It’s not revolutionary, and it didn’t have to be. It just needed to be better. Microsoft’s latest operating system is simultaneously facing high and low expectations. Next to the much criticized Vista, any OS, however mildly improved, would look good in comparison. And yet, while imperfect, Windows 7 undoubtedly delivers. With improved performance, plus a tweaked, intuitive interface that offers more functionality, Windows 7 provides a better overall computing experience for the masses.
How We Tested
To test Windows 7’s stability, compatibility, and performance, we installed the 32-bit version on a plethora of computers, from netbooks to mainstream notebooks: a Toshiba mini NB205-N310 ($399), the Gateway NV5807u ($599) and the Dell Studio XPS 16 ($1,804).
The Taskbar
Remember we said Windows 7 isn’t revolutionary? It starts with the look of the OS. Win 7 was built on top of Vista’s architecture (there’s a reason pundits have been saying it’s “what Vista should have been”) and indeed, the desktop looks the same—at first glance, anyway. The windows have the same smoky Aero effects, the desktop icons look the same, and even the little Start button is the familiar Windows pearl. The common dialog boxes and Control Panel items are similar too, so users who have become familiar with Vista won’t have to learn a new interface.
Then one notices the Taskbar. That it takes on the same slick Aero effects as the rest of the OS is the tip of the iceberg: it also takes on way more functionality than it had before, with the kind of usefulness that made Windows users envious of the Mac OS in the past. Users can “pin” any program they like to the Taskbar, which allows you to launch programs with one click, as opposed to double-clicking a desktop icon or clicking through the Start Menu to find the program of your choice. The Mac OS has had this functionality for ages, and although some third-party apps, most notably the Dell Dock, allow you to create more intuitive shortcuts, too, it’s never been baked into Windows.
The level of customization is also impressive; you can drag and drop Taskbar icons into an order that makes sense to you, and when you install new software, it won’t automatically pin itself to the Taskbar, so that space can be as clutter-free as you desire.
Here’s another similarity to OS X’s dock: if you hover over a program in the Taskbar, you can see a preview of whatever documents or windows you have open in that particular program. For example, if you hover over Internet Explorer’s Taskbar icon and currently have three tabs open, you’ll see three small preview boxes arranged side by side. But Microsoft does Apple one better, because when hovering over a particular window (say, one of those open tabs) you’ll get a much larger, almost full-screen preview—a perk Microsoft has dubbed Aero Peek.
Aero Peek is a useful feature, since a thumbnail-sized preview can be hard to decipher. The only thing that took some getting used to was selecting a window or document after we had previewed it using Aero Peek and decided that it was what we wanted. Even though your eyes are drawn to the large preview window, you have to keep your cursor on the tiny preview thumbnail that’s still lingering above the Taskbar. It’s tempting to just click on what you want in that enlarged window, but you have to remember to click the smaller preview instead.
That quibble aside, the Taskbar, and Aero Peek in particular, has to be among our favorite Windows 7 features: it allows you to launch programs, preview open windows and documents, and minimize desktop clutter in one fell swoop.
