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Now that the introduction is done, let's have something useful!
Well...maybe, maybe not. I am going to review the beta of Windows 7, the next generation of Microsoft's infamous operating system. I don't know how useful it will be since you can't buy it or get it on your new PC's yet, but perhaps it will be helpful for when that day comes.
The Name...
The PC vs. Mac commercials used to be funny, but they have gotten absurd. In particular, the recent one making a big fuss about the name of the OS. Gee, they're not going to call the next version "Vista" like they did with the old one! That sounds shady!! Not!
Particularly ironic is that it comes from a company that gives us OSX. What was before that? OS9, and its predecessor OS8...I think you see where I'm going.
To try to make hay from the name Windows 7 is a stretch; an indicator that the premise has "jumped the shark." Moving On.
Installation
Installation is straightforward. If you've installed Windows XP from DVD, you've seen it before. The difference is that Windows 7 installs quite a bit faster than a clean install of XP SP2.
There is the usual partition manager in the beginning, which allows you to determine how much disk you want to allocate to Windows. Once that's done you send it on its way and it completes pretty quickly.
Hardware detection went better than expected. I installed it on an HP/Compaq dc5700 small form factor business desktop.
Even before they merged, HP and Compaq computers were a hassle to work with. They are tightly packed with proprietary hardware, and generally unfriendly. The parts have to be replaced with genuine HP or Compaq parts or they probably won't work. That's been my experience with them, and so I expected that without a CD full of drivers from HP written specifically for Windows 7, I might have a nice door-stop on my hands.
I was wrong. Windows 7 installed perfectly and detected all the hardware without a hitch, including network and sound card. Setting up the sound card on this model of PC is a feat I can not duplicate with Windows XP SP3! Impressive.
The only thing it has failed to detect and install automatically is an older D-Link USB wireless network adapter. For that I had to download the driver from the manufacturer. The only one they had was for XP and Windows 2000. I expected failure here...but it worked. Another pleasant surprise.
This is beta software. That means it's not ready for prime time, and the programmers expect to get lots of feedback about all the bugs. This is why I expected it not to do so well with the hardware.
Boot up
One of the biggest complaints with windows is boot-up time. After a system has been running a while, it seems like you can hit the power button, go make a sandwich, eat it, step out for a smoke, grab a soda (or a pop, or a coke) and return to the computer just in time to log in. Windows 7 is supposed to be a lot better on boot time, with sub-minute boot time advertised.
I compared the Windows 7 install against my home workstation (a Dell). My XP machine at home is a 3.4gigahertz pentium 4 with 1 gigabyte of ram and 250gig mirrored hard drive. The HP has dual 1.8gigahertz CPU's, 1.5 gig of ram, and a 75 gig hard drive. Doing CPU tests, the HP outperforms my desktop soundly.
Boot time on my desktop is 41.54 seconds to login, 40.41 seconds to desktop after that. Total time: 1:21.95.
Windows 7 got to the log-in screen in 41.56 seconds, and reached the desktop 33.21 seconds after that, for a total boot time of 1:14.77. That surprised me. I thought it would be much quicker, but its not bad at all. This makes me think that Windows 7 would boot much slower on my desktop, but it's not really a good comparison. I'll have to dig up another dc5700 that still has XP on it and time that one.
At any rate, it's still pretty quick. 40 seconds to the login screen makes it seem pretty nice for the average user. Where people will run into trouble is when they start loading all the junk that loads at start up and set their instant messaging, email, sidebar gadgets, and other programs to start when they log on. That will take that time from logon to desktop up, up, and awaaayyyy.
Interface
So what's it look like? Not bad. Here's a screenshot:
Looks like Vista.
This is with a theme applied. The monitor I'm using is a wacky wide screen, that's why it looks long.
The calendar page and guages on the right side are the "Sidebar Gadgets." This is a place for info at your fingertips and there are a whole host of gee-gaws and doo-dads you can download and place here, from the mundane like calendars and clocks, to the rotating picture gallery, to news, stock tickers, games, weather, and all manner of other things if you're into that sort of thing. Some of them are pretty neat, but you can clutter up the desktop pretty quickly. Unlike Vista, where your gadgets were confined to the "sidebar," in Windows 7 you can plop them anywhere on the desktop, which means you can have more! Just remember, each one consumes a little cpu and ram.
The task bar is configurable, much like XP. You can put it on the top, sides, or bottom of the screen. The round Windows logo is the new Start button. the first three icons are akin to the "Quick Start" menu in XP. The icons on the task bar can be large or small icons. The screenshot has them set to large. One of my favorite new features is that when you hover the mouse pointer over the icons on the bar, you will see a small preview of what that window contains. Here, let me show you:
If you have more than one instance of a program running, you will get two previews. If you move your mouse up to one of the preview windows, all other windows on the screen will dim and the one you are hovering on will be shown in its position on the screen. Which brings me to this point: the fluidity and richness of features of the graphics is really nice. Another example is this: if you have a window that is maximized and you don't want it maximized any longer, but you don't want to minimize it, in XP you had to restore it, then move it to where you wanted it on the screen. In Windows 7 you just grab the title bar and start dragging. The window instantly reverts to its smaller size and goes wherever you drag it.
Applications
Does it work? I mean, can you do work with it? Yes you can. I have installed open office.org 3.0, firefox 3.0, visual web developer and SQL server. I've had Open Office open with a document, a spreadsheet, and a database, while SQL Server Management Studio backed up a database and VWD was open working on a web application while streaming music from the internet. I haven't had any problems with stability, the system hasn't locked, the applications haven't frozen or crashed on me. It has been an entirely pleasant experience. I must say I expected worse.
Summary and Conclusion
I think Windows 7 will be a winner. It's stable, robust, and aesthetically pleasing and configurable. There's a lot of "under-the-hood" stuff that makes it not vista. It's a full step forward this time, and I admit to liking it. So when that day comes and you must decide, I think you can say with confidence "Yeah, gimme Windows 7." If this is a beta, the consumer release should be outstanding.
Thanks for joining me. I will use this blog to talk tech. Some will be for users, some will be geared more toward professionals, but my intent is to post relevant and useful tips and information to make your life with computers a little better. I take requests also, so feel free to comment or email with questions or topic suggestions.
See you next time!
