Windows 7 raises the bar
Andrew Bjerke
Issue date: 10/23/09 Section: Local News
Microsoft faced much skepticism after the touted "flop" of Windows Vista. Driver conflicts, buggy software and a bloated operating system all contributed to the widespread hatred of Vista. With all this, many users will probably be skeptical about using the new Windows 7. After all, Microsoft's track record hasn't been so great with their operating systems lately.
However, users can put themselves at ease. The new Windows 7 OS is an achievement for Microsoft. It boasts new support for multi-touch systems, virtualization and improved Remote Desktop protocols. The OS has a faster boot time than Vista, and its graphics features have been slimmed down to load faster and easier. These are just some of the improved features of Windows 7.
If nothing else, Windows 7 is pretty. The new pinning feature for the quick launch toolbar in the taskbar makes program tabs a thing of the past and minimizes the need for icons on the desktop. This provides a more organized feel than Vista or XP ever had. Another new feature of the taskbar is a small button on the rightmost side that will show the desktop when moused over and hide all other windows when clicked. This ends the need for constantly minimizing windows to get to the desktop.
But what does all this mean for the students at Stevens? For one, Windows 7 can run on the Class of 2010's HP nw8440's. It can even run on the nw8240's with some features turned off. It is much more efficient than Vista, and there are no driver conflicts. It works out of the box, and the operating system is very easy to learn.
Windows 7 comes in a variety of tasty editions to sate anyone's interest, from the very slimmed down Starter Edition to the big and bulky Ultimate Edition with all the bells and whistles. For most users, the Professional Edition will be more than enough for their needs. This edition is what Stevens will be providing for the freshman notebooks in a new image soon.
There are slight downsides to the new operating system that will upset some people. You can no longer set your theme to look like Windows XP. Microsoft decided that it was time for its look and feel to move forward. Internet Explorer should still be avoided like the plague. User Account Control (UAC for short) has been greatly improved, but is still just as annoying as ever.
Windows 7 has been scheduled to be released on October 22, 2009. Pre-sales at Amazon.com have already been reported to be the highest grossing pre-order sales in the company's history. That should tell you that there are more people out there who are also excited for this operating system. Windows 7 represents a great leap forward for Microsoft in terms of reliability and service. In this reviewer's opinion, the whole package is definitely worth it.
However, users can put themselves at ease. The new Windows 7 OS is an achievement for Microsoft. It boasts new support for multi-touch systems, virtualization and improved Remote Desktop protocols. The OS has a faster boot time than Vista, and its graphics features have been slimmed down to load faster and easier. These are just some of the improved features of Windows 7.
If nothing else, Windows 7 is pretty. The new pinning feature for the quick launch toolbar in the taskbar makes program tabs a thing of the past and minimizes the need for icons on the desktop. This provides a more organized feel than Vista or XP ever had. Another new feature of the taskbar is a small button on the rightmost side that will show the desktop when moused over and hide all other windows when clicked. This ends the need for constantly minimizing windows to get to the desktop.
But what does all this mean for the students at Stevens? For one, Windows 7 can run on the Class of 2010's HP nw8440's. It can even run on the nw8240's with some features turned off. It is much more efficient than Vista, and there are no driver conflicts. It works out of the box, and the operating system is very easy to learn.
Windows 7 comes in a variety of tasty editions to sate anyone's interest, from the very slimmed down Starter Edition to the big and bulky Ultimate Edition with all the bells and whistles. For most users, the Professional Edition will be more than enough for their needs. This edition is what Stevens will be providing for the freshman notebooks in a new image soon.
There are slight downsides to the new operating system that will upset some people. You can no longer set your theme to look like Windows XP. Microsoft decided that it was time for its look and feel to move forward. Internet Explorer should still be avoided like the plague. User Account Control (UAC for short) has been greatly improved, but is still just as annoying as ever.
Windows 7 has been scheduled to be released on October 22, 2009. Pre-sales at Amazon.com have already been reported to be the highest grossing pre-order sales in the company's history. That should tell you that there are more people out there who are also excited for this operating system. Windows 7 represents a great leap forward for Microsoft in terms of reliability and service. In this reviewer's opinion, the whole package is definitely worth it.