Now, that's not a complaint per se, though it does make my job as a reviewer a lot less interesting. Windows 7 simply isn't changing over time. And that says a lot about the state of Windows 7 development at this point in time. That is, Windows 7 is much further along now than was any other Windows version when it reached its first beta release. In fact, this build is much closer to a release candidate (RC) build than a beta from a quality standpoint. It is feature complete, it is reasonably stable, and it is highly compatible with the software and hardware I use on a regular basis. Yes, there are some weirdisms. And I'm curious to see whether the Beta "degrades" over time as did the last M3-era build I used day-to-day. (I've been running Windows 7 full-time since the M3 shipped.) But over the past few days, I've put the Windows 7 Beta through its paces. And I must say, wow: Windows 7 isn't your father's Longhorn.
Installing the Windows 7 Beta
First up on the list of things that hasn't changed in the Windows 7 Beta is the interactive Setup routine, which you typically launch by booting your PC with the Windows 7 Beta DVD. (Separate x86 and x64 versions are available but are identical from a usage standpoint.) In keeping with the design mantra of Windows 7, Setup is simpler and more streamlined than that of Windows Vista, which was itself a huge improvement over the Windows XP Setup rigmarole.
For example, to clean install (not upgrade) Windows Vista, you had to step through 8 screens worth of information before the OS began installing. With Windows 7, this number has been cut to 5. And in Vista, the post-Setup configuration phase required six screens of input, followed by an annoyingly lengthy performance test: In Windows 7, this number actually increases to 7 because of an optional homegroup setup screen. (In both Vista and Windows 7, you will face one additional post-Setup screen if you must connect to a wireless network.)
Windows 7 interactive Setup is very similar to that for Windows Vista.
Between fewer screens and some performance tweaks, the Windows 7 Beta installs more quickly than does Windows Vista, and that's particularly noticeable when you install the build in performance-challenged virtual machines. (Some of my colleagues only install new builds in virtual machines, so that should be a big help to some of these risk-averse people.) On a physical PC, Windows 7 generally installs in 20 minutes or less.
The few post-Setup tasks now include an optional HomeGroup configuration.
To see the Windows 7 Beta Setup experience in action, please refer to my two Interactive Setup screenshot galleries (one and two).
Using Windows 7 Beta
As noted previously, I've been running pre-Beta versions of Windows 7 day-to-day on virtually all of my PCs, and certainly on all of my regularly-used PCs, since October. The Windows 7 Beta does not differ from these several builds in any meaningful way, and if you've played around with build 6956 in particular--see my screenshot gallery--then you won't find any important differences. So while I'm cognizant that most of the world is still unfamiliar with Windows 7 at this point, I don't feel that it's hugely necessary to reiterate what I've already written about this OS. Instead, I simply ask that you review my multi-part Windows 7 Preview, which describes the M3 build. Here, I'll discuss what's changed since then.
Desktop enhancements
The most obvious changes, of course, are that the many desktop enhancements that Microsoft first revealed at PDC 2008 but did not fully include in the M3 build are now available. These include the controversial new taskbar, which allows you to confusingly comingle shortcuts for non-running applications and windows with those for running applications and windows. I've already written a lengthy and impassioned plea for Microsoft to reconsider this decision--please refer to my article, Windows 7: Simple vs. Easy, for details--but I'm now even more concerned about this feature than I was a month ago. For all the niceties of the new taskbar, this comingling of different functions is a whopper of a mistake, and one that will actively harm most Windows users.
Look, ma: Icons for running applications and non-running shortcuts, comingled in one place. Just like the Mac OS X Dock.
The problem is many-fold. There are now far too many places to launch applications and windows. If you feel that an application or window shortcut is important enough to "pin" to the taskbar --i.e., keep it there permanently--Microsoft actually removes that shortcut from the Start Menu's Most Recently Used (MRU) list: So even if that item is one of your most recently used shortcuts, it's now gone from the one place in the UI that's dedicated to such things. Also, taskbar shortcuts behave non-intuitively and exhibit unique behavior, especially with their Jump Lists, which are themselves non-intuitive. The whole thing is a mess. But it's a pretty mess, and to be fair to Microsoft, it's the single major shortcoming in Windows 7.
Aside from the taskbar and its Jump Lists, we also see a fully-functioning Aero Peek (see my Aero Peek Feature Focus) in the Beta: This feature lets you "peek" behind open windows and see the desktop, which could be useful, especially if you use any Windows 7 desktop gadgets (the successor to Vista's Sidebar gadgets). It's enabled by mousing-over a new glass panel that's locked to the lower left of the screen by default.
Aero Peek helps you "peek" under the floating windows to see what's on the desktop.
Jump Lists also make a very useful appearance in the Start Menu, so as you mouse-over items in the MRU (on the left), you'll see Jump Lists for appropriate items expand on the right. For example, the shortcut for Microsoft Word displays a list of recently accessed documents. And the shortcut for Windows Live Messenger provides a customized Jump List with Messenger-specific tasks.
Jump Lists work really well in the Start Menu.
Speaking of the Start Menu, this suddenly venerable bit of Windows UI has been modified a bit more since M3 with a new Shut Down button that replaces the previously confusing two buttons that occupied that area. Press the button and Windows will shut down. Or, click the arrow on the right and get a range of options in a weird little pop-up menu.
The Action Center has been tweaked a bit since M3 and gets a new flag icon, which is quite a bit nicer and more easily recognizable than the old lighthouse icon from M3. And Microsoft's efforts to simplify the tray notification area continue though, as with the usability issues that dog the new taskbar, I'm unsure if hiding things by default is the right approach.
Action Center replaces Windows Security Center and figures to be an important component of Windows 7.
The new Personalization options are really coming along in the Beta as well. Now there are several pre-built desktop themes, which include desktop backgrounds, window colors, sounds, and a screensaver. There are even pre-built themes that utilize the desktop slideshow feature to routinely display different desktop background images. You can, as always, mix and match your own.
Personalization is much simpler and more discoverable in Windows 7.
Windows Explorer
Moving to Explorer, there are few changes. Downloads is no longer a Library but is now instead a standard physical folder, which makes more sense. But the main navigational bits in Explorer, and the UI, are largely unchanged since M3 otherwise. I like the new Explorer quite a bit, though the new view style, called Content, remains an enigma. I recall when Microsoft introduced Tiles view during the XP beta and wonder if Content isn't destined for a similar future. That is, it was designed for something very specific (in Tiles' case, the default [My] Computer view), something that we're just not privy to yet. It doesn't seem very useful to me, unless it's just a details view for large resolution monitors.
The new Content view appears to be a Details view replacement for large resolution displays.
Libraries remain an enigma, though they're mostly unchanged since M3. I think that this feature will confuse users for years to come, but I do recognize the need to move away from physical folder locations (and drive letter for that matter) in Windows. It's an ongoing process, apparently.
Networking
Networking doesn't appear to have changed much since M3 either. The Network and Sharing Center and HomeGroup configuration pages are seemingly identical, suggesting that these features were in place and baked months ago.
Networking hasn't changed much since earlier builds.
Applications
Moving to the built-in applications, we're looking at a pretty sparse collection now. As everyone must know by now, several previously key Windows applications, like Windows Mail, Messenger, Movie Maker, and Photo Gallery, are no longer included in Windows 7 and are instead made available as free downloads via Windows Live Essentials. (Other Windows applications, like Windows Calendar and Contacts, are also gone in Windows 7 are replaced by functionality in Windows Live Mail.) That's fine, I guess, but it creates a weird situation in which Windows 7 has a DVD making application (Windows DVD Maker) but no way to manage or edit photos or videos. Huh?
Windows Media Player is mostly improved over its predecessors, but you no longer configure "watch folders" from within the application (nor can you manually search for new content via the familiar F3 keyboard shortcut). Instead, Microsoft expects users to manage this type of thing via Libraries. This didn't work properly in previous builds, but in the beta, when I add specific folders of music to my Music Library, for example, that music is picked up by Media Player and organized accordingly. (HomeGroup integration also lets you play back content from other PCs on the network.) I haven't been able to test the Play To feature yet; this will eventually let WMP control play back of media to smart connected devices, which sounds interesting.
Windows Media Player now correctly picks up content configured in your media-oriented Libraries.
Media Center got mildly updated in the post-M3 builds but hasn't changed since. There's a nice new Get Started experience that helps you get up and running quickly. WordPad and Paint haven't changed from what I can see.
Windows Media Center isn't evolving as quickly as I'd like, but it does make it easier for users to get up and running now.
The new Windows Media Center Now Playing view resembles the Zune PC software.
Internet Explorer 8 gets some huge compatibility improvements in the Beta build and picks up the Compatibility List feature that Microsoft plans to ship separately to XP, Vista, and Windows Server users via an IE 8 RC sometime soon. While improvements to Web rendering are welcome and needed, IE 8 still renders some pages incorrectly in this version (I'm looking at you, Gmail), but hopefully Web site owners will get serious about getting ready for the next IE and correct these issues.
Internet Explorer 8 offers better compatibility with Web sites written for older browsers. (It works fine with the SuperSite, of course.)
Devices
I'm eager to test the Device Stage stuff we saw at PDC, but there are still no Device Stage-compatible devices I'm aware of, and I haven't found a way to trigger this intriguing new UI in the Beta build. Update: I do, in fact, have a Device Stage-compatible device: The Sansa Clip. Thanks to Andrew for the tip, and here's a shot:
Devices Stage is like an Activity Center for a particular device.
While legacy UIs like Device Manager are still present, there's a new control panel UI called Devices and Printers that seems destined to finally replace Device Manager. You can launch Windows 7's vaunted Troubleshooters from this UI, in fact, which is useful for finding and fixing hardware problems. It's only a million times nicer (and easier) than Device Manager, and I'm assuming that was exactly the point.
Devices and Printers allows you to easily run troubleshooters for misbehaving hardware.
Final thoughts
At this point in time, Windows 7 is an enigma. Many are excited about testing this next version of Windows, and I'm sure millions of people will do just that when Microsoft makes the Beta available publicly in January. But in use, Windows 7 is fairly unexceptional in the sense that, yes, it has some nice improvements over Windows Vista, but, no, none of them are particularly major changes. In this sense, Windows 7 is much like your typical Microsoft Office release, a nicely tweaked version of the previous release. (Cue the obvious Steven Sinofsky anecdote here, I guess.) That said, Windows Vista is clearly in need of a spit-shine, not to mention a public execution, and Windows 7 will provide Microsoft with a way to do both.
The obvious question here is, should you even be running the Windows 7 Beta on production hardware? If you're a regular reader of this site, I suppose the answer is yes. I've not run into any insurmountable issues with the Windows 7 Beta on the three systems to which I've installed it so far, and it's proven quite compatible with all of my hardware and software. That said, you're mileage may vary, so approach any install of this Beta with caution, and be sure to back up all of your important data ahead of time. I have not upgraded any Windows Vista PCs to the Beta yet, but will do so in the future. For now, I have no advice about upgrading, sorry.
Performance-wise, Windows 7 appears to be in the Windows Vista ballpark. It certainly boots up more quickly than its predecessor, and it is a spirited and lively system in use, with one familiar exception: File copies, especially network-based file copies, are still often surprisingly slow. I have a feeling Microsoft still hasn't fixed what appears to be an endemic issue with the Vista-era networking stack.
I'll continue using the Windows 7 Beta on all of my day-to-day PCs going forward of course and expect to have more to say about this release in the weeks and months ahead. For now, I applaud Microsoft for shipping such a stable and usable beta release. I just wish there was still time to rethink or at least discuss changes like the enhanced taskbar and Libraries, both of which I expect to confuse users.
The Windows 7 Beta is recommended, but only for technical users.
UPDATE: The Windows 7 Beta download is now available here. You can also try direct download links for both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions, though neither provides Product Keys.
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