Yes, I’m rocking an iMac (and a MacBook Pro) these days, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a Windows fan (I think there’s a pun there, but I’m too congested and stuffy-headed to figure it out; I’ll leave that as an exercise for you).
First, let’s get this out there right now: Microsoft Windows is the most robust computer operating system in the world today. That’s been the case since the introduction of Windows 3.1. As a Mac user, I can tell you that OS X is a beautiful OS, but doesn’t have nearly the capability of Windows. And no single version of Unix even comes close to OS X, out of the box.
Windows is the most robust operating system in the world today
Now that I have the fightin’ words out there, let’s get to the point of this article. No doubt you’ve seen proclamations in reviews of Windows 7 betas and release candidates over the past 10 months that "Win 7 is what Vista should have been." I’m certainly not going to argue that point. But let’s look at what Vista is, and what it isn’t: Vista is an outstanding OS, and the best current version of Windows, in every respect, if you have the hardware to run it properly. Unfortunately, that’s where Microsoft dropped the ball with Vista: The so-called "minimum" hardware requirements were, in actual practice, well below minimum.
When I installed Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit, I also upgraded my computer: Core 2 Quad Intel CPU, 4GB of fast RAM, fast SATA hard drives, on a motherboard built for speed. I also had a pricey nVidia GeForce GTX 285 video card. Unsurprisingly, I had zero operating system problems. That does not mean that the OS didn’t feel sluggish: It did. Performance in WoW was good, but hardly great. On the other hand, I never had to turn down video settings, no matter what boss fight I might be in, and how many particle effects were in play.
So what did Microsoft do to finally garner real praise for a new Windows version?
- Code optimization, much like what Apple did with OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. I don’t know if the disk footprint of Win7 is smaller, but the code is tighter. Even running the release candidate in a virtual machine on the iMac, I can tell Win7 is peppier than Vista. I also had the RC installed on my PC before frying the motherboard, and believe me, the speed increase was more than marginal.
- Improved Start menu: Pop it open, start typing, and immediately see relevant search results (often applications) show up almost immediately. You almost don’t need a launch bar!
- Aero. As long as you have a video card to support it, the slick transparent video effects are more than eye candy: Peek allows you to hover over a taskbar region, and see the outline of every open window on your desktop, a huge boon to multitaskers. Shake seems like a gimmick at first, but consider: Grab a window’s titlebar with your mouse, give it a shake, and magically minimize all other desktop windows.
- Speaking of the Taskbar, it has borrowed a bit from OS X’s Dock, and expanded on that (literally): Hover over a taskbar icon, and see all open windows for that application. Then simply click the one you want to work with.
- Libraries. Okay, it’s not an object-oriented file system; maybe Win12 or OS XV will finally achieve that Nirvana. But Libraries allow you to structure your file system to your preferences, rather than Windows’ arbitrary setup. Sure, you still have Documents, Music, Videos, etc., but now you can create file libraries to incorporate or exclude those folders, or subdivide those main folders in any manner you like. I love Libraries!
I’ve only touched the surface of all the new goodness coming in Windows 7, but I have yet to talk to anyone who has installed the release candidate who hasn’t gushed about how much better Win7 is than any predecessor. While WinXP still has the largest installed userbase of any flavor of any OS in the world today, I fully expect Win7 to kick it to the curb in the next 12 to 18 months. That’s how good this new OS is.
Windows 7 will be available to the general public on October 20. I’ll be installing it on my wife’s computer as well as both Macs. Will you be making the switch?
100% yes. I have been running the RC and it’s awesome. I can’t believe the difference over XP especially in graphics rendering. One of the features that I like best is the preview feature on the toolbar menu. When I play WoW and I am on a flight, it’s easy for me to peek and see whether I have landed while still reading my favorite blog. It doesn’t just show a static picture, it shows me in flight.
The one thing I do not like and I hope is improved in the final version is FF. Firefox performs very poorly in Windows 7. I assume that’s because a version of FF for W7 hasn’t been released yet.
Overall, I like it. I hated Vista and switched back but so far Windows 7 has sold me.
The problems with FF still persist in the released version of Windows 7 (at least in my Professional 64bit version), and sometimes the FF task doesn’t shut down if you close all browser windows, but that might be just my system. But that aside, Windows 7 is far better running than Vista, at least as long as you run on common hardware that is not high-end stuff.
It must be such a pane to try and come up with puns when you’re sick.
Seems to be everyone is extolling the virtues of windows 7. I’ve heard that “what vista should have been” thrown around a lot too.
Sill, I’ll wait until there’s a smooth version of FF out. Can’t bear to be without my precious noscript and adblock.