Although, the first beta of Windows 7 has only been availableeight weeks , the development of Windows 7 at home goes straight forward much faster than before. The release candidate of Windows 7 (Windows 7 RC1) is already available in the near future. Article Inspector provides an overview of all planned changes in Windows 7.
If you are not interested in details, you don´t need to keep reading at this point, because Windows 7 is actually already finished after the first and the only beta version, when Microsoft published it in the beginning of January 2009. But, a closer inspection can be very interesting, when Microsoft announced the Release Candidate of Windows 7 will be available in few weeks.
Still, Microsoft is working on Windows 7 RC1, but Redmond has published a long list of new changes. This also has a reason: the Windows-7-development-manager Steven Sinofsky makes tempo, but a little too fast. In recent weeks, many testers and developers in numerous forums showed their unhappiness that Microsoft does not take feedback seriously. It shows the impression that the key features in Windows 7 have taken place and no more major change is possible, no matter how the feedback fails.
But obviously, Microsoft wants to avoid this impression: In the engineering-7-Blog, the official communication center of the development team, Steven Sinofsky says personally in 26,000 characters, that he takes the feedbacks very seriously. To emphasize, Microsoft has posted a long list of changes, which will take place in Windows 7 Release Candidate 1. Article Inspector has put together the main changes for Windows 7 RC1. It will follow up a complete test when the RC1 for Windows 7 has been published.
Superbar, Desktop, Explorer and Libraries
Microsoft is planning no major changes in the Superbar, how it should work. But only the details are modified. In the new Superbar, you should be able to place 25 large or 39 small icons before the scrollbar appears. These numbers are for a HD resolution but at a resolution of 1280 x 1024, you will have up to 15 to 22 square symbols in the Superbar in Windows 7.
Sometimes, it is necessary to set a standard setting with an application, when you want to open it. For example, you should be able to open a HTML file to edit them in the browser view. This can be done in the RC1 of Windows 7 just by dragging and dropping the file into the desired icon in the Superbar. While holding down the Shift key. If you always want to open a particular file with this program, you can add it into the stapled list.
Microsoft gives more control over desktop to Windows 7 users. The programs are not able to add their icons automatically into the Superbar after the installation is completed. It happens with user´s drag and drop action. Because the new applications can´t add their icons to the Superbar then Windows 7 makes it much easier to find the newly installed application with using different colors as background for installed software in the Start Menu.
In Windows 7 you are able to turn off the mini-applications and symbols under the Context Menu, which was not possible before.
With the key combination ALT + TAB, you can activate the Aero Peek in Release Candidate of Windows 7: The selected window will be displayed in the full size, but all others will be transparent for a better clarity.
Dragging and dropping a folder into the libraries entry does not define a new library, because this behavior will confuse many users. A click on the Start Menu, and then the User Name, it will bring you directly to your personal libraries. Right now, Windows 7 shows just the libraries with standard settings.
Also the local FAT32 hard-drives can be part of a library. So far it worked only with hard drives, which have had NTFS format system.
Touch, Network, Control Panel
Microsoft refines the RC1 of Windows 7 with the touch functionality. When you just touch the thumbnails on the Superbar, Aero Peek will be activated. It worked so far only with the mouse.
The On-Screen Keyboard is multi-touch capable, which is enabled with key combinations like CTRL + ALT + ENT.
Changes to the User Account Control will generally require a confirmation by the user. This is just to prevent users from viruses, hackers, and etc.
The automatic locking of the computer is now directly adjustable. With Windows 7 test version, it was possible only with creating a specific screen saver. A small globe icon shows the connection to the Internet.
General and Outlook
Windows 7 test version feels quite fast and shows its readiness for being used for Notebooks, but the issue high performance remains in Windows 7. We are still curious what Redmond will dot with the performance in Windows 7.
The Device Stage feature, which should improve the access to the connected devices, is waiting for more reliability in the release candidate of Windows 7.
Concluding the list of changes shows that Windows 7 is just getting finished in Redmond, but no longer are large changes in view. What actually Windows 7 brings in practice, a test will show it in the future.
Microsoft is working hard on the finishing of Windows 7 and the release candidate 1 will be published in a few weeks, but still nobody knows the exact date, when Microsoft will publish the finished version of Windows 7. Official language scheme is still three years after the release of Windows Vista.
There are numerous forums out there, who believe the development of Windows 7 will be finished in September or October 2009. Then the computers for Christmas time will be sold with Windows 7, but Microsoft does not want to repeat the same mistake which they did with Windows Vista on 8 November 2006.
If, Microsoft does not get it right this time, I feel the Corporations, and the buying public WILL NOT forgive Microsoft a second time.
javajolt
