PropellerHeads Feb. 21, 2010

Q: So the big media splash and commercial wars for Windows 7 have quieted. I am in the market for a PC. Should I plan on Microsoft's new OS and what can I expect?

A: I think this is a good question. I am writing this article using Windows XP. Why? Because the 9-year-old XP is a very solid operating system (OS) from Microsoft. It runs very fast on current equipment and behaves well with a lot of legacy hardware and software. Plus, my laptop is about 4 years old.

By the way, is it just me or does Microsoft's OS naming make no sense? Windows 3.1, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP, Vista, now Windows 7. How is anyone supposed to keep up?

The predecessor to Windows 7, Windows Vista, suffered from two major (and many minor) flaws. First, existing machines struggled to keep up with the OS demands, or found driver compatibility issues. Second, even new hardware hadn't caught up with the demands of the OS. That meant it ran slowly on many machines that were available at the time of the launch. Many had similar, unfortunate, experiences with Vista. So, you are understandably hesitant about Windows 7.

Windows 7 is another story. By now you have upgraded your PC or plan to buy a new one soon. The current PC architecture and speed are more than enough for Windows 7. I don't see any real upside in sticking to an old OS for your Windows machine. Windows 7 is Your PC (www.Microsoft.com/Windows).

So, what can you expect? Do you have to learn a lot of new stuff? Microsoft may say no, but that's because they are trying to sell you something. I am going to cover the features of the Windows 7 user interface (UI) that I believe will be most helpful to you.

It's Pretty - Windows 7 continues the visual improvements introduced in Vista, called Aero. The windows, menus and other visual components are very nice-looking. It is a very pretty operating system. From some perspectives, Bill Gates just paid attention to what Steve Jobs was doing and made their OS a little more like Apples. Maybe so - but you benefit.

Snap, Shake and Peek - Snap lets you quickly resize two windows split either horizontally or vertically by moving them to a screen edge. It's a great way to work side-by-side. Shake minimizes all open windows except the one you shake by jiggling your mouse. Peek quickly shows your desktop by making all open windows transparent.

Smart Taskbar - Hovering over minimized windows in your Task bar displays thumbnails of the windows and allows you to maximize or close them quickly. You can also pin favorite tasks to a position you like.

Easy Network - With many of us running home networks with wireless routers, the HomeGroup network configuration makes set-up a breeze.

Quick Pick - Just right click on an application, like Internet Explorer or Media Player, and recently used documents show up for easy reload.

There are lots of other features, but these will be your favorites and most used. For more information, two nice articles on Windows 7 usage are here (http://bit.ly/175eT9) and here (http://bit.ly/CfPxT).

So, I think Microsoft got it right this time. For your old PCs running XP - I wouldn't change a thing. For new machines, launch Windows 7.

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. E-mail them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our Web site at www.askthepropellerheads.com.