It's no doubt that 2009 will be
Windows 7's year. Even with Internet Explorer 8, Windows Vista Service Pack 2, Windows Azure, Windows Server 2008 R2, Office 14 and additional software products from Microsoft, all eyes will be focused on the Redmond company's main cash cow. Even as the development process of the next iteration of the Windows client progressed throughout 2008, Win7 milestones managed to easily grab the spotlight over releases such as Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3.
There aren't really major differences in Beta Build 7000 from December compared to Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801, which was released following the Professional Developers Conference 2008 and the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2008 in Los Angeles at the end of October. The modifications Microsoft implemented are more in the lines of fine tweaks and optimizations rather than the introduction of new features, functionality and capabilities.
Still, there are differences, mainly related to the
installation process and the actual Windows 7-specific items that are now enabled by default in comparison with Build 6801. Between releases, 6801 and 7000 Microsoft also made available a few 69xx versions, which are in fact very close to the first fully fledged Beta. Those that are familiar with previous pre-Beta releases of Windows 7 will indeed notice the superficial changes delivered by Microsoft with
Beta 1 Build 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400. Below you will find a selection of no less than 70 screenshots designed to deliver a taste of Windows 7 Beta Build 7000.
The desktop
The overhauled Taskbar or Superbar, as it is referred to internally at Microsoft, now comes with the full array of bells and whistles. There's Aero Peek, JumpLists, the new Notifications Area, the fresh icons, and the revamped Start Menu. Users will be able to notice that the Taskbar now retains transparency under Windows Aero even with windows maximized.
Default applications
In terms of default applications, Windows 7 will be a tad poor compared to Vista. In this regard, Microsoft has ripped a number of programs from the operating system, including Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, and Windows Live Photo Gallery, and made them available via Windows Live Essentials. However, with the exception of WordPad, Calculator and Paint, which have all been redesigned, Vista default components still linger, be them Windows Media Center, gadgets, or Windows DVD maker.
Performance, compatibility and stability
While using Windows 7, users will indeed come across issues of stability and compatibility. Despite the fact that the operating system's version is 6.1 and not 7, compared to Vista's 6.0, Windows 7 will not play nice with all device drivers just as Microsoft expects. There are in fact Vista-specific drivers that will not install on Windows 7; fortunately, their numbers are rather limited even in Beta stage.
Stability problems will also make their presence felt from USB U3 integration errors to IE8 crashes, but since the operating system is still in Beta stage, Microsoft has all the time in the world to bring stability at least to the level of Windows Vista. Still, as early as the Beta Build, Windows 7's performance is superior to what Windows Vista RTM brought to the table. Especially on inferior hardware configurations featuring just 1GB of RAM, for example, where Vista RTM would literally crawl, Windows 7's speed is nothing short of impressive.
Where is Windows 7 going from here?
Judging by the minor evolution between Milestone 3 and Beta Build 7000, the question comes to mind: where is Windows 7 going from here? Is this it? Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, revealed at PDC2008 that following Windows 7 Beta, the operating system would move to the Release Candidate stage and then to RTM, for the reported 2009 launch. In this context, Microsoft is rather short on time when it comes down to implementing new features and capabilities. Chances are that Beta 1 is more than just a taste of the operating system, and in fact approximately the full Windows 7.
