A letter from Microsoft to Windows customers -that is business partners- , that has not happened a lot in the past. The letter gives Windows customers an update on three interesting core issues: The plans for Windows XP, the progress in Windows Vista and the view on Windows 7. The last part is obviously the one that is of interest to us more than the other two although they are a good read for everyone running one of those operating systems or planning to do so in the future.
So what has Bill Veghte, Senior Vice President of Microsoft, to say about Windows 7. Not that much unfortunately. The largest part of the article is reserved for Windows vista and only two paragraphs at the end take a look at Windows 7.
Some of you may have heard about “Windows 7″, which is the working name for the next release of Microsoft Windows. We have learned a great deal through the feedback you have shared with us about Windows Vista and that feedback is playing an important role in our work on Windows 7. You have told us you want a more regular, predictable Windows release schedule. To this end, our plan is to deliver Windows 7 approximately 3 years after the January 2007 general availability launch date of Windows Vista.
Microsoft is aiming at a Windows 7 release around January 2010, that’s now confirmed by Microsoft in this official letter. It does not really mean that it will come out at this time because development could very well be delayed for one or the other reason as was the case with Windows Vista. But for now we stick with January 2010 for the new operating system.
You’ve also let us know you don’t want to face the kinds of incompatibility challenges with the next version of Windows you might have experienced early with Windows Vista. As a result, our approach with Windows 7 is to build off the same core architecture as Windows Vista so the investments you and our partners have made in Windows Vista will continue to pay off with Windows 7. Our goal is to ensure the migration process from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is straightforward.
So Windows 7 will be build on the same core that Windows Vista was build on. Many customers who did not like Windows Vista or are sticking with Windows XP for the time being will probably dislike that last paragraph. There is a reason why so many users are not switching to Windows Vista and it is safe to say that Windows Vista is disliked by many.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Windows Sensors
Two screenshots of the Windows 7 control panel popped up recently which were showing a new function called Windows Sensors. The current menus unfortunately offer no real clues about this new feature, the help simply states: Programs on your computer can communicate with your Windows compatible sensors.
Listed in the same menu are Windows Media Player and the Windows Live Inbox. The screen also contains a Gadgets section that is showing the installed gadgets. It seems to be a new way of communication between applications that are running in Windows 7 and gadgets that are connecting to the computer.
Speculations have been started by Mary-Jo Foley who was the first to write an article about the newly discovered feature which offered several explanations and applications for the feature. She connected it to the touch screen feature, other household devices that would be controlled by Windows 7 and mobile devices. More than 140 comments added more speculation but none mentioned the most likely explanation which is called Windows Home Concept by Microsoft.
Windows Home Concept:
Microsoft published the white paper “Hardware Innovation for Windows - Platform and component design for Microsoft® Windows® Operating Systems - Windows Home Concept” which includes several hints that connect Windows Sensors to this concept:
Microsoft is working with industry partners to research compelling innovations for PCs that substantially change computing experiences. A new concept prototype that exemplifies these innovations for home computing is the Microsoft® Windows® Home Concept. The Windows Home Concept design embodies a convergence of future capabilities to provide compelling home entertainment, media management, and communication experiences, making the PC the ideal technology hub for the home.
The white paper mentions Biometric Sensors which “provides user identification and authentication”. It continues..
The Windows Home Concept uses biometric sensors on both the Home Tablet PC and the Home Center Remote for identity and authentication purposes. The sensor allows the user to access personalized information, such as playlists and favorites. Although biometric algorithms are not yet mature enough for secure access (such as domain logon), fingerprint readers can establish identity among a limited number of people, such as the members of a household, and it can offer parental controls.
A biometric fingerprint reader is especially suited for gaining identity on devices, such as a remote control, that don’t require login; for these types of devices, identity is established through the login process. Current cost of goods for fingerprint readers are under $10, averaging approximately $5 per unit.
This would fit perfectly with the two applications that are listed in the Windows Sensor menu. Authentication for Windows Mail and Playlists for Windows Media Player.
Listed in the same menu are Windows Media Player and the Windows Live Inbox. The screen also contains a Gadgets section that is showing the installed gadgets. It seems to be a new way of communication between applications that are running in Windows 7 and gadgets that are connecting to the computer.
Speculations have been started by Mary-Jo Foley who was the first to write an article about the newly discovered feature which offered several explanations and applications for the feature. She connected it to the touch screen feature, other household devices that would be controlled by Windows 7 and mobile devices. More than 140 comments added more speculation but none mentioned the most likely explanation which is called Windows Home Concept by Microsoft.
Windows Home Concept:
Microsoft published the white paper “Hardware Innovation for Windows - Platform and component design for Microsoft® Windows® Operating Systems - Windows Home Concept” which includes several hints that connect Windows Sensors to this concept:
Microsoft is working with industry partners to research compelling innovations for PCs that substantially change computing experiences. A new concept prototype that exemplifies these innovations for home computing is the Microsoft® Windows® Home Concept. The Windows Home Concept design embodies a convergence of future capabilities to provide compelling home entertainment, media management, and communication experiences, making the PC the ideal technology hub for the home.
The white paper mentions Biometric Sensors which “provides user identification and authentication”. It continues..
The Windows Home Concept uses biometric sensors on both the Home Tablet PC and the Home Center Remote for identity and authentication purposes. The sensor allows the user to access personalized information, such as playlists and favorites. Although biometric algorithms are not yet mature enough for secure access (such as domain logon), fingerprint readers can establish identity among a limited number of people, such as the members of a household, and it can offer parental controls.
A biometric fingerprint reader is especially suited for gaining identity on devices, such as a remote control, that don’t require login; for these types of devices, identity is established through the login process. Current cost of goods for fingerprint readers are under $10, averaging approximately $5 per unit.
This would fit perfectly with the two applications that are listed in the Windows Sensor menu. Authentication for Windows Mail and Playlists for Windows Media Player.
German Computer Mag Chip Windows 7 review
German computer magazine Chip reviewed Build 5619 of Windows 7. The article which is available online contains an extensive set of screenshots of the new operating system and a short German article detailing some of the changes of the new Microsoft operating system.
Their first impression was that the interface and design looked pretty much like Windows Vista and that most new functions were not visible at first glance. The Bootscreen of Windows 7 has changed compared to Windows Vista, it’s a full screen boot screen with a lightning animation.
Entries in the Windows 7 start menu can now be locked in place so that they their location in the start menu will not change. The search that is still accessible in the start menu is now making use of the complete width of the start menu to display results. Windows Vista was only using the left side of the start menu for that.
An arrow icon was added to the systray which opens a new menu that is showing the hidden icon with the options to increase the size of the systray.
One of the better changes is the ability to drag and drop sidebar gadgets on the desktop which means that it is possible to place them freely upon it.
Chip continued to note two changes to Windows Explorer. The first was that the transparent Aero effect was now also effective on maximized windows while the other made it possible to change the size of the search box in Windows Explorer.
Windows 7 provides a function to create a recovery disk which is useful for those users who did not receive a retail installation DVD when they bought their PC.
If you take a look at the changes so far you notice that most of them are smaller changes to the interface and functions. The only feature that caused some stir so far was the integrated touch screen support.
Their first impression was that the interface and design looked pretty much like Windows Vista and that most new functions were not visible at first glance. The Bootscreen of Windows 7 has changed compared to Windows Vista, it’s a full screen boot screen with a lightning animation.
Entries in the Windows 7 start menu can now be locked in place so that they their location in the start menu will not change. The search that is still accessible in the start menu is now making use of the complete width of the start menu to display results. Windows Vista was only using the left side of the start menu for that.
An arrow icon was added to the systray which opens a new menu that is showing the hidden icon with the options to increase the size of the systray.
One of the better changes is the ability to drag and drop sidebar gadgets on the desktop which means that it is possible to place them freely upon it.
Chip continued to note two changes to Windows Explorer. The first was that the transparent Aero effect was now also effective on maximized windows while the other made it possible to change the size of the search box in Windows Explorer.
Windows 7 provides a function to create a recovery disk which is useful for those users who did not receive a retail installation DVD when they bought their PC.
If you take a look at the changes so far you notice that most of them are smaller changes to the interface and functions. The only feature that caused some stir so far was the integrated touch screen support.
Windows 7 Milestone 1 Build 6519 Leaked
It was clear that a release of Windows 7 would sooner or later make its way into the dark side of the Internet. Windows 7 Milestone 1 with the buld number 6519 was released on June 11th by a group calling themselves The Microsoft Beta Project. The nfo file, a sort of readme text file states that the downloads has a packed size of 3.1 Gigabytes and that it will fit on one DVD after uninstallation.
The group created a crack to defeat the WGA protection of the Windows 7 build. Microsoft is apparently shipping the Windows 7 test builds with WGA protection, probably to reduce the chance that a leaked release will be useful to downloaders. The crack uses a combination of file replacements, modifications and the bios time to fake the validation.
The reminder written by the group seems to contain an error. It states:
This build will expire in June 2008!So you have 6 months to test!
What they probably meant to say was that this release will be valid for six additional months from June 2008 on. Interestingly though the BIOS clock will be set to December 2007 which is six months as well.
The group created a crack to defeat the WGA protection of the Windows 7 build. Microsoft is apparently shipping the Windows 7 test builds with WGA protection, probably to reduce the chance that a leaked release will be useful to downloaders. The crack uses a combination of file replacements, modifications and the bios time to fake the validation.
The reminder written by the group seems to contain an error. It states:
This build will expire in June 2008!So you have 6 months to test!
What they probably meant to say was that this release will be valid for six additional months from June 2008 on. Interestingly though the BIOS clock will be set to December 2007 which is six months as well.
Windows 7 Theme for Windows XP
If you cannot wait anymore until the release of Windows 7 the Windows 7 theme for Windows XP might ease the pain of waiting another year or so until the new operating system is released to the public. The theme can be installed on any Windows XP version that has a patched uxtheme.dll file. If you do not know how to check or do that read the following article about uxtheme.dll that explains how to patch the file in Windows XP Service Pack 3.
Once the file is patched you can load user made themes and not only the official Microsoft themes. The Windows 7 theme was created by Deviant Art user deskmundo who has created some other excellent themes. The theme is based on the Milestone 1 release of Windows 7 and not on the version that was used for presentation at the D6 conference.
I guess that the theme will be updated by Deskmundo soon to reflect the visible changes of the presentation version, for example a change of the start menu button.
Once the file is patched you can load user made themes and not only the official Microsoft themes. The Windows 7 theme was created by Deviant Art user deskmundo who has created some other excellent themes. The theme is based on the Milestone 1 release of Windows 7 and not on the version that was used for presentation at the D6 conference.
I guess that the theme will be updated by Deskmundo soon to reflect the visible changes of the presentation version, for example a change of the start menu button.
Multi-Touch LCDs: Will they be ready when Windows 7 is released ?
The demonstration of the Windows 7 multi-touch feature was interesting but I think most users have asked themselves how likely it would be that they would be having a multi-touch LCD monitor in their homes at the time Windows 7 is released to the public. If you currently look at hardware retailers you notice that touchscreen monitors are rare and expensive. Newegg for instance lists 72 touchscreen monitors with a price range of $200 to $2000 of which one has a size greater 20″, sixteen a size between 18″ - 19″ and the other 55 a size of 17″ or less.
A 19″ touchscreen LCD monitor is not available for less than $699 at Newegg currently, that’s pretty expensive for a soon to be mainstream technology. There is still time, between 1 and 2 years, before Windows 7 will be released and this likely means that hardware manufacturers will be able to provide better and cheaper touchscreen displays.
One of the first companies was Albatron who demonstrated on this year’s Computex a 22″ touchscreen LCD display which would retail for roughly 120% of the price of a usual LCD without touchscreen feature. That surely sounds promising and a little bit surprising at the same time. It would make touchscreen LCD monitors affordable to the mass market.
The demonstration was not running on a Windows 7 system obviously at the time of the fair. It should be working fine on Windows XP and Windows Vista and this would lead to the prediction that most touchscreen features of Windows 7 will sooner or later be ported by dedicated Open-Source and freeware developers to those other two operating systems.
To answer the question. Yes they will be ready and affordable at the time Windows 7 will be released. Would you pay an additional 20% to get a touchscreen LCD monitor?
A 19″ touchscreen LCD monitor is not available for less than $699 at Newegg currently, that’s pretty expensive for a soon to be mainstream technology. There is still time, between 1 and 2 years, before Windows 7 will be released and this likely means that hardware manufacturers will be able to provide better and cheaper touchscreen displays.
One of the first companies was Albatron who demonstrated on this year’s Computex a 22″ touchscreen LCD display which would retail for roughly 120% of the price of a usual LCD without touchscreen feature. That surely sounds promising and a little bit surprising at the same time. It would make touchscreen LCD monitors affordable to the mass market.
The demonstration was not running on a Windows 7 system obviously at the time of the fair. It should be working fine on Windows XP and Windows Vista and this would lead to the prediction that most touchscreen features of Windows 7 will sooner or later be ported by dedicated Open-Source and freeware developers to those other two operating systems.
To answer the question. Yes they will be ready and affordable at the time Windows 7 will be released. Would you pay an additional 20% to get a touchscreen LCD monitor?
Windows 7 Presentation Recap
I guess everyone has already seen the touchscreen presentation from the All Things Digital conference a few days ago. While most eyes were glued to that main presentation it turned out that Microsoft was revealing more information than they wanted to reveal at that point. Long Zheng has already written a great article about the taskbar that was shown during the presentation of the multi-touch feature of Windows 7. He discovered the following information about the Windows 7 taskbar:
The taskbar is higher than usual, probably 1.75x as high as the normal taskbarThe Windows orb still sticks the upper part out of the taskbarThe taskbar is divided into different colored sectionsThe system tray is not touching the edge of the screenTwo lines for the date and icons in the middle of the taskbarLarger Quick Launch iconsThere was another interesting tidbit that could lead to some speculation. During the presentation Julie Larson Green’s opens a circle menu by pressing her finger on the screen for a short period of time.
That circle menu (or pie menu) could be an indication that Microsoft will introduce circle menus in Windows 7 on a broader scale, at least for the time when a user is using the touch interface. It’s not yet clear if the touch menu shown was purely related to the application or if it was a broader menu that works in full screen applications.
From the visible icons (plane, earth) I would say that it is a specific menu of the application which does not mean that other menus or even the Windows desktop will not have a pie menu as well.
The taskbar is higher than usual, probably 1.75x as high as the normal taskbarThe Windows orb still sticks the upper part out of the taskbarThe taskbar is divided into different colored sectionsThe system tray is not touching the edge of the screenTwo lines for the date and icons in the middle of the taskbarLarger Quick Launch iconsThere was another interesting tidbit that could lead to some speculation. During the presentation Julie Larson Green’s opens a circle menu by pressing her finger on the screen for a short period of time.
That circle menu (or pie menu) could be an indication that Microsoft will introduce circle menus in Windows 7 on a broader scale, at least for the time when a user is using the touch interface. It’s not yet clear if the touch menu shown was purely related to the application or if it was a broader menu that works in full screen applications.
From the visible icons (plane, earth) I would say that it is a specific menu of the application which does not mean that other menus or even the Windows desktop will not have a pie menu as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
