I have been reading about Windows 7 for months now. The whole world is going crazy about it and everybody it trying to find a way to get their hands on them. Since day one i tried to find what is so special about them and what will there be added that will make this OS better than the previous one and why should i be so anxious as to when they will be released. Looking here and there and reading about “features to be” here is what i think about Windows 7, using an analogy.

We have a box (let’s call it NT with the NTFS file system and all the goodies).

carton_box

We wrap it up with a nice shiny gift wrap and we have a nice output. Let’s call that “Vista“.

box_wrap1

Now, we take the exact same box, wrap it with another gift wrap, a more fancy one, and we call it “7“.

box_wrap2

To the user this seems like a totally different product that he would pay his hard earned $200 (more or less) to buy. But, no, it’s the exact same product. Now, let’s take a stroll down memory lane about a couple of years back when Vista was on the way. There was a huge feature list announced back then. Among other non important stuff there where a couple of features that, in my opinion, would be the factors that would change the “box” on the above example. One of them was the new files ystem they were talking about making instead of using NTFS. That would be innovative because, from what i read, it would be much more reliable than NTFS and with capabilities to recover lost sectors of the disk, give more opportunities on file locking and permissions and many other things.

One more feature was the 3D desktop environment that they were talking about and promising much. Many of you might think that this is all about the wrap rather than the box itself. I don’t agree since 3D desktops would change the way we do our everyday jobs permanently. It would change the way we use computers, besides the fact that it would make it more future-ish.

The list of features that would actually matter, has a couple more things. But did any of these were actually implemented? No! They said that they had no time and had to get Vista out pronto. But, they promised that all these features would be transferred to their next Windows, Vienna (7 as they call them now). Yesterday they announced an open beta of their Windows 7. Did any of these features got implemented now? Not again! Maybe they are waiting on Apple (3d desktop??) and the open source community to code and then just sub-license, who knows.

What got me writing this article is the frenzyness over this. Everybody bloated Microsoft’s servers to download a beta of this. A BETA! Now come on people. We use Windows and always complain (rightfully in my opinion) about blue screens, incompatible software, crashes, memory outbursts, unnecessary system overload and many others. Now we are anxious to try out their betas too? Isn’t that insane? And here is the most insane part of all. Their shiny new features. The ones that will change the world of computers. Yah now i am SERIOUSLY JOKING. Let’s take a quick look at a few.

The all new tabbed paint and wordpad. What a useful addition. One more is the support for touch screens. They say that they will be required. It’s not the cost it’s all about more and more requirements. And why’s that? Just to be able to use the other new feature of “Multi-touch paint program where you can draw with 10 fingers”. Yay! This is just what i was missing these days. Oh, and don’t forget the “Multi-touch piano app”. Now my talent won’t go to waste. Touch screen handling is innovative indeed provided that we have a solid base. And, guess what, we don’t (built on Windows Vista rings a bell?). This feature-less list is actually endless. I think that Microsoft has been listening carefully all this time that the users have been providing valuable feedback about their Vista product. Way to go guys!

And here is what i think about it. They are mocking us and laughing on our faces. They take the same thing, put in some bugs and throw it back to us. And what do we do? We run to them, bloat their servers so we can have a beta version that will expire before it is remotely stable.

I would like to make a note here. I am a fan of Microsoft and most of their products. In fact, i can’t have any linux distro on my desktop pc. I like Windows and i know my way around them. But what i think is that they are doing a great marketing job. Yup. They are good programmers, excellent graphic artists and top notch marketeers. That’s who they are. They pull a crap like “open beta testing of my new release that has no real features and will not be stable at all” and we all go crazy. The worst part is that we do that only to start complaining and say things when the product hits actually the market. I can read the headlines in 18 months from now (the approximate time that Windows 7 are to be released) “another failure”, “even more useless”. So why did we rush that much anyway?

Enough with all the rumbling. I think i said enough and shared my thoughts with you. I am not that anxious waiting on the Windows 7 release since i see nothing sugnificant changing. What i see is a period of unstable systems, till they finaly release a service pack and many many unsatisfied customers that rushed in the stores to buy it as soon as it hit the market.

This is a post i wrote in an emotional outburst that’s why it’s a bit mean. But within the proportions i think enough truth is said.

UPDATE: I have been getting much feedback on this post and dug in a little bit more. I found this excellent list of user friendly Windows 7 features and i really think you should read it.