Curse

Alexandra-Sweet · Sep 13, 2008, 07:26 PM // 19:26

Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 7 (such an original name...) will be released somewhere near the end of 2009 (though knowing Microsoft they will delay it anyway), the beta 1 will be around Christmas 2008.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1582

The so called "features":

* Windows 7 is being designed around five pillars (The five, as reported by AeroXP: specialized for laptops; designed for services; personalized for everyone; optimized for entertainment; engineered for “ease of ownership”)

* Windows 7 will be more modularized and componentized than Vista or other previous Windows releases. Microsoft hasn’t said whether it will allow users/PC makers to opt into (and out of) installing subsystems, the same way that Windows Server 2008 users can choose specific “roles,” but hints that Microsoft is considering this approach for Windows 7 abound. Microsoft officials have discussed their work on “MinWin,” a streamlined version of the Windows core. But MinWin may or may not be won’t be part of Windows 7. (Update: Months after bloggers and reporters first discussed MinWin, Microsoft finally said MinWin won’t be part of Windows 7, via the Sinofsky Q&A on News.com on May 27.)

* Windows 7 will be a minor update to Vista — with “minor,” here, meaning as less disruptive as possible to users and their applications. Microsoft has said Windows 7 will use the same driver model that Vista did.

* Windows 7 will allow users to run legacy applications in virtualized mode to minimize backward compatibility problems. Whether Microsoft will deliver this virtualization via an application-virtualization solution like SoftGrid, the new Kidaro enterprise virtualization product or in some other way is not yet known.

* Windows 7 will include touch functionality (seemingly, whether OEMs are keen on touch or not).

* Windows 7 will be more tightly integrated with Windows Live services. Windows Live becomes the preferred way Microsoft updates existing PC-based functionality and adds new bits in between Windows releases.

* Windows 7 will be more tightly integrated with Windows Mobile. More Windows connections to mobile phones are coming, according to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

* Windows 7 will add support for “HomeGroup” networking — the successor to the “workgroups” concept, akin to the feature codenamed “Castle” that Microsoft at one point intended to deliver as part of Vista.

* Windows 7 will add native support for Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs) — a feature Microsoft already provides in Vista, in the form of Complete PC Backup (in the Business version of Vista).

MisterB · Sep 13, 2008, 09:01 PM // 21:01

If it contains the same or similar level of draconian DRM and user restrictions on installation as Vista, I'll pass on this one, too. I expect it will also consume a great deal more system resources than XP.

enxa · Sep 13, 2008, 09:21 PM // 21:21

Windows 7 is a code name, probably, as Longhorn was.

And i like Vista, no matter what other people say (and im running it without problems on a machine bought in early 2006, so much for its mega resource consumption)

Winterclaw · Sep 13, 2008, 10:04 PM // 22:04

I like the name longhorn more than vista. In fact I still call it longhorn from time to time.

enter_the_zone · Sep 13, 2008, 10:12 PM // 22:12

I'd agree, but Vista isn't even close to what longhorn was supposed to be.

WinFS, anyone?

Instead we're still stuck with NTFS, which wasn't exactly market-leading at it's original launch...