to be powering the vast majority of new PCs in around a year's time? In this two-part article I will be taking a look at the most significant features of the pre-beta release. Part one will cover the many enhancements to the user interface, while in part two I'll be looking at the new networking and security features, along with a selection of the new applications that are expected to be included when Windows 7 eventually rolls out.
The first thing to clarify about Windows 7 is that it shares the vast majority of its code base with Vista. This will no doubt upset large numbers of people, but it isn't actually as bad as it sounds. The problems with Vista were never about the underlying code, but have more to do with the lack of hardware drivers, legacy application support, poor interface implementations of various types, and overbearing security.
These are things that Microsoft should have been able to fix without having to rebuild from the base. That it has attempted to do so will delight partners and hardware suppliers, who are no doubt heaving sighs of relief in all corners of the globe at the news that there will be no repeat of the driver and application fiascoes that marked the release of Vista. Basically, anything that works in Vista will also work in 7. And despite Microsoft's confidence in the Vista code being open to various interpretations, for the time being the company probably deserves the benefit of the doubt. After all, the signs are that in the most important areas, 7 is a major improvement over its predecessor.
Next: It's in the interface >>
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