I’m a PC, and I’ve always been one. That’s why I’m excited about the late release of Windows 7. I’ve been playing with the beta and release candidate for 10 months now, and for the last few months, I’ve been running Windows 7 exclusively. So let’s see what Microsoft’s latest offering is all about!
1. Homegroup
Homegroup is one of the most interesting new features in Windows 7. Setting up a home network has always been a rather tricky task, and Windows 7 is out to change that. Now, there’s no pain involved in setting up file and printer sharing between computers. Simply choose what you want to share from the PC, take the Homegroup password, and plug it into your other Windows 7 machines. You can choose which PCs get to use which files, give read-only access, and allows media streaming if you want (more on this below).
2. Taskbar
The taskbar has been part of Windows since Win95; but now, it better than ever. Hands up if you ever wanted to re-order the applications you have open; that’s what I thought. Now, you can pin applications to the taskbar as well; no it’s not quick launch. The quick launch toolbar has been retired because the whole taskbar is now quick-launch-like.
3. Aero
Aero was introduced in Windows Vista; you know, the transparent window borders. Windows 7 takes it all a step further. You can now hover over those taskbar thumbnail pop ups to get a view of that window only; that’s called Aero Peek. Then, you can drag individual windows to the top to maximize them, or left or right of to snap them to exactly half the screen: Aero Snap.
Aero Peek is also part of the “Show Desktop” button; forever, “Show Desktop” was part of the quick launch toolbar and could be removed if you didn’t want it. Now, it’s built into the toolbar, at the far right side.
At first you might think this was a bad move, but I would argue otherwise. Once you figure it out, you’ll know where to go for that button. And until you try, you don’t know how easy it is to throw your cursor into the corner; no eyes necessary. And you don’t even have to click it. If you just hover there, Aero Peek will show your desktop temporarily; once you slide off the button, you’re back to work.
4. Libraries
Libraries is one of my favorite features. How many people actually use the Documents folder (and only the Documents folder) to store your documents. Not me! Libraries lets you bring all your preferred folders together in one view; of course, you can choose which folder is the default save location. One of the sweetest parts is that you can add folder from other computers on the homegroup or network. Then, when you search the library, you get results from the other PCs as well. And it’s a cinch to share a library on the homegroup.
5. Jump Lists
I love jump lists too, because they’re all about saving you time. Right-clicking on a taskbar icon will bring up a small menu of options, recently / frequently used files (for that app) and tasks. To be honest, part of this has to be baked in by the program’s developer, but if you’re using the right pieces, you’ll at least get the recent / frequent files. And you can pin a file to any application, making it super easy to open regularly used files.
Bonus for Gmail users: check out Gmail Notifier Plus, a nice little app that lists your unread messages for you.
6. Enhanced Security
One of the biggest beefs with Vista was User Account Control. Yes, for the third time: I know I want to [insert action here]. Windows 7 makes this intrusive security feature much more friendly: you can choose your level of notification, from never to always.
For an extra layer of data security, Windows 7 offers BitLocker. Yes, it was there in Vista, but it’s now much improved and easier to use; simply right-click a drive to enable it. New to Windows 7 is BitLocker To Go, which allows you to easily encrypt portable devices like your easily lost USB keys; now you don’t have to worry about storing your sensitive data on a thumb drive.
For corporate situations, Windows 7 offers other security features like Domain Join, which easily connects you to your PC to your company network for easy working from home.
7. Media Streaming
This nifty feature turns your PC into a kind of media server. You can easily share media between computers on the network, deciding which computer gets to hear/see what. It’s simple to play your media on other devices, like a home stereo system, using the Play To feature. You can even play your media over the web. Simply enable internet access to to home media. You’ll need to install the Windows Live Sign-in Assistant, and you’ll need a Windows Live Account, but that’s not much. It took me less than 3 minutes from start to finish to set this up (that includes downloading and installing the Assistant). Then, you can access your media from any Windows 7 PC with streaming enabled.
8. Performance Increase
Overall, Windows 7 is a leaner, meaner operating system. Memory usage is much better than in Vista. Search is speedier. USB devices are available faster than you can say “Plug and Play.” Windows 7 wakes up from sleep mode much quicker than previous versions. I definitely noticed a huge jump in the time it takes to get back on the network; it’s now almost instantaneous. I just restarted my PC to see how long it took to start up: ~40 seconds to get to the desktop and ~48 seconds for the complete boot.
9. Touch
Yes, Windows had support for touch screens before Windows 7, but now it’s bigger and better. With a better built-in keyboard, great finger gesture support, and more, using a touchscreen computer is easier than even. One example of this is jump lists: to bring up a just list on a touchscreen, simply press an icon and drag upwards. (This works with a mouse too; and give it a try if you’ve got a laptop with a touchpad!)
10. Simplicity
Sometimes the test of an OS is just as much what it doesn’t come with as what it does. No longer does Windows come with things like Movie Maker or Outlook Express. No, Microsoft has decided (at least in this area) and the customer knows best. If you want their software, you can get the Windows Live Essentials pack, or you can go for your own favourites. Also, you can now uninstall Internet Explorer if that will give you a hint of satisfaction.
11. Federated Search
Search in Windows 7 is much improved, but now you’re no longer limited to your own PC’s (or network’s) content. A new feature called Federated Search allows you to search other websites and servers. Any search engine that returns in an RSS feed can be turned into a search provider. The Windows 7 Forum offers quite a few search providers and shows you how to make a search provider for any website.
12. Perks
Windows 7 comes with many other perks:
- Aero Shake
- Action Center
- Calculator (sounds lame, but it’s now pretty powerful)
- Snipping Tool
- Sticky Notes
Look them up and get excited!
That’s it for Now!
I hope this whirl-wind tour has excited you about Microsoft Windows 7 has revved you up! So what’s the verdict? Are you upgrading?
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Looks nice, but I can bet on it that it can’t beat Snow Leopard.
Especially when it comes to running 64 bit graphics accelerated applications (OpenCL) next to 32 bit ones.
Just updated from Windows Vista Home Premium, which was built into my tablet PC. The install was much faster, as well as reliable than I’ve ever seen Vista at and trust me, I’ve reloaded Vista 64 bit home premium 3 times in the past year-not a simple or quick task, and I always lost tons of settings. What made me truly excited, was the fact that the drivers that I needed for internet access and other important things automatically downloaded before the install. I didn’t have to go to the website and download them one at a time. By the time I had Windows 7 to the desktop, I was almost immediately connected to the internet, I didn’t even end up needing the backup I made myself in case my programs got lost in the process- which was the biggest downfall- I mean, I used up three 4.7gb DVD’s to save all of it, and I didn’t even get to use the backup, because it was there. All my fonts and programs worked perfectly, except for logmein and rocketdock, but these were fixed by quickly downloading the exe files again after uninstalling, which took relatively no time at all and I didn’t mind it. Upgrading is definitely the way to go if you don’t want everything prior being cleared from your computer. I also like the smaller icons in the task bar, since the text and lettering took up un-needed space in versions before Windows 7. If you know what programs have what icons, then why do you need the text there as well? If you are someone who doesn’t know your program icons yet, Windows 7 lets you swap options, to give yourself the titles, and you can decide whether they should overlay when they fill the task bar or not. A definite improvement. Everything ran faster, smoother, better….I was shocked. Windows 7 is definitely the way to go.
I’m dreading going to windows 7 because it takes about 2 days for me top get my base programs installed… but im stolked W7 sounds so good!! Are all xp programs compatiable with W7?
And on the mac v pc debate that was bound to unfold. I’m a pc user and luv em for many reasons… I’m also a graphics/web developer and need a mac cause at the end of the day they leave us pc users in the dust on many factors in the professional world
Everyone should know that so far Adobe CS3 products haven’t worked for me on my Windows 7 machine. They are listed as incompatible.
Hah hah hah Love reading the Mac Vs Pc war comments. Nowadays I would just get both if I can afford, PC for me, or build me a good Hackingtosh to have both…
It’s fun watching how much Windows Tries to being like a Mac. Vista was their poor first step and I feel that Windows 7, though much improved, is light years away from where Mac is. Before our family had a real mac (we had one, but from 1998 or something), we had a windows and the experience was awful. I think we rebooted the computer a dozen times. For those that have windows, probably upgrade. Though, if you need a computer – just give in and get a Mac. Expensive, but will pay off in the future. I have never been happier with Mac/Apple.
Windows is by far away from trying to be like a Mac. And may I ask, how would you know since you havent tried it, as you said yourself?
I’m a Mac user, and tbh I love Mac, but with Windows7 on my Dell, the workflow is so much better, faster, and you know what, I absolutely LOVE Windows7 – and that comes from a Mac user, think about it.
A new [os/cms/framework/update] and another website giving a reason why we need to upgrade asap!
Really, if I have to run anti-virus, spyware-scanning, or defrag, at this point, then there is no point in upgrading.
it looks a lot better with all its new features, but im still buying a macbook pro next week nothing can stop me
mmm, with AAAAAAAAAALL that features it seems one may need a full featured PC, too. And by that I mean a super-processor, super-video card, tons of memory, etc, etc. Sorry, but Windows does that: It eat all your resources in the most inefficiente way. Will like to hear something talking about that, because so far it’s only what happens in the surface with superpowerful PC’s.
oh bill bill, im happy to be mac.
Will you keep upgrading to Windows?
I bought my first Mac a year ago. Do what you prefer, but think WHY a pc is cheaper. Think what are you paying when you buy a Mac.
Do what you prefer, but i tell you my experience. I used, worked and gamed with pc for 25 years and now i can swear i’ll NEVER buy another one again. It’s not about being Fan of Mac or not.. It’s not about hating Bill Gates or PCs…
You understand the diference when you start using it.
And always remember that Apple invents major computer things, and Microsoft (and other brands) strat copying it.
But, again, if you are happy with your PC and your Windows Eleven, Twleve or whatever, keep whit your happyness!
Oh, i forget this:
Please, take a look of the new iMac video:
http://www.apple.com/imac/
That is upgrade, that is (real) technology, design, efficiency.. that’s what you pay for. And when you use it and start seeing the differences, you understand the price and get proud for buying an Apple product.
(no, i don’t have any benefit on Apple sales!)
Haha, dude for these money, you can get SUPERIOR PC.
Yes mac design of the hardware is cool, sometimes boring, but cool.
But so much money for a machine with laptop parts…hell no…
I’m not a huge microsoft fan but windows 7 looks pretty cool. Will check it out
I just upgraded from vista to 7, the superbar is hands down my favorite feature. It does appear to manage memory better than Vista and I’ve experienced less system slow down. Of course it’ll get better as Service Packs are released, I’ve got no regrets!
If Windows listens to their customers in the future there’s no stopping them.
Guys there is nothing bad to try to “Copy” things, all of you guys here that are visiting nettuts for tuts possibly, all of you know some stuff but you come here to have new ideas te learn new techniques also all of you who are writing tutorials in here, im shure that our there you got the idea fomr somewhere and try to make a tut!
So my point is…. its nothing bad to improve by “Copying” things cause there will never be the same, always you will try to make sim its not copy it and alsways there will be smth different so this means inprovment!
Both Windows and Mac Rocks they make you day Fantastic!
We all know anything is better than Vista but is it better than XP?
Wow. I have all those features and more using Linux.
Or I can spend $300 and use a resource hog. Hmm… what to do…
These ‘top 10′ things, are all included in Vista. Well apart from the crappy Media player and Taskbar. Windows Vista kicks Windows 7 all over the place. What a rubbish OS, the worst thing to come out of Microsoft since Windows 2000.
mac 4evah! microsoft is so deep in their own mantra at this point that if you don’t like windows now you never will… its always going to be more of the same.
but to its credit, for 20 years it fueled the massive increase in desktop computing and a generation of developers grew up i’m sure using at least a few microsoft tools.
now that systems like mac and especially linux have caught up in terms of aesthetic appeal and desktop usability, windows is dead in the water. linux was designed to run the internet, mac is based on the bsd kernel — and with applications moving more frequently to the web or cloud or whateverhaveyou — its only logical that the systems running the gig are the best for using it.
i’ll also add that microsoft has pissed off a ton of people over the years, they haven’t exactly made nice with the community until recent years, so, some of the backlash from the community is definitely motivated by that factor… i mean come the f*** on, they gave us internet explorer… how much time have you wasted developing for internet explorer specifically… bastages.
I just think the rivalry between Mac and Windows users should just stop by now. Its really getting old. I am tired of watching those pointless Apple commercials worrying too much about what the other guy is doing wrong and not saying what they are doing right.
I have been using windows for the majority of my life and have recently been using Ubuntu for some of my work. I have been looking at the Macbook pro 13in. for its portability and battery life. Point being, there is no need to “convert” to a single OS. Just use what you works for you, if its a mac… pc… linux… all of them… who cares, its what works for you.
well said Evan.. at the end of the day, they are just tools.
Need to be honest, I’m a Mac but I have installed Windows 7 on my Windows computer and it is a vast improvement on Vista. Credit given where due, Window’s now have an OS to be proud of (at last).
I came to this site to read Andrew’s article on Windows 7 as I am running XP both at home and at work. I didn’t change to Vista at home because I had doubts, nor at work because my excellent IT Manager also had doubts (we have around 70 users most of whom have very limited expertise beyond what they need to do their jobs – which is fine). Thank you for a useful article Andrew – I may make the move to 7 but there’s no rush.
I am no computer expert – I build my own home hardware but that’s only so I can have what I need in terms of spec and know that the components are from names I recognise. A computer is just a tool that I use.
I am just astonished at the almost religious fervour of some of the posts on a subject as mundane as operating systems. They remind me of the people who call at your door, wanting to convert you to their beliefs, who are certain you are bound for damnation if you don’t. In a way it must be reassuring to be so certain you are right but I’m afraid I don’t see what’s to get so excited about. Perhaps I’m getting old
The best reason to upgrade to Windows 7 is that it is completely free, like all previous Windows. I don’t upgrade to Linux just so I can say I am using Windows for free.
That is great news to here about Win7, then how can i get one for free.
Everybody is saying it is good but nobody is saying how much ram it need to run on.