In its brief but troubled lifetime, Windows Vista has been characterized as something of a bloated memory hog by many Microsoft channel partners and customers, some of whom have been clamoring for a slimmer, more simplified version of Windows.

Microsoft appears to be listening to these minimalist pleas, at least when it comes to assigning an official name to Windows 7, the successor to Vista that's slated for release sometime in late 2009.

Andrew Kretzer, director of sales and marketing at Bold Data Technology, a Fremont, Calif.-based system builder, sees Microsoft's move to simplify the Windows naming convention as a positive step that he hopes will soon be applied to Microsoft's entire product line.


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[Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows at Microsoft] has tried to explain the reasoning. "We see Windows as our next logical significant release and seventh in the family of Windows releases," he wrote.

Nash explained that the first three releases of Windows were labelled Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0 and Windows 3.0, and the fourth was a 'family' release encompassing Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows Millennium.

The fifth Windows family included Windows 2000 which was codenamed 5.0, and Windows XP which was shipped as 5.1. Nash explained that the code version numbers had remained in order to keep application compatibility.

Windows Vista was version 6.0, Nash said, adding that Microsoft had realised from this launch that changing basic version numbers can cause application compatibility issues.

"[So] we decided to ship the Windows 7 code as Windows 6.1, which is what you will see in the actual version of the product in cmd.exe or computer properties. "




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Next week, Microsoft will unveil an early version of the successor to its much-maligned Windows Vista operating system-and all indications are that it will (surprise!) take a stripped-down approach.


It may be hard to believe that Microsoft is prepping a version of Windows without e-mail, calendar, and instant messaging apps. After all, some of those features have been bundled with Windows almost from the start; with Vista, the list got longer, including additions such as Windows Photo Gallery and Vista Parental Controls.

But Microsoft officials say the plan for Windows 7 is to deliver a lean operating system that lets you add the features you like, choosing à la carte from a suite of Windows Live Essentials programs you download.



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That will be soooooooo confusing....

Windows 7 a Big Improvement over Vista


Microsoft shows off Windows 7, a less ambitious offering than Vista but one with more realistic goals. With its new features and improved performance, Windows 7 seems like a better version of Vista rather than a major step forward.


At this point, Windows 7 feels more like a second beta or an early release candidate than a developer conference sneak peek.

Rather than constitute some major leap from Vista, Windows 7 feels like a tighter, faster version of Vista, with an assortment of worthwhile feature enhancements, including various improved and new features for enterprise users.



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In Windows 7, users can specify the intrusiveness of notifications and confirmations Windows uses to alert the user to system changes. They can now control how much notification they desire using a slide bar, which enables them to choose from "Never notify me," "Only notify me when programs try to make changes," "Always notify" and "Notify and wait for my approval." UAC had offered only an all-or-nothing choice.

The change drew a fair amount of applause.

Sinofsky also addressed Vista's problems with drivers, many of which were not available until some time after the operating system had shipped. Because Windows 7 uses the same device driver model as Vista, which now has been on the market nearly two years, he did not see there being a similar snag when Windows 7 hits the market. Now, he said, the third-party market is fully involved in writing compatible drivers.


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After almost two years, Windows Vista is still getting a lackluster reception from consumers and facing a relentless marketing barrage from Apple.

There was also a hint that Microsoft plans to revise Windows 7 to take advantage of the coming wave of multicore microprocessors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. Mr. Sinofsky said the company would give more details on the ability of the new program to handle up to 256 processors.

Mr. Sinofsky, who previously led the development of the company's Office application, showed Windows 7 running on a low-priced Lenovo notebook computer equipped with just one gigabyte of memory and a relatively low-power Intel Atom microprocessor. This suggests that the new version of the program will require far fewer resources than its predecessor, although Mr. Sinofsky declined to make specific performance promises.



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Windows 7 in-depth review and video: This time Microsoft gets it right


Microsoft may call the newest version of its operating system Windows 7, but you may want to think of it as Windows 6.5. In overall look and feel, it mimics Vista, although there are enough changes to make it far more than just a juiced-up service pack.

Anyone looking for massive changes or some kind of paradigm shift will be disappointed. But those who want a better-working Vista with the kinks ironed out and some nifty new features introduced will be very pleased.

Overall, Windows 7 is a more functional, more efficiently designed operating system than Windows Vista, with far more attention paid to the user experience.



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My personal opinion of Windows 7, having looked in depth at how it's set up, and what MS is trying to do, is to avoid the OS completely. I'm going to migrate most of my machines to Linux, or BSD. Microsoft's attempt to move from software developer to content provider is coming full circle with the release of Windows 7. The "big brother" aspect of the operating system is staggering. Now Microsoft will not only be able to track your software needs more easily by requiring you to download everything through them such as email client, media player, or document editor.

Their push to provide an integrated profile, online storage space (now upped to 25GB from 5), and other features will entice many people to sign up for as many features as possible since they are "free"

But think about this:

You now have a unique ID with MS, with as much personal info as you choose to divulge.
They have your most important files associated with that ID (if you use the online storage to backup data)
They have a profile of what software you choose to download associated with that ID.
They have a list of every computer you access that profile from (to associate perhaps your work and home computers)
They have the ability to track who you share photos, files and email with more easily.

Basically it gives them the ability to track who you are, who you know, what computers you use, how you use them, and perhaps more.

I imagine they will market this as an attempt to provide more intuitive content, eventually it will likely be mandatory to download content, in order to "crack down on piracy". From there they have the user by the strings, and know far too much about you.

I'm not saying it's all bad, but it's turned the corner towards a very dangerous direction.

I read that Vista already had some theoretically-bad-for-privacy features.

For example, the voice recognition system constantly "learns" the tone of voice and other stuff to give better accuracy. In theory, using that info you can figure out somebody's nationality, from the way he speaks.

There are new features to organize your games from a central place (some kind of "Games" folder), and let admins (parents) block some games for some users (specific children), etc. It also keeps track of how much you play each game, and, if the game supports letting Vista know about it, your scores.

It's all the kind of info that isn't bad for Vista to keep track of, but would be kinda bad if it got sent to M$...

(and that's just two examples; I wish I could find that article detailing all the privacy holes)

Windows 7 Official Video

For more information and videos:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/wind...

Windows 7 beta available for public download

Microsoft made the Windows 7 beta available for public download Saturday after its servers were overwhelmed by users trying to download the operating system.

On its Windows 7 site, Microsoft posted a note saying "The Windows 7 Beta is now available for download." The Windows 7 site lists a page where the beta can be downloaded.

Company officials said activation keys for the code would be capped at 2.5 million, but users who try the beta after that limit is reached will be able to trial it for at least 30 days.


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What can we expect from Win 7 in terms of crunching BOINC? In other words, will Win 7 be better for crunching and possibly make things more efficient for the boinc client? I would think so if there are fewer resources going to the OS than before. But then again, the projects themselves determine what is needed and crunch accordingly. What are the initial reviews?

Also, is Windows the only program that will come with the new OS, without Defender, Windows Mail, Outlook, Explorer, etc?

Consider me one of the minions who detests Vista!

Windows 7 Gets Its Own Web Site


Microsoft has launched a new Web site that aims to build interest in its forthcoming Windows 7 operating system among developers and other IT professionals.

Microsoft plans to release a nearly final version of its Windows 7 operating system to MSDN and TechNet subscribers on Thursday, with a public version of Windows 7 RC slated for release on May 5, according to a previous post by LeBlanc.

If Microsoft is following a timetable similar to that employed for Vista development, then it's highly possible that the company is eyeing a September release date for Windows 7.



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Windows 7 Successfully Installed on a Pentium II


. . . one Windows enthusiast decided to push the limits and in a kind of “how low can you go” scenario, managed to get Microsoft’s latest OS running on a Pentium II at 266 MHz CPU, 96 MB of RAM and a 4 MB graphics card.

The user hackerman1 posted about his efforts on the Windows Club Forums for the world to see and his fellow posters we, like the other users on the forum, were suitably impressed. Hackerman1 said he did three different tests (128 MB, 96 MB and 64 MB of RAM). Of these, he had success with both 128 MB and 96 MB, while his 64 MB attempt returned error messages reading “insufficient memory.”

Hackerman1 went on to say that he also has a Pentium I with a 166 MHz CPU and a 1 MB graphics card and says if he can dig up the PSU, he’s going to test that next.



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Windows 7 Beta Is Speed Demon

TSC's Gary Krakow downloads and installs the new beta version of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system and he is blown away by what he's experiencing.

How to dual-boot or virtualise Windows 7: Try Windows 7 without affecting your current system


Windows 7 is almost here, and the beta has had such glowing reviews that you might be tempted to try it for yourself.

You could just install it over your existing Windows installation and hope that everything runs smoothly, but that's not recommended, especially because clean installs will be required for European Windows upgraders.

A safer option is to install Windows 7 on a separate hard drive partition so that you can choose to boot either to your existing operating system or to Windows 7 when your PC starts.


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Microsoft releases Windows 7 code to PC makers


Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it is releasing the code for Windows 7 to PC manufacturers, keeping the software company on track to have machines running its new operating system in the stores by late October.

The move means Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell Inc, Acer Inc and other computer makers can start to load up new PCs, laptops and netbooks with the operating system, the successor to the unpopular Vista.

Both Microsoft and the manufacturers are hoping the full launch of Windows 7, scheduled for October 22, will help lift PC sales out of the slump caused by the global economic downturn, and give the holiday shopping season an extra lift.



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Top 10 Windows 7 features

V3.co.uk nominates its list of the best things about Microsoft's latest version of Windows


10. It's not Windows Vista

Enough said.


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Windows 7 looks to be "just one big positive" for the marketplace, Maloney said to InformationWeek while making an appearance at Intel's Technology Summit in San Francisco. "This time, we think it will go faster."

Even Intel itself shunned Vista last time around. Vista wasn't enough of an improvement over Windows XP; it just wasn't as reliable and well-developed. Intel didn't upgrade some 80,000 of its own workers to Vista from XP because of the issues with the OS, according to a report in The New York Times last June. To me, that's a very telling move from the world's largest and most popular computer chip maker.

For whatever reason, there's a pattern with releases of new "improved" versions of Windows being skipped over on a regular basis. Windows 95 was a giant success when it was released, in large part because it truly moved computing forward. It improved on the trusted but less-glitzy and less-polished Windows 3.11 for Workgroups and DOS 6.22


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Windows 7: How to Get It Early


Microsoft released the ready-to-ship version of its Windows 7 operating system to software developers and IT professionals on Thursday, raising the question as to when consumers will be able to get their hands on a copy--be it via download, shrink wrap, or preinstalled on a new PC.

Starting today, MSDN and TechNet subscribers can download a "release-to-manufacturing" (RTM) copy of Windows 7 in English, according to Microsoft's The Windows Blog. Versions in other languages will be available October 1st.

Microsoft's Volume License (VL) customers with a Software Assurance license will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting Friday, with editions in other languages coming "in a few weeks." VL customers without an SA license can also grab an RTM copy early, although they'll have to wait until September 1st.



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I must be one of the lucky few who've had almost no hassles with vista, i guess. The 64-bit version runs well on my rig here, with enough ram, horsepower and so forth. But I did install it long after its release, so most of the problems have been sorted out. I see no reason for me to run out and buy win7. I don't like the "cloud" concept so much either that Pletsch outlined below. But it seems to be the way of the future, to have online services.

I doubt that win7 will be as revolutionising as win95 was, but we'll see. If anything it could be that users will adopt 64-bit programs more, from now on. Sooner or later they'll have to anyway.

I've read that Windows 7 is not yet ready for prime time BOINC. I think it was over on the Einstein boards. Until BOINC users can confirm that it is okay to run BOINC on Win 7 platforms, I would not try to rush out and buy it so quickly. Check here or other BOINC boards first. YMMV.

Hi Gerry, I read that thread on E@H forums, you spoke of, and it seems to be a problem for him with the screensaver, on a bit older machine.

I don't know what it could be, but it could be many things, for instance the drivers as someone suggested, or the BOINC software too.

I tried the release candidate (64-bit) on another machine a while ago, basically just running BOINC, and for me there were no issues. But I didn't use the screensaver.

It sounds like your experience is similar to other posters on E@h boards too. How was it on speed? Did you notice any improvement in credit output or a reduction in CPU times?

I have to admit I am hesitant when I hear reports that the screensaver has issues but nothing else. The reason being, of course, is that with limited testing, issues with BOINC over many projects and under different setups and circumstances could be a nightmare in waiting for some or even many crunchers, replete with sluggish behaviors on certain projects and missteps with other applications. I've been pretty lucky so far on such matters, but I don't want to have my luck run out any time soon.