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Microsoft settles on 'Windows 7' for new OS
Microsoft confirms the next version of its operating system will be called Windows 7 but the decision has invoked surprise and confusion among some observers.
"While I know there have been a few cases at Microsoft when the codename of a product was used for the final release, I am pretty sure this is a first for Windows. You might wonder about the decision," Nash wrote.
The name was chosen to keep things simple, Nash explained. "This is the seventh release of Windows, so therefore 'Windows 7' just makes sense," he said.
Nash added that Microsoft had decided against using an aspirational name because the company's aspiration lay with Windows Vista.
Windows 7 will represent an evolution and refinement of the "substantial investments" made in the Windows Vista technology, he said.
But responses to Nash's blog suggest that Microsoft may not be keeping things simple after all. A number of commentators point out that the release is not Microsoft's seventh at all, whichever way you look at it.
According to the general consensus, there have already been seven versions of Windows: Windows, Windows 2, Windows 3.0, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. This new edition should therefore be Windows 8. If Windows XP is not counted because it is Kernel 5.1, then 'Windows 7' should be Windows 6.1.
"What will happen when the 'real' Windows 7.0 comes around in x years? Wait a second I thought Windows 7 was released years ago," said a posting under the name of 'PatriotB'.
"I guess you guys thought Windows 6.1 didn't slip off the tongue. But still, don't lie to people and muddy everything up."
Another reader, called 'Resplendent', said: "It does seem like an odd shift to go from 'names' (Millennium/XP/Vista) back to numbers again."
Further details of Windows 7 will be released at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference and WinHec events, at which Microsoft will share a pre-beta developer only release with attendees.
Microsoft readies new Windows 7 and Vista releases
Microsoft has announced it is to release new updates for PCs running the Windows 7 beta.
In a posting on The Windows Blog, Windows 7 manager Brandon LeBlanc said the firm would be releasing up to five test updates on February 24, which 'will allow us to test and verify our ability to deliver and mange the updating of Windows 7'.
LeBlanc was keen to emphasise that the updates would not deliver new features or bug fixes and would merely 'replace system files with the same version of the file currently on the system'.
Users will need to manually install the updates through Windows Update, he added.
But as Windows 7 took a step closer to a full release, Microsoft has been busy preparing for a Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 release, according to reports.
The Ars Technica site said the Vista SP2 RC, build 6002.16670.090130, was released to Microsoft Connect testers and will soon be made available to a broader range of testers via the Windows Update site.
Vista SP2 will include all previous updates and patches for the operating system, the site reported.
There have also been reports of 'significant performance improvements' over SP1, although SP2 RC contains 691 hotfixes, said Ars Technica.
It is widely believed that Microsoft's detailing of its plans for the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system is an admission of its failure with Vista, which has received poor reviews and disappointing take up since its worldwide release in 2007.
Microsoft outlines Windows 7 tweaks
Microsoft developers have provided users with a laundry list of new features and interface changes for the upcoming Windows 7 Release Candidate build.
The company issued a blog posting from senior program manager Chaitanya Sareen outlining some 36 changes to the Windows interface that users can expect in future versions of Windows 7.
Many of the changes are designed to speed up operations, such as new keyboard shortcuts and a simplified process for editing the taskbar.
Sareen also confirmed that improved controls for multi-touch keyboards would be included in the release candidate.
The company is also focusing on speeding up the performance new version of the operating system. Tasks such as Start Menu load times have been sped up.
Microsoft also plans to add more features to the Windows 7 interface. The new "aero peek" preview feature can be triggered by pressing 'alt-tab,' while alert windows on the taskbar will be made more visible.
"A careful balance must be struck between providing information and not irritating the customer," Sareen wrote of the so-called 'needy windows.' "With the new taskbar, we received feedback that Outlook reminders or a Messenger chat sometimes went unnoticed because needy windows were too subtle."
Perhaps the most discussed change users will find in the release candidate will be in the user account control (UAC) component. Microsoft vowed to change the security settings for UAC after researchers discovered that the feature could be disabled without any warning or notification.
The upcoming release candidate is set to be among the final builds of Windows 7 before the operating system ships to OEMs and then retailers. While the company has set the first quarter of 2010 as its target period for release, recent development schedules suggest that Windows 7 may be out before Christmas.
Windows 7 finds friends in developers
Microsoft has released details of its plans for Windows 7 and developers commenting on the announcement have proved largely supportive.
An analysis of the comments made on the Engineering Windows 7 site show enthusiastic support for the libraries changes made in the new operating system, and the keyboard shortcuts and the new taskbar system
The bulk of the comments were positive about the changes, but some issues have been raised.
Many feel that, from a security standpoint, the new operating system needs to show more details on file extensions.
A failure to do so could make it easier for malware writers to trick users into getting infected.
"Can we please stop being afraid of file extensions? This causes security issues as the most common attack is an executable file with 'picture.png.exe', (or 'piture.exe') name and the 'exe' is hidden, and has a picture icon," writes one developer.
"Average users don't know, and even if you have UAC prompt, they will still hit Continue, because they will think it is normal and expected to require admin privileges, or think it's the picture viewing application that wants to get some updates or other reasons."
There seems to be a certain amount of nostalgia for the classic Windows Start Menu, which has been a feature since Windows 95. However, some developers feel that it is time for a change.
"It's time to evolve the way Windows users interface with Windows. The old 95 era start menu just doesn't cut it anymore," said one.
"I was just like you guys. I stuck with the classic menu all the way though XP. However, I decided to try the new method in Windows Vista. I learned to make it work for me by unlearning what I did in the old days [and] by keeping open minded and adjusting the way I do things."
It is clear, however, that Internet Explorer 8 still needs work. Complaints include poor picture sizing and unstable operation, as well as a lack of customisation.
Windows 7 build 7057 - Performance that blasts past XP, Vista and previous builds
Over the weekend I've been spending time with the latest leaked build of Windows 7 - build 7057. While this isn't the release candidate (RC) build that some people claim it is, this build is certainly pretty close to being RC.
How can I tell that we're close to seeing an RC build? Well, mostly it's a gut feeling based on the fact that features-wise Windows 7 has been finished for a long time and that now Microsoft seems to be at the stage of adding new wallpapers, tweaking default account pictures, and generally polishing a few aspects of the UI. However, I don't want to underestimate the importance of getting a look at this build, because it's the first 32-bit build I've seen since the beta 1 release (which was released back in January, but had a build date going back to December 08). Only the 64-bit flavor of build 7048 emerged earlier this month. Build 7057 also the freshest build - the build date stamp, 090305-2000 translates into 5th Mar 2009, 8:00pm - so this is literally just over a week old.
Rather than give you a blow-by-blow account of everything that's different about this build compared to every previous build that we've seen (I'll leave that to others), I'm going to concentrate on the one area that interests me (and many of my readers) the most - performance.
Note: Before I go any further, I feel the need to emphasize that build 7057 is still a beta build and nothing can be taken as being final at this stage.
Important note: I have on several occasions contacted Microsoft for feedback on benchmarking Windows 7 and at this point the company is not ready to discuss performance testing.
Rather than publish a series of synthetic benchmark results for the different operating systems and builds (Microsoft frowns upon benchmarking beta builds, not to mention the fact that the final numbers only really matter for the release candidate and RTM builds), I've decided to put Windows 7, Vista and XP head-to-head in a series of real-world tests to find out which OS comes out top.
Let's look at the test systems and the tests...
The test systems
I've used two desktop systems as the test machines:
* An AMD Phenom 9700 2.4GHz system fitted with an ATI Radeon 3850 and 4GB of RAM * An Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 2.2GHz fitted with an NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS and 1GB of RAM
The tests
There are 31 tests in all, most of which are self-explanatory:
1. Install OS - Time it takes to install the OS
2. Boot up - Average boot time to usable desktop
3. Shut down - Average shut down time
4. Move 100MB files - Move 100MB of JPEG files from one hard drive to another
5. Move 2.5GB files - Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from one hard drive to another
6. Network transfer 100MB files - Move 100MB of JPEG files from test machine to NAS device
7. Network transfer 2.5GB files - Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from test machine to NAS device
8. Move 100MB files under load - Move 100MB of JPEG files from one hard drive to another while ripping DVD to .ISO file
9. Move 2.5GB files under load - Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from one hard drive to another while ripping DVD to .ISO file
10. Network transfer 100MB files under load - Move 100MB of JPEG files from test machine to NAS device while ripping DVD to .ISO file
11. Network transfer 2.5GB files under load - Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from test machine to NAS device while ripping DVD to .ISO file
12. Compress 100MB files - Using built-in ZIP compression
13. Compress 1GB files - Using built-in ZIP compression
14. Extract 100MB files - Using built-in ZIP compression
15. Extract 1GB files - Using built-in ZIP compression
16. Compress 100MB files under load - Using built-in ZIP compression while ripping DVD to .ISO file
17. Compress 1GB files under load - Using built-in ZIP compression while ripping DVD to .ISO file
18. Extract 100MB files under load - Using built-in ZIP compression while ripping DVD to .ISO file
19. Extract 1GB files under load - Using built-in ZIP compression while ripping DVD to .ISO file
20. Install Office 2007 - Ultimate version, from DVD
21. Open 10 page Word doc - Text only
22. Open 100 page Word doc - Text and images
23. Open simple Excel doc - Basic formatting
24. Open complex Excel doc - Including formula and charts
25. Burn DVD - Win 7 beta 1 .ISO to disc using CDBurnerXP
26. Open 10 page PDF - Text only, using latest Adobe Reader 8
27. Open 100 page PDF - Text and images, using latest Adobe Reader 8
These series of tests will pitch Windows 7 build 7057, 7048 (64-bit) and 7000 32/64-bit against Windows Vista SP1 32-bit and Windows XP SP3 32-bit.
The scoring
The scoring system that I use seems to have confused some readers. It's actually very simple. We run each test for each OS in turn and the time taken to complete the task is noted (average of three runs). The fastest OS is given a score of 1, the runner ups 2, 3, 4, and respectively and the slowest OS scores a 6. The scores are added up and the OS with the lowest score (that is, the one that performed the best overall) at the end is the winner.
Let's check out the results ...
