The Windows 7 Truth or Open Your Eyes

*sigh* Oh, Micro$oft... how do I love thee... let me count the ways...

Ok, you all know better than that by now, I hope. If not, you might be on the wrong blog site. Please check the URL. Now that you know that you're here on purpose, let's get in to the meat of this post. Windows 7, or as I like to refer to it Windows Vista SP3.

Get comfortable, this might take a while.

The latest and "greatest" operating system to be released from Redmond is priced at roughly $200. That might have been ok for Vista, because it really was a new version of Windows. But should we, as well-informed consumers, actually take the bait about Windows 7 being a completely new piece of software? I don't think so.


Now, before we get to far in to this, let me confess that I have NOT used Windows 7 in any way, shape or form. This rant disguised as a blog article is based purely on professional reviewers' information and other happenings in the industry.

According to their own website, here is a list of the amazing new features that will sell this product to owners of Windows XP and Windows Vista:

Improved Desktop Navigation:
So with this one, I can wiggle my mouse and minimize all open windows except the one that I currently have focused, 'cause Alt+TAB has never been good enough. I can also mouseover the 'Peek' icon to turn my open windows in to a stack of transparent rectangles... um, how do I know what a window is to select it, if I can't see what its contents are? And then there's Snap, which will let me set my window size by moving it to one of the four sides of my display. I guess dragging the corner or edge to increase or shrink the window size is far too complicated for the average Windows developer/user.

These things might seem fun and new, but in reality, they're nothing more than gimmicky eye-candy that any real computer user can easily ignore and/or do without. I use a computer every day, all day long, and I can't image a time when one of these "innovative" features would increase my efficiency or productivity in any way.

(Screenshot of Peek; courtesy of official Windows 7 website)

Improved Windows Search:
The improved searching that they speak of is simply the Vista search features done right. Instead of searching only local drives, it will also search removable and networked media... which is what it should have done all along. Of course, this is nothing more than what other desktop search tools have provided for years. It's nice to see that Micro$oft has finally caught up to decade-old search capabilities.

Internet Explorer 8:
Yeah, yeah, yeah... we already had this one, and it's so great, that they had to include the option to make it work like the previous version so you can properly view all those pages that you have bookmarked. That's something to spend money on for sure.

Windows Media Center:
Another carry-over feature from the XP Media Center edition that no one really ever used anyway. I guess they figured that they could breathe new life in to it by showing it off as a "new" feature. Not to mention that you find out later about the additional requirements needed to take advantage of the available software tools in here.

HomeGroup Home Networking:
One of my biggest complaints about Vista, besides the raw resource requirement, is the interface for the networking tools and connections. It's beyond horrible from a usability standpoint. If you like intuitive user interfaces, make sure you skip this one. But, maybe they have a small chance at redemption for this with the new HomGroup tools. Well, they might if it didn't require peer machines to also be Windows 7. I guess that's a really great way to force unknowing people to upgrade all of their home computers once they've upgraded the first one... or they can just forget about a home network.

Windows XP Mode*:
Next, we have this wonderful treasure. As with the fabulous IE7 compatibility mode that had to be included with IE8, now we have a Windows XP compatibility mode within Windows 7. Hey Micro$oft, riddle me this... If everything worked so well in Windows XP and IE7, then what was the purpose behind making a whole new operating system at all? Couldn't you just release enhanced security features and a flashy new (and optional) graphical user interface for the operating system and browser that worked? Wouldn't that have been the logical thing to do? Oh, wait, I forgot that you're only concern is trying to make the general public believe that they "need" to "upgrade" to your next $200 piece of software, regardless of how well the one that they already have/had works. This only fuels the fire for all those conspiracy theorists out there that believe that it's the Micro$oft developers that release these exploits into the wild, in my opinion. Great job.

(Screenshot of XP Mode; courtesy of official Windows 7 website)

Join a Domain*:
Well, nothing really special here, except the fact that, like its predecessors, Windows 7 also reserves the ability to join a domain for the upgraded versions. Why is it that Micro$oft believes (and consumers don't complain) that this is a feature that can justifiably be charged extra for?

Backups to a home or business network*:
Even though the cast majority of home PC never get backed up in any way, this feature is listed as a selling point. No doubt for the purpose of selling the upgraded price point version to Small/Home Office users that think they my one day need to backup some of their files. Even still, it's simple enough to burn your important files off to a CD or DVD for archiving purposes. If that's not good enough, chances are that you're a large enough business to warrant a real business continuity and data security policy that will absolutely NOT involve the built-in backup software of your desktop operating systems. Bottom line... this is just fluff, and they want you to pay extra for it.

BitLocker file encryption**:
This wonderful feature requires even more extra purchase dollars, and is even further from being a tool that the average home computer user would actually make use of. This also falls in to the category as the backup solution for business large enough to really have a need for file encryption. Unless, of course, you're in the habit of leaving perfect strangers unattended at the computer desk in your bedroom. I prefer to leave those strangers with my two young children. Sheesh!

Choice of 35 languages**:
And last, but not least. Who could ever live without the availability of support for 35 languages in your desktop operating system? C'mon... 35!... really? I completely understand offering localized versions of a piece of software, but what home or office on Earth needs to have an operating system that supports 35 languages out of the box? That's bloat, plain and simple. But hey, at least I only get that support if I'm willing to purchase the highest cost tier version of the software... that's a plus, right?

Now, let's take a look at the system requirements to be able to take full advantage of the above-listed features. This list is also directly from the Micro$oft website:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

AND, as if that's not enough, you'll need even more for "certain features":

• Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
• For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
• Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
• HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
• Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
• BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2

But wait! That's not all. Micro$oft also includes the following "Windows 7 disclaimer" on their site:

• All prices are Estimated Retail Prices, actual prices may vary.
• Not all features are in all editions of Windows 7. To see which features are in each edition, please see the individual feature descriptions and this chart.
• To run Windows 7, your PC needs to meet these system requirements. Before buying Windows 7 for your PC, please run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and review these upgrade considerations.
• Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of "touch," may require advanced or additional hardware.
• Windows Media Center DVR functionality is not available in all countries, and might require additional hardware.
• For Internet TV, you’ll need Internet access. Free Internet TV content varies by geography. Some content may require additional fees. Internet TV is available in the U.S. and U.K.
• Windows XP Mode runs on Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate and needs to be installed on your PC. You’ll need to download and install both the Windows XP Mode software and virtualization technology, such as Windows Virtual PC. Both are available from the Windows Virtual PC website.

Personally, I hope that the release of Windows 7 will help further shed light on the poor business practices of Micro$oft and with any luck this article will help consumers reach the realization that all the hype is just that. While there have been numerous improvements over Vista, Windows 7 is little more than a patch to correct the errors that so many paid good money for only 3 years ago. Windows 7 is little more than Windows Vista SP3, in my opinion. I don't believe that I'm the only one. Actually, just for fun, take a peek at this performance chart and you can see for yourself that Windows 7 isn't all that they'd ask you to believe. Windows XP is still the clear winner in many categories.

Thank you, Micro$oft, for charging your customers another $200 to get the operating system that they thought they were getting when they gave you $200 the last time.

* Feature only available on the Premium or Ultimate versions of Windows 7
** Feature only available on the Ultimate version of Windows 7