Windows 7: Fact List

Microsoft unleashed the pre-beta version of the highly anticipated heir to Windows Vista, Windows 7. Microsoft had not been very convenient on telling tales on Windows 7; with a perfect reason that they want to concentrate on marketing Vista and boost adoption rate both in business and home context. However, following the PDC conference, on where Microsoft not only unleash Windows Azure (the answer of Microsoft towards cloud computing), they also, for the first time, go into public detail on Windows 7 through graphical narrations and screenshots.

Here are some of the facts we now know about Windows 7 (though the description of features and functions will not be categorized as 100% final until its commercial release):

1. Windows 7 is essentially the next OS to be released after Windows Server 2008.

2. Windows 7 uses a more refined kernel similar in design to Windows Vista and Windows Server
2008.

3. Windows 7 is a "trimmed down" version of OS, meaning that some of the software previously come bundled with Vista are no longer available directly in Windows 7. Notable software are Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail (Microsoft offers them as a service through Windows Live Services as part of their in-the-cloud project)

4. Windows 7's revamped its user interface to become slicker and more transparent.

5. Windows 7's new Windows Taskbar no longer provides running windows with wording. Instead, Microsoft replaced worded description for each running windows to be the icons of the respective software. In addition, quick launch in Windows 7 are all managed in a rectangle bar on the far right of the taskbar, where you click to access it.

6. Windows offered a new feature called "Jump List" in the Start menu. Jump list is fairly useful for people having lots of files and folder collection in their machine.

7. Windows 7 will offer touch screen functions for users

8. Windows 7 offered a configurable User Account Control (UAC), where users can select the level of UAC security they intended. This is Microsoft's response towards users annoyed by the feature first introduced in Vista.

9. Windows 7 provides more supporting for drivers and software compatibility, which Microsoft representatives describe as "almost a similar level to a fully updated Vista SP1, but with more flexibility for future course"

10. Windows 7 applies a refined method of memory management, promising users with an underpowered machine capabilities of running high amounts of workload in Windows 7. An example of that promised memory management will be to allocate similar amount of RAM to running windows. Another example is the transfer of memories allocated to ongoing background tasks towards running windows.

11. Gadgets in Windows 7 are re-designed to be more flexible. The original sidebar are no longer there to bind gadgets; gadgets can now be positioned anywhere on the desktop field because Windows Sidebar is dumped as a feature.

12. Windows 7 offers a new desktop management function. By dragging a running window to the left/right side or the top/bottom of the screen of a fully opened window, Windows 7 allows two running windows to each take up half of the screen, providing a "windows side by side" working experience. This is particularly useful for the common 'drag and drop' and 'copy and paste' procedure.

13. Windows 7 offers a "full-screen preview" function to the Theme selection and theme creation selection.

14. Windows offer the "Intelligence Display Dimming" function, which the pc can automatically dim out slightly, as similar to how handphone display works. Its purpose is to save battery consumption in laptops/notebooks.

15. Windows 7 offers a revamped Autoplay function, which users can select more than one option and see related services.

16. Windows 7 offer an improved networking function and Bluetooth Sevices.

17. Windows 7 introduces the new "Libraries" functions in the Windows Explorer. Libraries not only allow you to find scattered things in your pc easily, but also contributes to a faster Windows Search.

18. Windows 7's multimedia tools now pre-offered several media file formats which Vista and XP don't offer. Windows Media Center will return in Windows 7; no longer being constricted to a certain OS edition like what they did with Vista by providing Media Center only to the Ultimate and the Home Premium editions.