Two Weeks With Windows 7

Much as I'd love to rave about Windows 7, it's tough to work up the enthusiasm. It's a massive improvement on Vista, no question. The beta version I've got running on my review machine is arguably more stable than the full-fat copy of Vista Ultimate - better known as Windows ME for the 21st century - on my home PC. The interface is much more to my liking. If Vista had been like this, I'd have been thrilled.

Except it wasn't. And that's the problem. Windows 7 feels more like an apology than a new operating system - an apology with a hefty price tag. For all the new technology behind the scenes, only a handful of the improvements since Vista really stand out at the moment. I can't give it much credit for stopping UAC annoying me, if only because that was new to Vista. Likewise, I don't really care about things like touchscreen support and handwriting recognition, mostly because I don't have a touchscreen system and nothing short of HAL 9000 has a chance of deciphering my impossible scrawl.

I do like some of the UI tweaks though, especially where the Dock... sorry... the Taskbar is concerned. I find it so much more convenient to have my regular programs laid out ready for me when I switch on my PC, instead of being lumbered with a tiny Quick Launch bar and endless Start menu. As well as adding convenience, it's a good mental reminder to do things like using the Windows Live Photo Gallery tool to sort through images on my machine, instead of dumping them into a random directory for later uploading to Smugmug and Flickr. In addition, the Notification Panel's long-awaited redesign is just what the doctor ordered. It always seemed ironic that while I was restricted to three immediately accessible programs, Windows would always make endless space for everything from Adobe logos to graphics cards control panels I never, ever clicked on.The ability to go in and switch them all off is nothing short of a godsend.

All that said, clarity isn't always the Taskbar's friend. This Ars Technica story goes into great detail on how things can go wrong, and I must admit, I've hit many of these problems myself. It's especially problematic when using Firefox with multiple tabs, although that's hardly Microsoft's fault. I'm also not sure how my system is playing audio if Windows thinks there isn't a device plugged in. The compromise seems to be that it won't let me alter the volume, which isn't too helpful when wearing headphones.

There are plenty of other things to say about Windows 7, and we'll be keeping a close eye on them as the release date approaches, but the Taskbar is easily the biggest improvement for me so far. I installed Vista on my home PC because I felt I more or less had to. I can see myself actually wanting to install this one. I do however reserve the right to grumble and glower at the receipt while I do so.

Sumber: PCplus