Last time Microsoft impressed me was with Windows 2000. And many years ago with the Windows 95 interface and the OSR/2 additions afterwards.
Windows 7 has a great look, which is its equally challenging to the newbie as well as to the power user:
- Keyboard shortcuts that even give options to enable-disable-change modes for multiple monitors, and mouse gestures that add even more to movement economy.
- Recent file-shortcut tracking daemon! Shortcuts and recent documents work even after moving to another location (not after a logout)!
- Programs & files Start menu box, cooperating with indexing, is connected to the program menu, help files, recent documents and tasks. Try "create a restore point"!
- Better priorities in information viewing, from the start and panel menus to the tree view eg. Computer > C: > Program Files > Adobe.
- Gadget applications including clock, recent news, live tv&radio etc. add to a more dynamic role to our desktop.
- Transparency - it's a good thing by itself and I hope it gets even better. Imagine replying to a letter that is viewed "through" the active window.
- 3D enhancements. Good work. There are many vewing enhancements in the Free-Open Source World of course.
- Better imaging quality and visual effects. Less and less pixels!
- Explorer tabs. At last. This was a normal feature for Netscape, Konqueror, Mozilla, Nautilus, Opera etc. for a very long time. Now in Internet Explorer!
- Fast practical and very configurable indexing service! Tweakable from a regular user's point of view or from an administrator's, with global and per-user options!
- Program run safeguards plus practical security model. There are now many good ways to be an administrator only when needed.
- The well known online update, enhanced even more: automatic search for a driver when a new device is found.
- System restore points help reverting to a previous safer configuration, rollback driver options also help stabilizing our installation!
- Shadow copy adds to the above troubleshooting/maintainance methods for Windows. File versions, snapshots, disk create-resize (even the system disk) on the fly.
- Network discovery layer that works absolutely fine. Vista and 7 were the first Wintel OSs I don't get a headache from the network.
- Backwards compatibility almost at the point of insanity! Visual enhancement options, API-OS compatibility mode, even complete virtualisation (XP Mode)!
implemented in such a compact and intergrated way on a single Desktop.
Native Multiple Desktop feature is still missing, but you can check applications like Virtual Dimension or MS Powertoys for the OS that you use.
we also forfeit our right to demand better software.
