Microsoft's site was overrun on Friday by eager downloaders of the company's latest beta operating system (OS), Windows 7.
Friday's release was paused while Microsoft added servers to accommodate the number of downloads from the software company's Web site.
Microsoft SA says the number of downloads for South African users is not yet available. However, local technology buffs across the Internet are already starting to discuss their experiences with the new OS.
David Sieff, Windows product manager at Microsoft SA, says the Windows 7 Beta is essentially feature-complete. “The full release will not be very different from the beta release,” he adds.
New features
According to Sieff, Microsoft has taken pains to make a tighter connection between online and offline in this release of Windows, something the company started to do with the release of Vista. “The transition between these two environments in Windows 7 will be seamless. Windows Live has been built into the new OS,” he says.
The company has also made Windows Live Essentials available to users who have decided to download the beta. The download adds Windows Live Photo Gallery, Mail, Messenger, Movie Maker, and several other features.
The new task bar is one feature to which Sieff draws particular attention. In Windows 7, users can set the order in which the icons appear. It also allows users to preview the full screen before having to switch to the selected window.
The much-anticipated support for multi-touch technology has been included in the new release. Sieff says there are many vendors working on hardware that will allow users to use the technology. Microsoft first used multi-touch on its Surface device, a coffee-table computer. Apple also uses the technology for its iPhone and latest iPods.
Business features
Sieff says the company has also kept the business users in mind, particularly with the increased sales of business notebooks. “We have made Bitlocker integration easier and more secure,” adds Sieff.
Essentially, the company has created an easier method to encrypt hard drives and smaller media devices, including memory sticks, data-capable mobile phones and any other USB device that may store data.
According to Sieff, integrating Windows 7 with Microsoft Server 2008 allows remote users to have an easier time accessing content on business networks. “All you will need is an Internet connection and, with the right credentials into the network, you will be able to access your online content away from the office.”
For a larger scale service, Windows 7 includes a technology called Branch Caching, which allows for a single download to be cached in the local branch, allowing more users access to that file. “This will free up bandwidth between branches and head offices, something sorely needed in SA,” says Sieff.
Getting specific
The company has not yet released the computer requirements for its new OS. However, according to Sieff, the system will run over a machine that handles Vista. Local users have run the beta version over a dual core laptop with 1GB of memory, saying it runs without trouble (these users did not have any other applications installed).
“Many people are saying this is what Vista should have been, but I disagree. Vista was such a huge step from Window XP. It broke the ground for many features and Windows 7 is only really building on what Vista is already,” explains Sieff.
Users looking to test a beta copy of Windows 7 can download the ISO at the company's Web site. The full release is only expected in 2010. ITWeb will publish a review of the Window 7 Beta once the OS has been properly assessed.
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