Business First Issue2 Vol5 CH6:Layout 1 23/10/2009 14:45 Page 38
NITEC
Windows launches...
lucky number seven?
by Scott McClenaghan, technical sales and marketing director at Nitec
A
s of October issues faced by Vista. This is a clever technological trick which
22 2009, effectively allows legacy applications to run in a pseudo-
Windows 7, Windows XP environment, further reducing application
Microsoft’s long- compatibility issues, particularly for business users.
awaited follow-up Similarly, hardware manufacturers seemed slow to
to Windows Vista, accommodate the revised hardware driver model introduced
became generally in Vista (again much needed), resulting in many legacy devices
available to the being unsupported for an extended period after launch. This
public. The new situation has also improved slowly but surely and device
operating system support on launch is much more comprehensive for
(OS) has been Windows 7.
available to many
Microsoft business clients since August 7 2009 but the October
In usability terms, Windows 7 really is a huge leap forward – it
date will see Windows 7 begin to ship as the default option on
feels responsive and looks fantastic. Microsoft has also
new PCs.
introduced many productivity enhancements which sound a
little inconsequential when described but make a great deal of
From a purely technical point of view, in my opinion, Vista difference in everyday use. A little like the Ribbon bar in Office,
really was not the unmitigated disaster that many pundits many enhancements take a little time to grow accustomed to
would have you believe. Having said that, not even Microsoft but soon you are left wondering how we managed without
could deny that the battle for hearts and minds was lost with them previously.
Vista in fairly spectacular fashion. Given the long wait for Vista
and the less than stellar reception, Microsoft finds itself under a
The new taskbar with live previews of open windows,
great deal of pressure to ensure Windows 7 meets and even
jumplists to provide rapid access to recently-used documents
exceeds expectations. So has the Redmond giant managed to
and application-centric actions is one such example of the
deliver this time around?
enhanced usability. The increased granularity and intuitiveness
of control over window behaviour which allows users to
The answer is pretty much an unmitigated and unqualified minimise all windows with a simple shake of the mouse or set
yes: Windows 7 is perhaps the finest client operating system windows side by side for comparison with a simple drag is
execution yet seen from Microsoft. In a sense, the new OS owes another example. The concept of libraries which aggregate all
a debt of gratitude to its predecessor for the glowing and documents, music, photos, etc into “virtual folders” should
widespread acclaim it has received. Where Windows Vista was prove a real boon to staying organised.
a structural release that made difficult but necessary changes
which inevitably broke things along the way, Windows 7 is the
One indication of the early success of Windows 7 is the
cosmetic release that often follows, enhancing and refining
generally enthusiastic reaction of even those users who do not
rather than re-defining. That is not to undermine Windows 7’s
typically get excited by technology and the introduction of the
merits though because the refinement is both marked and
product on home PCs and laptops will undoubtedly generate a
worthy.
pull demand into the business realm. In reality, Windows 7
simply negates any remaining excuses for remaining stuck in
Where a number of contemporary factors seemed to create an XP past.
the perfect storm conspiring against Windows Vista, the winds
now seemed to have converged and are blowing foursquare
Scott McClenaghan is technical sales and marketing director
behind Windows 7.
at Nitec and specialises in advising private, public and voluntary
organisations on all aspects of ICT strategy.
Where Vista was a demanding
product which came at a time when
PC and laptop hardware arguably
wasn’t quite ready for it,
manufacturers are now offering
hardware well in advance of what
was available at the release of Vista.
That fact alone does not, however,
pay justice to the undoubted
optimisation of Windows 7 which
feels much lighter and more nimble
in use than Vista and has even been
seen running on relatively basic
netbook hardware.
Where Vista introduced a (much-
needed) new security model which
broke a lot of applications which
third-parties seemed relatively slow to
resolve, Windows 7 is now able to
follow in the difficult furrow
ploughed by Vista with most major
software applications now updated to
function happily in the more
stringent security model. The
“Windows XP Mode” functionality is a
further welcome addition in Windows
7 and demonstrates a lesson learnt
from the application compatibility
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