Well here we are running the beta of Windows 7. This one has been anticipated here for sometime and so now comes the fun.
I have to agree with most of the reviews that I have seen on the internet… Overall so far 7 is running faster than Vista SP1 and we are still looking an code that has not been optimized.
For the seasoned XP aficionado, W7 can be a little strange. Even against Vista there are a number of changes that have been implemented “based on user input”. For instance they have debuted Libraries for media types. What it looks like is that Microsoft is really just grooming people for WinFS whenever it makes it to the public stage (WinFS for those who don’t know it is a file system that is maintained in a monolithic database, as in bye-bye drive letters)
I think my biggest issue is with the new format of the taskbar. While it is very esthetically pleasing the execution is lacking. The removal of the generations old task list layout could work well, however due to the confusion resulting in icons located between running tasks new users may have an interesting time (see screen cap)
One of my favourite innovations is the Aero Windows Peek feature which allows you to get a view of either your desktop (to check on gadgets) or applications that are running. Here are a couple of caps showing the feature in action.
Keep an eye out here as I will be documenting more of the features in the latest release of Windows 7.
I came across this blog posting a couple of days ago and I have to say that it is one of the best write-ups on Windows 7 features. Tim’s post includes a number of hidden features and shows off some of the under the hood enhancements.
