Windows 7 - **Features and changes**

T

thriel

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
800
Reaction score
8
Location
Port Elizabeth
Features

New and changed features
Main article: Features new to Windows 7

WordPad from Windows 7 build 6780 showing the ribbon interface

The new Windows Action Center which replaces Windows Security Center

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors[20][21][22][23], improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.

Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors, a new version of Windows Media Center,[24] Gadgets being integrated into Windows Explorer, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, the ability to visually pin and unpin items from the Start Menu and Taskbar, improved media features, the XPS Essentials Pack being integrated, Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion.

Many new items have been added to the Control Panel including: ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, Action Center, and Display.[25] Windows Security Center has been renamed the Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds) which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been merged with the task buttons to create an enhanced taskbar or what Microsoft internally refers to as the "Superbar". This enhanced taskbar also enables the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks.[26] The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons.

Screenshots have appeared demonstrating a new feature called 'Peek'. Peek is a quick way of making all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop.[27] A Microsoft spokesman said that "this will be useful for users who want a quick look at the news" in reference to RSS gadgets on the desktop.[citation needed]

For developers, Windows 7 includes a new networking API with support for building SOAP based web services in native code (as opposed to .NET based WCF web services),[28] new features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development of installation packages,[29] and improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic Services API.[30]

At WinHEC 2008 Microsoft announced that color depths of 30-bit and 48-bit would be supported in Windows 7 along with the wide color gamut scRGB (which for HDMI 1.3 can be converted and output as xvYCC). The video modes supported in Windows 7 are 16-bit sRGB, 24-bit sRGB, 30-bit sRGB, 30-bit with extended color gamut sRGB, and 48-bit scRGB.[31][32]
Click to expand...

Read the rest at the following Article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7
 
windows_7.png
 
"The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons."

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

what's virtual hard disks?
 
@thriel, as much as I like technology (and I do) dont you think perhaps you are evangelising Win7 a little bit too aggresively on this forum? do you want a nick change, I mean, I am sure I can arrange it? Something like Steve Balmer's Pet or similar? :-)

/joke.

win7 is good and all etc etc etc, but does it justify 11 threads a day, started by thriel?
sorry, but as you stated in another thread, democracy etc, all entitled to our opinion etc.
 
werner said:
@thriel, as much as I like technology (and I do) dont you think perhaps you are evangelising Win7 a little bit too aggresively on this forum? do you want a nick change, I mean, I am sure I can arrange it? Something like Steve Balmer's Pet or similar? :-)

/joke.

win7 is good and all etc etc etc, but does it justify 11 threads a day, started by thriel?
sorry, but as you stated in another thread, democracy etc, all entitled to our opinion etc.
Click to expand...

well, if we had the options to make a poll i could tie more than half the threads into 1. unfortunately, to gather info i am now required to post, dig and search .... this is very frustrating and why i am making a big deal about poll options. it seems my other thread is deleted and i am again being ignored.

I still dont know the reason the feature was removed.

Also, my posts are mostly brining info to users here, as is the post above. if you dont want the info i can allways stop and you can have 40 threads instead asking stupid questions that my 1 thread answered ???

i dont see anyone complaining about other users that have a 20k post count in 2 years which averages to more than me a day.
 
Last edited:
thriel said:
Also, my posts are mostly brining info to users here, as is the post above. if you dont want the info i can allways stop and you can have 40 threads instead asking stupid questions that my 1 thread answered ???

i dont see anyone complaining about other users that have a 20k post count in 2 years which averages to more than me a day.
Click to expand...

thats fine by me, you do as you please, my comment should be taken as such, just a comment from little old me.

just a small mention, if i may, the guys with 20k post count have a little thing on their side, called variety. at this rate i am mentally flipping a coin trying to figure out if you are getting paid for pushing win7. please dont take offence, as i am laughing as i type this. i am sure you can see why i have taken this stance though.
 
thriel said:
I still dont know the reason the feature was removed.
Click to expand...

Because someone might k@k in their pants the first time someone creates a "silly" poll.

why do we have to ask, just let us do it ourselves!

If I go to a club I don't wanna ask the bouncers if i'm allowed to go to the toilet, and if one of them can please escourt me to the toilets while holding my hand all the way there - we're all grown up here, let us be able to decide whether we want a poll or not ourselves, without needing to ask.
 
WordPad from Windows 7 build 6780 showing the ribbon interface
Click to expand...

This raises an interesting issue to me. Presently MS have licensing requirements for using the ribbon. By sticking it directly into the OS, I would say that they are making it a standard and should remove the licensing requirements.
 
Abe said:
Presently MS have licensing requirements for using the ribbon.
Click to expand...
They do? This doesn't really make sense as I am using a open source ribbon control in some of my projects I am working on and the project for the ribbon I'm using is from codeplex which is managed by MS, so if there were license implications they would've mentioned it. I have also bought a control suite from DevExpress which contains a ribbon control (which is the best on the market) and there is also nothing mentioned and MS didn't do anything to them for using the idea/control whatever...
 
MielieSpoor said:
They do? This doesn't really make sense as I am using a open source ribbon control in some of my projects I am working on and the project for the ribbon I'm using is from codeplex which is managed by MS, so if there were license implications they would've mentioned it. I have also bought a control suite from DevExpress which contains a ribbon control (which is the best on the market) and there is also nothing mentioned and MS didn't do anything to them for using the idea/control whatever...
Click to expand...

It's not a paid for license, but there is still a license that you need to accept and adhere to:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx

For example, you can't make a product that competes with Office and use the Ribbon.
 
Abe said:
It's not a paid for license, but there is still a license that you need to accept and adhere to:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx

For example, you can't make a product that competes with Office and use the Ribbon.
Click to expand...

Abe said:
http://community.devexpress.com/blogs/ctodx/archive/2006/11/21/415.aspx

Gives you some information from DevEx on the subject.
Click to expand...

That makes sense and I understand that, but I suppose I misundestood his post. I understood from what he posted that there would be implications involved if the Ribbon is included into the OS shell. If that is what he meant, then my answer would be no as you are free to use it and you don't have access to use it in any development as it is not available. When included into the shell it is only available to use in existing applications like Office and with Windows 7 wordpad etc.
 
Windows 7... the version of windows that has taken ideas from multiple programs and put it into a MS product.

*yawn*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X