subject: Windows 7 gets personal posted: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:04:29 -0000
[..I can feel another yawn comin' on... hmm lets see, the new system
is faster and has an upgraded interface! Isn't what they said about
Vista? Oh wait, that's what they say every time they release a new
version! And we all know it actually gets slower and harder to use!
So, this baby is still-born. Without a Killer Feature there's no
reason to move. Nothing has changed... except the hardware
requirements of course. - Stu]
Last year Microsoft was promising great advances in the way we use
our computers thanks to Vista, a new version of its Windows system.
Just 18 months later, however - and after a year of intense criticism
- the company today unveiled its successor, Windows 7.
The new system, which is unlikely to go on sale for at least another
year, attempts to fix a number of problems with Vista and allow
Microsoft to compete with a new generation of internet-based systems
that are beginning to challenge its worldwide dominance.
Showing off Windows 7 for the first time at the company's
Professional Developers' Conference in Los Angeles, chief software
architect Ray Ozzie unveiled a vision of the future that included not
only your desktop PC, but also your mobile phone and the online
world.
"We are bringing the best of the web to Windows, and the best of
Windows to the web," said Ozzie, who took over the company's strategy
from co-founder Bill Gates.
"From PC to the web to the phone, we are focused on enabling the
creation of the next generation of user experiences that change the
way we live, work and play."
At first glance, Windows 7 appears similar to Vista, but Microsoft is
promising a number of improvements in performance.
The system will be faster and easier to use, Ozzie said, and is set
to include hi-tech additions such as improved user interface, a new
taskbar and support for a new generation of multitouch screens.
The company announced new features to help protect privacy and manage
your computer's health.
Ozzie also demonstrated a new version of Microsoft Office which uses
the internet to store files - allowing users to pick up their
documents from any computer that is online.
Developers at PDC 2008 are being offered a pre-beta build of Windows
7, as well as early copies of some of Microsoft's other products
being launched at the conference - such as the new cloud computing
system, Azure.
The announcement marks the latest attempt by Microsoft to put the
disappointing launch of Windows Vista behind it.
"We've done a lot of work around how you manage the windows, how you
launch programs and how you manage the windows of the programs you've
launched," said Steven Sinofsky, the senior vice-president for
Windows. "It's all about personalisation and putting you in control
of the PC."
