Has Microsoft finally got it right with Windows 7 operating system?
In a widely publicised interview, in response to a question about what recent product he wished Microsoft had polished more ahead of shipping, Gates pointed to Vista, the current Windows version.
Widely reviled, Windows Vista sometimes seems so bad that it resembles malware (malicious software).
Like many users, this reviewer stuck with trusty Windows XP, shunning its successor, which is now riding off into the sunset, haunted by the dude-versus-geek 'Get a Mac' ads.
Enter Windows 7.
Expected to ship by the end of 2009, Windows 7 is still in beta (development) mode.
Even so, it has won a warm reception, spawning suggestions that it might be the best ever Microsoft Windows version and bolster the tech titan's dominance as the world-wide platform of choice.
The praise appears justified, at least for the most part. As the name of the desktop clearing utility Aero Shake suggests, it lacks finesse.
Otherwise, Windows 7 behaves like Vista should. Clean and simple, essentially 7 just works yet caters to touch-screen techos with its exotic multitouch function.
Windows 7 needs to be stellar because the interface opposition is stiffer than ever. Besides Apple's Leopard, Windows must contend with Ubuntu: the cool face of the free operating system Linux.
Inevitably, Google (GooOS) is rumoured to be entering the platform war too, fuelling speculation that Microsoft's operating system maker days might be numbered.
But Windows 7 has charm. Even if it cannot erase the memory of Vista, it looks set to arrest the decline.
Seven secrets of the new Windows platform
1. Better "Day-One Experience
The system should run smoothly straight out of the box, after a more streamlined setup routine. Windows 7 offers faster reboots and slicker shutdown, too.
2. Tweaked taskbar
The horizontal bar at the foot of the desktop, which you use to execute programs and manage your desktop, has evolved. No more text, just icons. As with a Mac dock, the icons are big and bold and can be shuffled around. Right-clicking icons opens up jump lists that let you exploit far
more options than simply close.
3. Sneak peek
Peek lets you surreptitiously glance at a window without interaction. Hovering over the one that grabs your eye highlights it and prompts its counterparts to go into discreet, glassy outline mode.
4. Trim tray
The old tray was a clutter collector that compulsively filled with unwanted icons and irritating notifications. With 7, the user is in control. By default, new tray icons are invisible.
5. Word power
Averse to Microsoft Word? WordPad, the free text program bundled with Windows, gets a glamorous ribbon makeover and becomes a full-feature word processor, just as the calculator has beefed up and become a more powerful tool. Wordsmiths and mathletes take note.
6. Big turn-off
No more neurotic 'are you sure you want to do this?' pop-up dialogue boxes. Better yet, annoying frills, from Handwriting Recognition to Windows Search, can be switched off with a quick click. Result: the system runs lighter.
7. Power miser
Unlike its power-hungry predecessor, Windows 7 consumes little juice. On 7's watch, the processor winds down more often and stays idle longer, among other energy-saving moves.
