Windows 7, another Microsoft cash cow or a new best friend in the making??

I went to a Microsoft Roadshow about Windows 7 a few weeks back and following on from the launch of release candidate 1 (RC1) early in May 2009 the IT community were hoping for a client operating system to enthuse about but did we get one?

Windows 7 is due for imminent release, computer manufacturers will get their hands on it by the end of the month with general release scheduled in autumn: 22nd October to be precise. After much hope and expectation around the client operating system, it looks like it might have been worth the wait! There are not a large number of changes from Vista, but enough tweaks and new functionality here and there to generally give the new OS (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) a general ´thumbs up´, from the IT community.

Editions

These will be similar to Vista, with Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate, but only Home Premium and Professional will be widely available.

No internet Explorer!

Surprisingly you will not find internet explorer (or other web-browser) included in any boxed copies of Windows 7. The reason why Microsoft has done this is not out of choice but, because the EU has said it is anti-competitive to include it. However, PC builders are free to add a browser (along with all the other “shovelware” they see fit) and will almost certainly do so.

Undoubtedly Microsoft will ship the vast majority of copies pre-installed so really this will make no difference. Major research groups such as Gartner expect Windows 7 to ramp up in the second half of 2010 and to be much bigger than Vista as companies will go straight from XP to Windows 7.

What no upgrade?

Installation of Windows 7 is very similar to Vista, but sadly it cannot be done as an upgrade, because of the browser problem above.

Windows 7 Improvements

Faster Performance

Windows 7 runs significantly faster than Vista giving faster boot time than both Vista and XP on the same hardware, and better bench marking scores for CPU, graphics, Disk, and Memory tests than its predecessors. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=3187). For me, as an end user, this is the most important change, as I personally don´t really care what an OS looks like; I just want it to be able to do the basic things quickly

Interface Improvements

	Task Bar - Windows 7 RC1´s task bar is the most visible improvement with its "thumbnail view" of open files. If the mouse hovers over any file on the list, then you’ll get a "peek" at the highlighted window, and you can easily switch to the file, or close it from the taskbar. Applications can also be ´pinned´ to the task bar and launched from a keyboard shortcut. Internet explorer and Media player also receive minor tweaks to add to the polish.
	Search - Searching functionality is also improved and in enterprise environments, users can take advantage of Microsoft´s new ´Federated Search´ functionality to include corporate data on files shares and SharePoint libraries.
	Multi Touch - allows the PC to be controlled by a touch screen as well as a mouse, and the built in applications such as the picture viewer come with functionality to take advantage of this in scrolling through photographs for example.
	HomeGroup - home networking system allows the sharing of media around PC´s in the home with very simple user configurations.

Other Enterprise Improvements

For corporate customers the Enterprise version comes with more promised functionality but does it deliver??

Direct Access allows access from mobile or home-workers to corporate data via windows 2008-R2 server as a seamless secure connection similar to VPN, but without the need to launch a specific VPN connection. Management of remote PC´s is also improved so updates, software and patches can be applied when a remote PC connects via the internet.

Branch Cache enables the local caching of files from a headquarters´ site, so they are stored locally at a branch office. This can be done either distributed between Windows 7 clients (a bit like shared temporary internet files for corporate data), or it can be cached at a branch office 2008 R2 server (a bit like a proxy server cache for file and SharePoint data).

"Bitlocker To Go" enables the encryption of removal USB drives via group policy and prevents access to the data without the correct pass phrase.

Applocker extends the use of Software restriction policies to prevent the installation and use of un-authorised software.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) combines the technologies that have evolved from Virtual PC and remote desktops to deliver a desktop to users via a virtual machine image (VHD file) that can be accessed either remotely or locally. A brand new freshly configured desktop operating system can be quickly created and delivered to users using back office technology from System Centre Virtual Machine Manager, and Windows Server 2008 R2. Also remote desktops now offer microphone support, better graphics and even support for multiple monitors.

Windows XP Mode is a feature that has been announced but not yet available. It will have the ability to run applications in an XP environment using an XP Virtual Machine, but without having to launch Virtual PC every time the application is run. According to Microsoft, the application will appear to run seamlessly on Windows 7 but take advantage of the solid application support of XP, without the need for a separate XP license. We will wait and see!

Security there are a number of tweaks in this area, such as AutoRun has been disabled for USB flash drives, and User Account Control (UAC). Most notably, the UAC prompt now turns the desktop black.

So what are your plans for Windows 7? Does your company have any? Have your say on this article in our Linked In group.