14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is making consistent progress with Windows 7’s evolution from the Beta to Release Candidate. And make no mistake about it, all Windows 7 development milestones superseding Build 7000 (Beta) are from the RC-branch. The latest release from Redmond to make it into the wild is Windows 7 Build 7048, sporting an array of modifications specific to the first and only Release Candidate of the operating system. Of course, having shipped a feature-complete Beta, the focus with the development of RC is on softening all the rough edges of the platform and integrating tester feedback. And there is quite a lot of feedback to handle, according to data made public by Microsoft. At the end of February 2009, Chaitanya Sareen, a senior program manager on the Core User Experience team, delivered a list with the RC modifications Microsoft was cooking, and Windows 7 Build 7048 features all of them as far as I can tell, because there are details such as touch enhancements that I cannot test on my hardware.
“We’ve been quite busy for the past two months or so working through all the feedback we’ve received on Windows 7. It should be no surprise but the Release Candidate for Windows 7 will have quite a few changes, many under the hood so to speak but also many visible. Some have asked if the featureset is "frozen" then what will we change – we change a lot of things in the beta based on feedback and we try to do so in a systematic manner with the focus on the goals for the release. The goal of having a fully functional Beta was to make sure we received reliable feedback and not a lot of "hey this doesn't work at all" sorts of reports. This has allowed us to really focus on delivering a refined RC where the changes we made are all the reflection of feedback we have received,” revealed Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, on February 26.
Microsoft will move directly from RC to RTM just as it has moved from Beta straight to Release Candidate. The Redmond company has yet to offer any details on the upcoming RC, RTM or GA deadlines, but speculation indicates April for the launch of the Release Candidate and October 2009 for the operating system’s release to manufacturing, with the general availability reportedly planned ahead of the 2009 holiday season. “We’re still on the same path working towards the release candidate and of course we know everyone is anxious for the next phase of our path to RTM. In the meantime, our full time machines are still running the Beta build.”
What’s new: Windows 7 Build 7048
Well, as I’ve said at the beginning, the changes are quite consistent, not only in comparison with Beta Build 7000, but also from Build 7022, another interim RC milestone that found its way out of Redmond, and out of the hands of the company’s partners. There are some changes detailed by Microsoft which I cannot test at this point in time. Build 7048 features improvements in various areas, including performance, sound UX, Device Stage, wireless networking, and touch. But fortunately enough there are some that are visible even with my hardware, and I managed to include screenshots with this article.
Build 7048 brings to the table subtle touchups to the visual style of Windows 7’s UI. The best example is the evolution of the Start menu orb animation effect on mouse over events. Users will no longer be able to bombard Microsoft with input via Windows Explorer, as the Send Feedback link that reined at the top of every opened window and application has been removed from the graphical user interface. Less subtle are the new icons introduced for components such as Paint, Sticky Notes, Calculator and Control Panel.
Moving forward with the development of Windows 7, Microsoft promised that it would crowd items pinned to the enhanced Taskbar, the Superbar, in order to squeeze as much extra real estate space as possible. However, Windows Flip plus Aero Peek is available in 7048. This means that as users will turn to Alt + Tab in order to navigate through opened windows on the desktop the action will be accompanies by the Aero Peek effect in which only the window in focus is visible, while the remaining windows are turned transparent.
Build 7048 does deliver the new, enhanced, and more persistent Needy State for windows that require the end user’s attention. At the same time, there is now a way to drag-and-drop files onto programs in the Superbar and have the application run them rather than just perform a pin task. All users have to do is hold the Shift key pressed down while they drag-and-drop a file on top of a Taskbar item. This is equivalent with an Open With action. Obviously this works even if the respective program is not running, a behavior similar to what Quick Launch offered in past releases of Windows.
And speaking of Taskbar icons, in 7048 they retain their specific Color Hot-track visual even if the end user navigates through thumbnail previews, Microsoft referring to the feature as anchoring taskbar thumbnails. Users are also able to pin files to Taskbar items even if the files are in no way associated with that specific program, like pinning a .PNG image to Notepad. The Jumplist automatic suggestions are also reduced in the latest Windows 7 build, being kept under 10 items.
There are now two Show desktop options available via right clicking the desktop and choosing View, namely Show desktop icons and Show desktop gadgets. The visibility of icons and gadgets on the desktop is now no longer governed by the same option and users can opt to have just one or the other show, or neither, or both.
And of course there are a range of new keyboard shortcuts available to end users to streamline their repetitive tasks. The new shortcuts available involve using the Windows key in concordance with numbers from 1 to 10 corresponding to the positions occupied by Taskbar items. In my specific configuration Windows key + 1 brings up Internet Explorer 8. Keeping the Windows key pressed and pressing 1 repeatedly will allow me to circle through opened IE windows and tabs just like Windows Flip (Alt + Tab), a UX complete with Aero Peek. Shift + Windows key + 1 will execute a new instance of IE8, ALT + Windows key + 1 will bring up the Jumplists and Ctrl + Windows key + 1 will bring to the surface the last active window of IE8. I repeat this works for the way I have the Taskbar set up.
Anything else? Well as a matter of fact yes. First off, there is a new Internet Explorer 8 version. At this point in time Microsoft has said nothing related to where IE8 Build 8.0.7048.0 stands in relation to the Release candidate or the RTW builds of the browser. However, a crucial change in 7048 involves the ability to disable Internet Explorer 8 altogether via the Turn Windows Features On or Off. In this context, the Redmond company has indeed confirmed that it has extended the list of components that can be disabled and enabled in Windows to include Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, Windows DVD Maker, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Search, Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option), Windows Gadget Platform, Fax and Scan, and XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver).
Yet another aspect worth noting is the fact that on my dual-boot machine where I have installed both Windows Vista SP1 and Windows 7, Build 7048 is now capable of showing the partition on which its precursor is deployed. This was not the case with Windows 7 Beta Build 7000, which completely cut off access to my Vista SP1 partition. Windows Explorer and Libraries have also been tweaked in Build 7048, delivering a new and improved header, no drag- and-drop functionality, as such an action would be equivalent to copying the file/folder to a library location rather than creating a new library. Windows 7 Build 7048 also contains a range of new content including themes and wallpapers users will be able to enjoy.
Beyond Windows 7 Build 7048
Build 7048 is certainly a critical point in the evolution from Beta to RC, simply because of all the changes introduced in this release, which is by all means, nothing more than an interim milestone. Or so Microsoft is suggesting by failing to discuss anything specific related to Build 7048, even mentioning the build number officially. The software giant managed to confirm Windows 7 Build 7048 indirectly by discussing the new Turn Windows Features On or Off, but nothing more than this. Still, moving from Beta to Build 7022 and now to Build 7048, the feeling is that Windows 7 is being perfected with all the “heavy lifting” done a long time ago.
