The retail version of Microsoft’s latest OS (operating system), Windows 7, hit the shelves of Maltese stores exactly a week ago. The new version of the most popular operating system in the world has so far garnered positive reviews, thanks to the open feedback system instituted by Microsoft to get this one right, following the backfiring experience of its predecessor, Windows Vista.
According to Microsoft, which controls around 90 per cent of the home and business OS market, “Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for people to do the things they want on a PC. The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes.”
“Windows 7 is more than being about our OS Line. It is the most sophisticated commercial OS in the industry,” said Pierre Mallia, country manager of Microsoft Malta.
“It has been designed from the ground up with key technology and social trends in mind. It has been designed as the optimal way to interact with cloud computing services natively and seamlessly in such a way that the user hardly notices he has crossed the boundary to the cloud. It’s a platform that will enable new types of applications that were not even possible with XP and operating systems like Linux. It will give the industry a new injection of innovation, enabling new services and business solutions.”
Windows 7 has been around in the form of a beta and a release candidate for several months, with thousands of users around the world, including some Maltese, installing it and giving feedback to Microsoft.
The first impressions have been positive all along. Though at face value it looks like Vista, it is more than an improvement on its older sister. It is a new OS, with some important new features that cater for the needs of today’s users that have never known or have forgotten the time when their PC was not connected to internet.
It is smoother, more polished and requires less resources than Vista. Try to find a netbook with Vista installed. You won’t. But Vista will find its way on netbooks to replace XP, Vista’s predecessor, which has aged gracefully. In fact Microsoft has made it a point that, unlike with Vista, users won’t have to dig deep into their pockets to use the new operating system.
So what’s new? Why should Windows users get Windows 7?
Apart from requiring less computing resources, Windows 7 gets a news taskbar, a better system tray, a new security centre which is not obtrusive as Vista’s, and above all, support for multi-touch on touchscreens. The latter means that this OS can be installed on PC with a touchscreen or on a tablet computer, which could well be the next big thing in personal computing.
Reports say it feels light while working on it and is very fast when shutting down.
For XP users there is the XP mode in Win 7 that supports the use of software which is compatible with XP but not with later generations of OS. This is especially important for businesses that have vital legacy software, which only works with XP.
Windows 7 comes in six versions. Most users will be interested in the Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate versions. Then there are the Starter, OEM (to be installed on computers for sale) and Enterprise versions.
The new OS supports both 32-bit and 64-bit computer systems. A computer with a 1 GHZ processor, 1 GB of RAM and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver is enough according to Microsoft. These specifications can be found in today’s average netbooks and certainly on the average notebooks and desktops bought in the last two years or so.
As a rule of thumb, if you are already running Vista, then your PC is already fit to handle Windows 7. Users of XP, especially those with a PC they bought several years ago, should check first.
Users have another option. They can buy the full version or if they already have another Microsoft OS like XP or Vista they can buy only an upgrade and install Windows 7 over it. The latter comes at a cheaper price, however, in case of formatting the hard drive, the original OS and then the Windows 7 upgrade have to be re-installed.
The reaction so far in Malta has been very encouraging, according to the country manager of Microsoft Malta.
“Feedback has been extremely positive. We have seen this not only from traditional Windows users, but also from quarters where typically criticism has been very forthcoming, such as Linux users and believers. Overall we are seeing not only more enthusiasm than ever but we are also seeing something in the business sector which is a first – companies installing a brand new OS without waiting for Service Pack 1 (SP1).”
However, Mr Mallia points out that users of older Windows versions should not feel obliged to switch. Both XP and Vista have some time under support. XP has a couple of years yet, and Vista more so, he said.
“We will and have supported the early adopters,” Mr Mallia said. “We have also gone through the cycle of offering training to the local ICT sector to enable them to be well positioned to manage, install and implement Win 7 and to be in place to support their customers.”
So far the Maltese government has not hinted at the possibility of providing Windows 7 at a nominal price as it had done with Windows XP and Vista some years back. Windows 7 is available from computers retail shops at prices comparable with those of Vista and start at just over €115.
Users who have installed the RC (release candidate) of Windows 7 should be aware that their version of Windows 7 will start shutting down by itself in Marsh. They will have to re-install their old OS and then install a retail version of Windows 7 to keep using it without any restrictions.
In the coming weeks i-Tech will run a series of articles explaining how Win7 works and how to get the best out of it.