Windows 7

Windows 7 is a huge improvement over Windows Vista in so many ways. First, with how they set up the versions. Windows Vista had that one or two features you wanted in all the wrong versions mostly requiring you to get Ultimate for the base set of features you wanted. Windows 7 does much better with this putting nearly all of the features most will want into their Home Premium version, which doesn't have a bad price tag.

The 64 bit version of Windows 7 comes standard in the package, so adoption of the faster version that takes into account the better hardware we all have doesn't have to be a choice... it's just there, which is nice. I installed it on my 13" MacBook through Bootcamp, and it's by far the tightest and fastest version of Windows I've used since XP SP1. The Media Center stuff is great, nice that it's not something I have to pay extra for.

One of the gripes I had about Vista was it felt incomplete. Base Windows icons and dialog boxes seemed to still look like XP or 2000. So far, this seems to be fixed in Windows 7. The interface is tight, the Aero effects, in this case more than Vista, really add to the experience. Unlike in past versions, what you get with the install/upgrade is a base set of apps. Then you can choose what you want beyond that, like the Windows Live stuff. That's the way it should be, right?

I don't use Windows 7 as my primary machine, but I'd like to use it for more than just browser testing now that it's more or less a pleasure to use rather than a headache.

Screenshots:

Improved Taskbar

Better Windows Explorer

Media Center

 
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