Friday, 6 November 2009, 3:15 pm | 1,174 views
Ivan Chan >> TOC Lifestyle
It has been a fortnight since Windows
7 reached our shores with PC sales increased by 3.5% in the past
week. Following its immediate release, mass media reviewers gave
the inevitable nod of approval that Windows 7 is going to be
something people can grab out of
fear while other sites gave their unbiased technical
reviews.
Ultimately, a recent report detailing the uselessness of the
User Account Control (UAC) and the urgent need for an
antivirus software was brought into the picture. As such
the cycle of the broken promise of Windows to its customers is
still inexorably present with the system that assures everyone our
system is going to be better than the previous one.
Visual and UI Improvements
Microsoft has allowed further customization for Desktop Themes
with sounds, colors and images which could be downloaded using a
RSS feed. The gadget bar that Windows Vista users are accustomed to
has made reappearance in Windows 7 with the taskbar eliminated and
the small clock and calendar can be placed on the desktop.
An obvious improvement is the User Interface (UI) with the
enhanced taskbar (bottom bar where the start button and icons are)
now users can rearrange the icons on the taskbar as well as pinning
commonly used programs onto the taskbar as they please. Other
noticeable differences are the additional Windows Aero functions
like Shake, Snap and Peek.
These functions shorten the time to maximize and resize windows
by simply dragging windows up, down, left and right or by shaking a
window while holding the mouse button, and also taking a sneak peek
at the desktop while having multiple windows open.
Performance Improvements
Other than the memory utilization and the obvious processor
speed improvements, there are no noteworthy performance indications
that Windows 7 have over Windows Vista. I tested Windows 7 on my 3
year old TravelMate 3273 WXMi using Windows 7 Ultimate. It boots up
faster and the memory used is much lesser than the preinstalled
Windows Vista due to the lesser use of system and cache memory.
Even with 1 GB of RAM, I managed to run 3 high memory intensive
applications and play a computer game such as World of Warcraft
with high graphic enhancements turned on and a refresh rate of 25
FPS. On Windows Vista with the system’s ‘help’ of memory caching I
had to turn all my graphics to the minimum and use buffers to help
ease the pain of the system. For a computer that has aged 3 years
and using the bare minimum system requirements, I believe that
Windows 7 has done its job of being an improvement to Windows Vista.
Security
With the recent discovery of the uselessness of the UAC, it is
vital that Windows 7 users purchase or acquire a freeware licensed
anti-virus software for their computers. Microsoft has yet to
perfect its UAC for 1 out 8 of viruses ran undetected by the
control tool. It has to balance between the annoying balloons that
show up almost each time an application is executed (Windows Vista)
and virtually letting a mob of viruses run amok in the system.
Given the case, most anti-viruses companies should serve their
functions as tools to prevent unauthorized intrusions and programs.
But, I believe it should serve as a supplement or an add-on to the
basic anti-intrusion function which is UAC. As such, it falls to
Microsoft to perfect its User Account Control system over time and
lay the standards of computer protection to the third-party
security software providers.
Implications to consumers
At first glance, it may seem that Windows Vista seem to haunt
its successor due to the familiar desktop features which were in
both systems. Nonetheless, Windows 7 is an upgrade to Windows
Vista, and it should not have the same problems Windows Vista had.
However, with a new Operating System, a new set of problems will
eventually emerge. And the cycle repeats itself when Windows 8
comes into the picture in time.
For users wanting to upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows Vista or
XP it will be wise to wait for the first service pack to come out.
Even after months of alpha and beta tests, there might be some
issues that might arise following the retail release of the
product. Hence for stability reasons, it would be wise to wait for
a service pack release in a more distance future after the opening
retail sale of Windows 7.
The future
Microsoft should step up their branding as well as their
marketing plans for their viral video (see below) was indeed
controversial. Moreover, their strong
competitor has released videos that aim to sway doubters to use
their stable system. Even with a majority of the PC consumers using
their products they should not rest on their laurels for there
might be other competitors that might want a slice of that pie. Who
knows in the future your computers might be using that system.
The trouble is most Windows users have embraced Windows as their
lifestyle. They are apathetic to Windows being the dominant
operating system. Hence most people remain status quo or the
aforementioned when deciding on an operating system. Plus there
aren’t that many Operating Systems around that could compete with
Windows and have appropriate drivers with support for the hardware
parts and software programs.
With this, the cycle of problems would always remain until it
becomes clear that Microsoft should come up with a stable system
even with the given hardware limitations for all Windows users to
experience. It is Microsoft’s choice for its future operating
systems to be revered as an omnipotent immortal or just merely be
honored as a hero.
Source: The Online Citizen
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/11/windows%e2%80%99-heaven-or-still-back-on-earth/
