Tech Blog

[#1]

Window 7 has been available at retail for a couple of weeks now, so I thought I'd use this post to explore some of the cooler features and functions, cooler to me, at least

Look and feel
Windows 7 inherits the Aero graphical desktop feature suite from Vista, but improves on it. You don't *need* Aero to run Windows 7, but it sure improves the experience if you've got a computer capable of handling it. Aero will push older technology or light-weight netbook tech, so it's nice that it's optional.

Microsoft's line on Aero:

Aero visual hallmarks include subtle animations and translucent glass windows, which you can personalize. Pick from the included color palette, or create your own custom tints with the color mixer.

There's more to Aero than style. Point to a taskbar icon, and you’ll see a thumbnail-sized preview—even for live video. Hover on a thumbnail, and it morphs into a full-screen preview. Shake and Peek cut through desktop clutter by quickly minimizing open windows or turning them invisible.

I'm not a huge fan of the 'shake' window function, but the whole interface seems functional and less obtrusive than the Windows XP design -- subtle yet functional.

Another neat visual improvement is the included desktop theme packs -- collections of colours, desktop icons, sounds and backgrounds. The default set that ships with Premium is very well done; I'm a fan of the Canada set.

If one of the included sets don't appeal to you check this out; Microsoft made news today by announcing sponsored theme packs, from mega brands like Coke, Infiniti, Ferrari and others.

Performance
This one, for me is subjective. All the machines I've used Windows 7 on seems to perform better. I have a laptop that would randomly bind due to hard drive activity under Vista; the problem has vanished now that the unit is running Windows 7.

But the biggest speed improvement seems to be the time from boot up to desktop. My XP box used to take about 5 minutes, my Vista box only a little faster. Now, both under Windows 7 take less than 45 seconds. Sure, there's still background activity going on, but the computer is functional for me at that point. I can start opening windows, browsing network shares or documents -- something that was impossible under the other two versions of Windows


Homegroup and Libraries
Two cool new ways to work with your network. Homegroups are like workgroups for the home, yet use new Windows 7 technology to make it easier to connect computers and other Homegroup devices. Cue the Official Company Line:

HomeGroup takes the headache out of sharing files and printers on a home network. Connect two or more PCs running Windows 7, and HomeGroup makes it easy to automatically start sharing your music, picture, video, and document libraries with other people in your home.

Libraries are another nifty Windows 7 innovation. Think of a library as a collection of shortcuts to content that may be spread across your network:

Say you're assembling a family album from snapshots stashed on an external hard drive, your spouse’s PC, and your work laptop. In the past, hunting down specific shots would've been a chore. In Windows 7, you simply create a library, name it something (perhaps, "Family Photos"), and then tell Windows which far-flung folders your new library should include. Your photos are still physically located in three different spots—but now they show up in a single window.

Windows Search
I've neglected this function until now. In previous versions it didn't seem all that intuitive or functional. Not any more. Windows Search is the search field that appears when you hit the left-hand Windows button on the keyboard or bring up the menu by clicking on the Start taskbar button in the lower right of the screen.

What's cool is that when you activate the interface, the search field has the focus. This means that if you hit the Windows key, and type 'backup', Windows search is already displaying results -- makes searching for rarely-used data files or applications a snap. **bleep** it's nice.

Dock Windows Taskbar
Lots to talk about here, most of it has a counterpart on Apple's Macintosh:

For instance, in Windows 7 you can pin favorite programs anywhere on the taskbar for easy access. Not crazy about the icon lineup? Now you can rearrange them any way you like by clicking and dragging. Finally, there are new ways to preview windows. Point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of open files or programs. Then, move your mouse over a thumbnail to preview the window full-screen. You can even close windows from the thumbnail previews—a big time saver.

Games Explorer
An update from the Vista version, and a feature that I'd never heard of until Windows 7, Games Explorer is a customized folder that stores shortcuts to all your games in one place. Sounds rather plain-jane, but what's cool is that the folder has the ability to compare the performance score of your system (a number that ranks how well your system runs Windows 7) against a game's recommended hardware platform -- helping you understand how well the game will play on *your* system.

As well:

The Games folder is more than just the central repository for games on your computer. In Windows 7, the Games folder offers game updates, statistics, news feeds, and more.

Security
Always an issue in a Microsoft OS; when you're the Big Kahuna, you're a big target! Microsoft has made significant improvements in system security software. In fairness, the biggest improvement they've made isn't even bundled with Windows 7 -- it's the Windows Security Essentials package and it's available as a free download. I've written about Security Essentials  before so I'll let you click the link if you want to get up to speed.

Included on the Windows 7 disc are Windows Firewall and Windows Defender. In the past I'd replaced both with free-for-personal-use products, but since I'd installed Security Essentials, I decided to let it play with Microsoft's stock applications.

Windows Firewall received a bunch of enhancements:

"..now you can fine-tune the protection and notifications you want for each of your network profiles—Home, Work, and Public. When you're connected to a public network like a library or a coffee shop, you may want to block all incoming connections. At home or work, this might be overkill. Whatever level of protection you choose for your profiles, you'll be able to switch between them with ease."

Windows Defender will run if you're *not* running Security Essentials. Basically it's an anti-malware package. Functionality of Defender has been incorporated into Security Essentials and SE will turn Defender off if it is detected on your system.

OK, I've overviewed my favourite seven Windows 7 features, what are yours?

Message Edited by bgrier on 11-17-2009 10:20 PM

[#2]

Great info Brad!  I actually didn't know about the Games Explorer feature... I'll have to check that out!  I like the idea of having the game scores included.  Look at that, learn something new every day!

[#3]

Thanks Krypto! Yeah, the Hardware Score feature should be taken with a grain of salt...there are many variables that can impact performance (% of defrag, size of swap file, etc) but it's a great starting place. If your score is low, you probably don't want to crank up the Anti-aliasing and audio effects.

I like the alternate single update feature. When a developer registers their game with Microsoft, they forward updates to MS as well, and updates are delivered through MS servers system...so you don't have to keep track of all the patches from the various developer or publisher sites. Nice to have an official central repository.