David Schembri
‘Simpler’ Windows 7 released
Hundreds of umbrellas were raised to create the moment Windows 7 was available in Auckland, New Zealand.
Microsoft yesterday released the latest version of Windows worldwide, including in Malta.
Called Windows 7, it is being hailed by industry commentators as the best version of the 24-year-old operating system ever – a far cry from the negative press Windows 7’s predecessor, Vista had gained.
This version of Windows, according to Microsoft, has been targeted at making the user experience simpler, and it does so by redesigning the desktop to make it more intuitive and user friendly. It also adds a lot in the way of eye-candy, with convenient previews of different windows when switching across applications.
Another significant feature of Windows 7 is its ability to handle multiprocessing. Most computers now come with more than one processor but these were not being used to their full potential.
Windows 7, on the other hand, can support up to 256 processors, meaning that it would be able to harness the power provided by modern systems – something which XP, for instance, could never come close to doing.
The system is also not very power-hungry, meaning that it can run very well on the latest craze in portable computers, the pint-sized “netbooks”, which don’t have the bite of bigger portable or desktop machines.
Windows 7 has been long in the making, with development starting shortly after the release of Windows XP in 2001. This development was, however, hindered by three major security flaws in the system exposed in 2003, which made Microsoft shift its priorities towards making the system more secure, leading to the release of Service Pack 2 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Windows Vista, released in 2007, was originally intended as an interim release but ended up having some of the features destined for Windows 7.
In fact, many computer users had opted to stick to Windows XP and not to upgrade to Vista because of its instability and what users perceived to be a less user-friendly operating system.
The final stage of development had Microsoft issue a “release candidate” version of Windows for free, enabling users of all stripes to test the software and give feedback to Microsoft. In a speech in New York, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer thanked the millions of volunteers who helped improve the product by testing early versions.
In specialised reviews, most writers agreed that this release of Windows is the best ever, with Cnet.com, Wired, Engadget and Gizmodo all recommending switching to the new software.
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Christian Sciberras
Nov 6th 2009, 10:21
@edward bartolo - Thought I should point out how differences between open source and proprietary are not what most people think they are.
http://ha.ckers.org/blog/20091025/whitehouse-drupal-and-the-open-source-security-model/
That's a practical example, talked about by an expert in this field.
James A. Tyrrell
Oct 24th 2009, 00:28
The truth about Microsoft is that they have been using every Windows user as Beta testers for years now whilst charging them for the privilege. Didn't we hear that Vista was the best version ever? This will just be another round of bug fixes for a couple of years until they come up with the next best ever version!
edward bartolo
Oct 23rd 2009, 21:41
In yesterday's thread, a poster commented about the many vulnerabilities found in GNU/Linux. No one can claim, that any piece of software, let alone a complex OS, is immune of vulnerabilities. After all, coders make errors, and some errors, are not easy to spot while debugging.
The difference between proprietary software vulnerabilities and open source's, say Linux, is that the latter are patched within hours, while with proprietary software, one is at the mercy of what a privately owned company decides. Sometimes, software companies, and I don't need to point fingers, even refuse to admit the existence of a vulnerability, let alone be prepared to patch it within a few hours.
Note: Obviously, if a bug is trivial, it doesn't get the same attention like a compromising vulnerability. However, that should be common sense.
Ludwig Flask
Oct 23rd 2009, 20:28
@ Christian Sciberras: "...There's no practical innovation between OSes." yes I agree, this being because today's computer are built with the same concepts available for ages, 30 years the least! One thing I don't understand is why people spend money on new OSes when systems like linux are free, maybe not very user friendly yet, but doable / workable. In my old DOS days I've managed, so every one can. And please lets stop this free advertising of W7!
Christian Sciberras
Oct 23rd 2009, 13:14
@Derek Fenech - Thought you should know other OSes use this same technology as Microsoft's, namely, dynlib on Mac, so on Linux and of course, dll on Windows.
So does this make people being deceived for a long time, since all "new" OSes are built on standards made before 1990's?
@Albert Farrugia - Maybe because we ARE separate? I see no use in thinking us being any closer to any other nation. Few things connect us internationally, and they're all taken for granted, if not argued about.
@Adrian Gouder - That's all the difference between OSes, the little details which make them work differently. But in the end, it's the same architecture.
I've worked on a small OS in the past, fully custom-coded. Guess what? Poeple keep throwing in the same stuff; "console system", "acpi control", "keyboard/mouse", "memory management" and "threading system".
There's no practical innovation between OSes.
G.Pisani
Oct 23rd 2009, 12:00
@Adrian Gouder
If hate Linux that much, try out a Mac. The best option from all three.
Adrian Gouder
Oct 23rd 2009, 10:50
@Derek Fenech: Such sweeping statements serve little purpose. Parallel Processing is already a huge step forward. Eye candy for the less IT Literate is great at bridging the digital divide. More technically, Libraries (DLLs) are necassary, and now they are more and more managed, offering the software developer a far smoother interface. Previewing documents and efficient search argolrythms add to office and home efficiency. Disk defragmentation has changed, and is about reoganising data to be more efficient (even UNIX has this!). Irate about user Account Control? Sorry I don't understand that. But then, I suppose some of us prefer to live a sheltered and isolated little world called Linux, which is not only free, but also feels free, and even leaves you with a lot of free time because there's so little to do with it compared to Windows.
Albert Farrugia
Oct 23rd 2009, 09:33
One thing which has been really bothering me heavily for years is this tendancy to always add the words "including in Malta", when something affects either all Europe or even all the world. So we have reports, for example, that a certain regulation will come into effect in "all of the EU", and then we add "including Malta". Now we read that Microsoft has begun selling Windows 7 all around the world "including in Malta".
I think this betrays a deep seated belief in our minds that, somehow, we are not really part of the rest of the world! And that it is only as a exception that what happens in the whole world also happens in Malta! I think this usage comes out from some inbuilt belief that, somehow, we are sort of esentially different from the rest of the world.
Derek Fenech
Oct 23rd 2009, 09:21
Different name same old technologies ie DLLs, the Registry, Disk Defragmentation (no user should ever know about that) User Account Control. Fundamentally its the same good old Vista :)