Washington - Ready or not, here comes Windows 7. Although the release of the successor to Windows Vista isn't due out in final form until later this year, Microsoft wants you to start thinking about Windows 7 now - and maybe even to start using it. The company announced this week that the public beta of Windows 7 will be released ahead of schedule. As with previous public betas, anyone will be able to download and try out Windows 7, and judging from the high level of interest in the new operating system, lots of people will want to.
But what can you expect from Windows 7, and what should you know before undertaking the installation? Read on for some answers.
Q: What's new in Windows 7?
A: Windows 7 has been designed largely to address many of the complaints that users have flung at Windows Vista: it's too slow, too resource-hungry, and too different from Windows XP. So Windows 7 is faster than either Vista or XP, and Microsoft has also incorporated lots of interface enhancements as well as improved the software's ability to recognise newer types of hardware upon installation. Gone, for example, is the Vista sidebar that used to hold gadgets; you can still use gadgets, but they can be placed anywhere on the desktop.
Windows 7 also introduces a new file organisation structure called Libraries. Essentially, libraries are virtual folders that can point to any number of locations on your hard drive or network. A library called Music, for instance, might aggregate files from your local hard drive as well as the network to which you are attached. You can create your own libraries, but Windows 7 comes with several that are pre-defined but customisable.
Overall, the Windows 7 interface feels snappier and looks more sophisticated than Vista's. It's an admirable improvement.
Q: Windows Vista was released not long ago. Why is another operating system coming out already?
A: Microsoft would probably answer this question with another: Why did it take us so long to release Windows Vista? A full five years elapsed between the time XP was released and the date that Vista was ready. That's too long, Microsoft believes, so it has stated publicly that it intends to accelerate the release schedule of its operating systems. Expect a new operating system about every two years.
Release schedules aside, it's clear that Windows Vista has not been the success that Microsoft expected that it would be. Many businesses have no plans to adopt Vista at all, for instance, because the upgrade over XP does not seem compelling enough from a feature standpoint, and the more powerful hardware required to run Vista adequately makes the widespread adoptio
