Windows 7 Beta

I've been checking out the new Windows 7 beta from Microsoft this week and am I disappointed! Windows 7's slogan is 'Faster and Easier'...these guys (and gals) really need to take a leaf out of Apple or Ubuntu's book if they're going to make a claim like that.

Windows 7 beta has some GUI alterations, the most noticeable of these is the 'new' taskbar.  This isn't 'new' or innovative at all.  All that it really allows the user to do is arrange taskbar shortcut icons.  Guess what Microsoft's hype on this one is? 'you can set the order in which the icons appear and they'll stay put', You'd damn well want them to stay put wouldn't you?  This is nothing on Apple's dock, or the vast array of options under *nix (AWN, Compiz, etc.).  For such a huge corporation isn't it embarrassing to be so far behind?

The new Windows Explorer tab in the start menu with what Microsoft calls 'Jump Lists' is plesant, but nothing more.  This is a simple ordered list of recent documents and locations that the user has visited in Windows Explorer.  I haven't figured out how to configure this feature properly yet (if it's possible at all).

The window manager has had some minor alterations too.  There are some simple mouse gestures included, like move your mouse to the bottom right to minimise your windows, and on my system at least the transparency is better.  But really, with where Apple and Compiz are currently at, what are Microsoft doing?  These features should have been standard in XP.

I'm not even going to talk about Internet Explorer 8, it's just as poor as all previous versions.  With Firefox, Chrome, Opera etc. all dominating the browser market on choice (not because they come bundled with the operating system), Microsoft really needs to do some hard work with IE.  Will IE 8 honestly support (X)HTML 5 and CSS 3?  I would be willing to bet quite a bit that it wont.

And then there's 'Windows Live' which Microsoft spins as 'some features previously included in the operating system are now available for download through Windows Live Essentials, a set of free applications available for your PC and supported by Windows 7'.  What have they removed, well applications such as Windows Live Messenger, Photo Gallery, Windows Mail, Writer and Movie Maker.  Perhaps this is Microsoft rolling back these applications because they were all problematic and there are so many better FOSS options out there: Pidgin instead of Windows Live Messenger; FSpot instead of Photo Gallery; Thunderbird, Evolution or KMail instead of Windows Mail; Open Office instead of Writer; Cinellera instead of Movie Maker, etc. etc. etc.

Perhaps the biggest spin yet is Microsoft's claim that Windows 7 will offer better device support and management.  They might as well say (because it's the case) that they offer better device support and management for devices that are compatible with Windows 7...which is going to be no better than Vista.  The minimum specs alone rule out most computer systems in the world.  Windows has really gone from having huge market share across the board, from pre-packaged computer systems through to custom systems and upgrades/renovations, but it seems that with Windows 7 Microsoft is squarely focused upon new systems only.

And then there is 'Home Group', Microsoft's foray into making networking 'easy'.  What a farce!  I will concede that if you get two (or more) individuals who've been living on Mars for the past 20 years and have no idea what a computer is, then this will make things better.  But that's going to be the only situation.  Microsoft even say that for 'Home Group' to function each client needs to be running Windows 7.  To bad everyone else.  No good for offices (or homes) running *nix servers or clients (A major percentage), Apple servers or clients, or even (it seems) if you're running older versions of Windows.  How is this not a problem?  If Windows 7 will only run on new and/or high spec systems, then it seems that offices tied to Microsoft's licenses and/or software will be up for some major hardware costs on top of their software bills.

But this last point seems to illustrate Microsoft's business model well, and Windows 7 simply reaffirms it.  Give the users no freedom, trap them into using software that we control, and trap them in license agreements.  With this objective under way Microsoft can then throw poor software at you like Windows 7 or their most recent version of Office and you'll have no choice but to accept it (and pay them for it).  But this model won't function for too much longer.  With the disaster that is Vista, and another disaster on the way (Windows 7), both Apple and *nix have picked up huge market share.  *nix is already the dominant model for servers, but with distributions such as Ubuntu and Fedora *nix is becoming very popular on the desktop too.  Top this with the quality and customisability of FOSS software and Microsoft's hegemony seems doomed.