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Thursday, January 15, 2009

"Vista That Works"

Although hardly revolutionary, Microsoft's next OS repairs some of Vista's flaws.

By Erica Naone
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Credit: Technology Review

One week after Microsoft began offering preview downloads of Windows 7 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, experts are generally optimistic about what they're seeing. The full release of the new operating system isn't planned until 2010. But the software giant seems to be hoping that the preview release will allay the concerns of Windows users who were unwilling to switch from Windows XP to its troubled successor, Vista.

Vista, which was released in late 2006, met with some bad reviews and sluggish adoption in the business world. Forrester Research reports that by June 2008, only about 9 percent of its clients had switched to Vista. Microsoft went on selling XP months longer than it had planned. Now, the company is promoting Windows 7 as a response to user feedback.

Windows 7 features a few changes to Microsoft's familiar user interface. Buttons for open windows no longer appear along the bottom of the screen. In their place are larger icons representing active and frequently used (or user selected) programs. When a user hovers the cursor over the icon for an active program, preview thumbnails of the open windows pop up, and the user selects the one that she wants. Certain cursor movements also trigger common changes to windows. Dragging a window to the top of the screen maximizes it, dragging a window to the side snaps it in place so that it takes up half the screen, and dragging the cursor down to the right-hand corner of the screen makes all the open windows transparent so that the user can see down to the desktop. Microsoft also says that it has made it easier for users to create home networks, and that Windows 7 makes better use of resources than Vista did. The system requirements are similar to those for Vista Home Premium, but early reports say that Windows 7 manages memory better and runs faster.

Benjamin Bederson, an associate professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland, says that the user-interface adjustments in Windows 7 are good but subtle. "I don't think that people are going to rush to Windows 7 for these, but they're definitely improvements, and they've definitely removed some of the gravel," he says. Microsoft has listened to its customers, Bederson says, and it has paid attention to what its rival, Apple, is doing with user-interface design. Bederson still finds Apple's OSX a more intuitive operating system, but he considers Windows more powerful for advanced users.

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Comments

  • Vista
    asogan on 01/15/2009 at 1:18 AM
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    4/5
    I purchased a laptop pre-loaded with vista. To my intense irritation I realised that the the Office suite was only available for a 6 month trial, was unfamiliar and was an additional purchase.

    Though I'm not the most technical computer person around I decided to give the latest version of Ubuntu a bash.

    Works beautifully with all the functionality that an average Joe like me requires i.e. internet, email, Office suite equivalent (Open office) and media players. I had to download a few programs e.g. VLC but it's no issue if you have some bandwidth available and there's an easy Add/Remove applications option on the drop down menu that checks the net for open source software that's available and carries out the installation for you!

    I've NEVER used a linux OS before but I was highly impressed.

    I can't really think of any good reason why anyone would bother with Vista. Oh, and Vista is a resource hog too. And Ubuntu's free.
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: Vista
      Venuvedam on 01/15/2009 at 2:41 AM
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      I agree that Ubuntu is a great option primarily because it is open source and is free. However, I disagree that Ubuntu is end user ready yet. I have been using and propagating Ubuntu for a long time now. The following aspects are still "pain areas" for end users. (I am not talking about the technical folk)

      1. Connecting to a Wifi network.
      2. Setting up PPPOE. Initiating and terminating net connections.
      3. Out of the box support for MP3, Video CD etc. I understand MP3 is a proprietary format and hence is not bundled with Ubuntu. However most users want to be able to play MP3 and expect a Video CD to play automatically when it is inserted into the drive. Downloading a codec is extra work.
      4. Let's admit it, the Linux versions of instant messengers have a prehistoric feel to them.

      Most of these are not Ubuntu's problem. However from the end user perspective, these are the roadblocks that prevent him/her from having a Wow experience. On the other hand, Windows 7 works just fine - is eye candy and has a great interface.

      Guess the mindset of Ubuntu as well as the supporting software teams should change to ensure it has a larger footprint in the future.
      Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: Vista
      rdunnill on 01/15/2009 at 3:39 PM
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      "I can't really think of any good reason why anyone would bother with Vista."

      Because it works well, and it has available a vast selection of useful applications, from word processors to Blu-ray players. And it may be resource hungry by 1999 standards, but it runs well on today's entry-level hardware (i.e. Athlon64 3000+, 1gb RAM, 160gb HD).

      I set up two senior citizen PC neophytes with Vista x64 systems, and they love them.
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • Win7
    jojo99 on 01/15/2009 at 2:53 AM
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    Like Vista, are they still going to have 6? different variations to choose from?  That was a pretty stupid marketing decision from the getgo which soured a lot of people on Vista initially.
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Win7
    jojo99 on 01/15/2009 at 4:01 AM
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    Just came across this:

    Mark Russinovich: Inside Windows 7

    http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/Going%20Deep/Mark-Russinovich-Inside-Windows-7/ (45 minutes long)
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • vista that works
    rhansing on 01/15/2009 at 10:34 AM
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    i don't know a thing about computers, but when i bought the intel mac, all my problems were solved.

    what is the boot time? That is the question for me. Why can't i buy a program that only boots for the internet, with greater speed?

    Why doesn't microsoft do the mac thing and switch to a Unix base?

    I feel like the guy that bought a toyota years ago and continues to buy Japanese cars, despite improvements in American cars. It will take a super product for me to switch back to the PC...

    Moderate improvements are not a selling point with me.

    Anyway, i'm a dummy with computers.So, my questions may sound dumb... are they???? or are these points valid???
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: vista that works
      LarryH on 01/15/2009 at 2:04 PM      		 Technology Review TR Staff
      Senior Editor
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      The question about a program that boots only for the Internet is a great one. Almost exactly a year ago, we ran an article about one such stripped-down operating system, called Splashtop. A competing system called HyperSpace just debuted at CES
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • reheated osx?
    camdaddy09 on 01/15/2009 at 5:44 PM
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    I just read the guys comments above me and i agree with him on the point he made about about macs. I too switched to a mac in february of last year and have to admit that the gimmicks that windows is trying this time around have been on a mac for quite a while. the cursor movements to the corners of the screen to be used as an aid to get rid of all the windows or make them transparent is just one of the few things that i can see, that were already on a mac 4 years ago. just an observation.
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Looks like more form over function
    dnoonie on 01/16/2009 at 12:13 AM
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    Is this OS going to give my video renders a 30% longer render time over XP or Linux?  Will render times be faster(one can only hope, but I expect newer tech to be better not worse!!!)?
    Rate this comment: 12345
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