There are hundreds(exaggerating here?) of such lists floating around the Net and the printed media,
so why should I add one more? Well first of all because I want to, and because,
it’s a bit odd to see that the tables have turned-when Vista was released all you could find
was posts and lists of 10 reasons to hate Vista,today the world is different.
In general the current mood of the media seems to be favorable towards Microsoft in general
and Windows 7 specifically.
I have started using Windows 7 since build 7000 (released to the general public) and
have found it to be great (now what does that mean, am I also affected by the hype?).It seems
that Windows 7 has worked out most of the quirks that affected Vista and gave it such a bad
name (which I can’t always say was justified).
So my top 10 things to like about Vista in no particular orders:
- Speed– Not a feature yet in a world where everyone is in a hurry to get things done
I found it very refreshing that everything in Windows 7 seems to be quicker, from the
installation to running applications. - Control over UAC– UAC was/is a necessary evil. No one can say that UAC is a
a good feature from a user experience perspective, on the other hand it hugely boosts
your ability to secure your environment since it is much more than that annoying pop-up
we have learned to hate. Instead of simply turning it off, Windows 7 provides us with
a relatively simple tool to “tune” the UAC. - Built-in wallpaper changer- After you stop laughing,think about it for a second. Seriously,
for how long have we been waiting for this feature? It’s not much of a productivity booster
nor is it a huge leap in technology but it’s finally here. - BitLocker to Go- Bitlocker was introduced by Vista and it grew an got better. Instead
of just encrypting your fixed disks (and with some gymnastics some of your removable
disks), with Windows 7 you can encrypt your removable disks. Bitlocker protection to your
”mobile” drives which are at a higher risk of being stolen. Once the removable disk
is encrypted you can connect it to any other system and access it’s data by providing some
type of authentication:
- The Taskbar– Much has been said about the new taskbar but in my opinion there is only one
ability that turns the taskbar into a killer application:being able to receive a quick preview of your
open windows on the desktop while browsing the thumbnails on the taskbar. This ability saves
time and makes my life a lot easier. - HomeGroup– A simple user interface that enables Windows 7 systems to share information between
Windows 7 computers (most likely to be used in a home). Setting up a simple home network
between Windows 7 takes no more than a couple of clicks… - Problem steps recorder– A tool to be used by many frustrated IT support personnel and their
relatives. This tool enables us to record a step by step scenario of something that we are trying to
do and fails or on the other hand succeeds (to be used as a reference by the recipient). The result
of the recording is a ZIP file that has an MHT file inside it (viewable by IE). - Boot from VHD – Yes, you can actually boot up from a VHD file and you can actually mount a VHD
file from the Disk Management snap-in. - Default printer based on locations –Windows 7 will identify your location (office/home) and set
the appropriate printer as the default printer. - External display support– We no longer need to rehearse extremely difficult acrobatics to make
external displays such as projectors show our screens. Simply press Win+P and you will be provide
with a list of options that will solve all of your external display issues.
During the compilation of this list a good feeling about Windows 7 engulfed me. It seems that this OS
is good and to some extent more importantly, it is being perceived as a good OS. So,see in you in April
with the RC installed!