Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Windows 7 - so much, so little
Well, having investigated Windows 7 for an hour or two I think the title of this blog entry says it all (and that's a good thing).
You see, I think about operating systems a bit like old grandma thought about small children - they should be seen, but not heard. What I want from an O/S is to be fast; consistent; reliable; attentive, but not fussy. In a word - unobtrusive.
I don't need grand logos, flash animation upon startup, trumpet ta-da's to announce its readiness or any other advertisment. I don't need to be forever interrupted to be told I need to confirm my last command; and I certainly don't want my files and folders to be renamed or restructured so I don't know where they are.
One of Vista's insults was to do all the latter without providing very much of the former. Windows 7 has regained the balance by being much faster, much simpler, and by providing helpful support without being difficult to get on with.
For example, move your mouse cursor to the top edge of a window until it changes into a double-headed arrow, then double-click the left button. The window will resize vertically to the top and bottom edges of the screen. Double-click again and the window returns to its original size. Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice, unobtrusive feature that will make life a little easier.
I know it's way to soon for me to be making a final judgement on this version of Windows. Heck, I haven't even loaded SQL Server yet. But first impressions are often lasting impressions, and so far I think I will like Windows 7. Atleast I know I want to like Windows 7, which I did not get anywhere close to with Vista.
You see, I think about operating systems a bit like old grandma thought about small children - they should be seen, but not heard. What I want from an O/S is to be fast; consistent; reliable; attentive, but not fussy. In a word - unobtrusive.
I don't need grand logos, flash animation upon startup, trumpet ta-da's to announce its readiness or any other advertisment. I don't need to be forever interrupted to be told I need to confirm my last command; and I certainly don't want my files and folders to be renamed or restructured so I don't know where they are.
One of Vista's insults was to do all the latter without providing very much of the former. Windows 7 has regained the balance by being much faster, much simpler, and by providing helpful support without being difficult to get on with.
For example, move your mouse cursor to the top edge of a window until it changes into a double-headed arrow, then double-click the left button. The window will resize vertically to the top and bottom edges of the screen. Double-click again and the window returns to its original size. Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice, unobtrusive feature that will make life a little easier.
I know it's way to soon for me to be making a final judgement on this version of Windows. Heck, I haven't even loaded SQL Server yet. But first impressions are often lasting impressions, and so far I think I will like Windows 7. Atleast I know I want to like Windows 7, which I did not get anywhere close to with Vista.
Labels: Technology, Windows 7
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