DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

Microsoft unveils test version of Windows 7

44 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/microsoft-unveils-test-version-of-windows-7.100841/

A
amizdu Original post #1
Oct 29, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Doesn't sound too exciting for me. :-|

Anyway, the fact that I've never ever used Vista makes me eager to try this as soon as the final is released. :)

LOS ANGELES — Microsoft introduced what it said would be a slimmer and more responsive version of its Windows operating system on Tuesday, while unceremoniously dropping the brand name Vista for the new product.

The new version will instead be branded Windows 7, because it is the seventh of a long line of operating systems for PCs developed by the company since the 1980s. The company did not say when it would sell Windows 7 to the public.

The company also said that it was planning to introduce a Web-based version of its Office programs, which is aimed at heading off a new wave of competitors like Google Docs and Zoho, which have deployed word processors, spreadsheets and presentation programs that run on a Web browser. The company was vague, however, about how it would price the programs and acknowledged that it would face skeptical Wall Street analysts who think the strategy would cannibalize the company’s profitable Office franchise.

Source

*edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/10/28/microsoft.windows.ap/?iref=mpstoryview
Cool G5
Cool G5 #2
Oct 29, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Yawn.. Neither I am interested. *gigasmilies.googlepages.com/37.gif
A
Oct 29, 2008 at 12:07 PM
But I am...........
G
Oct 29, 2008 at 12:12 PM
i hope its doesn;t suck as vista did
shantanu
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:19 PM
there is a psycological effect on vista.. as proved by the mohave project.. so leave the thing that Vista sucked.. it didn't and Windows 7 will rock as i think of it..
casanova
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:44 PM
And I agree with it.
anandk
anandk #8
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Windows 7 would iron out the issues which Vista faced and should be good, imo.

Here are some New Features Of Windows 7 in brief:

Windows 7's Taskbar shows change. Windows 7 has tools you can use to display or hide the icons in the Notification Area. You can also suppress its notifications individually or collectively. You can also shuffle the icons by dragging them from one place to the other.

The familiar tabs containing the name of a running application and its icon will in probability be replaced by large icons that represent running applications.

In Windows 7, thumbnails for multiple windows appear on screen simultaneously, in a ribbon like horizontal strip.

At the far right of the new Windows 7 Task bar, you will see a blank rectangular area. Clicking on it will minimize all open windows.

Windows 7 also has a new feature : "Jump List". Jump lists provide one-click access to various tasks associated with an application

The sidebar is gone. But the gadgets remain and can be placed on the desktop.

The UAC in Windows 7 adds two intermediate settings, apart from the fully enabled UAC or the disabled UAC. One notifies you of attempts to install software or change settings without making you click to continue, and the other notifies you, only when a program tries to change settings. The new UAC settings reside in a new Control Panel section called Windows Solution Center, which replaces Vista's Security Center.

You can also apply Styles or Themes to the Windows 7 interface. You can chose your own wallpaper, color schemes, sounds, and screen savers, and moreover also see its preview before deciding to apply it.
gxsaurav
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Nice, I had the previous build but we were under NDA. We still can't break it but many features r public now.
skippednote
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Will try it if i'm able to get my hands on it......
RCuber
RCuber #11
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:57 PM
Yes, I am interested.. BTW you can check screen shots in the below links.

Windows 7 M3 Screens, Part 1
Windows 7 M3 Screens, Part 2
Windows 7 M3 Screens, Part 3
Windows 7 M3 Screens, Part 4
Windows 7 M3 Screens, Part 5
Sumeet_naik
Oct 29, 2008 at 2:11 PM
M waiting for some reviews. . For some reasons i feel it might be just a step-up version of vista...
iMav
iMav #13
Oct 29, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Here is something that no one has posted yet:

The demo was shown on a netbook with specs of 1GHz Atom processor & 1GB RAM.
DigitalDude
Oct 29, 2008 at 3:50 PM
*www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/10-28-08w7desktop.jpg

*www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/windows-7-details-galore-interface-tweaks-netbook-builds-medi/

*www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/10-28-08-windows-7-taskbar.jpg

*www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/microsoft-details-pre-beta-release-of-windows-7/


_
RCuber
RCuber #15
Oct 29, 2008 at 4:21 PM
Here is something that no one has posted yet:

The demo was shown on a netbook with specs of 1GHz Atom processor & 1GB RAM.

Are you sure it was Atom? I guess the processor was stated as 1GHz but no name was mentioned. I really want to see this running on Via's Nano ;)
iMav
iMav #16
Oct 29, 2008 at 4:24 PM
^^ I read it on the live blogs...
Pat
Pat #17
Oct 29, 2008 at 4:35 PM
I thought the lowest specced Atom proccy was 1.6 GHz :S
iMav
iMav #18
Oct 29, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Wiki says 800MHz to 1.8GHz.
gxsaurav
gxsaurav #19
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:23 PM
which means it will run just faster then vista on the same hardware, nice. I hope it works with DirectX 10.1 based graphics cards. The only thing I want to update when running Win 7 on my PC is RAM to 4 GB & switch permanently to 64bit OS.

Tablet PCs set to make a comeback in sub $600 market with Win 7 & Intel Atom. Atlast, my dream of pure digital drawing book is coming true.
iMav
iMav #20
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:27 PM
^^ DWM will utilize DX 10.1 thereby significantly reducing the memory utilization, making it a lot more efficient and responsive.

This is the Vista effect, if you were to see at a macro level. With Vista's high requirement people have purchased better hardware (expensive or whatever) DX 10 is pretty much a house-hold name; 7 can now leverage this and provide better performance because systems running Vista are already decent as per hardware industry standards.
NucleusKore
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:34 PM
I came across a similar article today, read it here
*tech2.in.com/india/news/windows-software/microsoft-unveils-windows-7/50511/0

It says,"Speaking to participants at a Microsoft developers' conference in Los Angeles, Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Windows, said Microsoft was learning its lessons from Vista, and making sure that Windows 7 would be fully compatible with all relevant devices and applications on launch."

It also says,"Microsoft Tuesday said it would launch free online versions of Office that would be supported by advertising."

Read the full article here
*tech2.in.com/india/news/windows-software/microsoft-unveils-windows-7/50511/0
iMav
iMav #22
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:40 PM
Sinofsky said it a number of times during the keynote itself that Vista taught them a lot of lessons. Feedback, comments, blog posts etc. gave them a lot of insights into the consumer mindset and problems.
gxsaurav
gxsaurav #23
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:49 PM
Yup, from what I have seen inside of Aero...none of the features of Windows 7's DWM need DirectX 11, they just need DirectX 9 & 256 MB VRAM which is same as Vista. Although due to beta nature it might change in Future.


typed from opera mini, inside train to Lucknow :D. kabab parathey atlast :p
din
din #24
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:50 PM
[Edited by din]

Reason - Due to viral fever Uncle Din forgot his new year resolution !!!

Shame on you fat old guy :(

[/Edit]
iMav
iMav #25
Oct 29, 2008 at 7:59 PM
I learnt a lesson from my yesterday, I will learn a lesson from my today, I will learn a lesson from my tomorrow. Doesn't everyone? So saying that, you know what, Sinofsky said that we learnt some lessons from our previous release doesn't mean that they are admitting to mistakes, I am not aware of what mistakes they made, in any case.
din
din #26
Oct 29, 2008 at 8:02 PM
[Edited by din]

Reason - Due to viral fever Uncle Din forgot his new year resolution !!!

Shame on you fat old guy :(

[/Edit]
IronManForever
Oct 29, 2008 at 8:36 PM
I am impressed. Maybe a jump from WIndows XP to Win7 directly will be pretty enjoyable. :)

iMav said:
The demo was shown on a netbook with specs of 1GHz Atom processor & 1GB RAM.
Great going. So if this is true, Windows 7 should run FLAWLESSLY on Asus EEEPC 1000-H ?

gxsaurav said:
Tablet PCs set to make a comeback in sub $600 market with Win 7 & Intel Atom. Atlast, my dream of pure digital drawing book is coming true.
You expect tablets to make a comback at 600$? I really doubt it. :(
Vishal Gupta
Oct 29, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Finally I got my hands on Windows 7 latest build and to be honest, it's very fast and reliable even its under testing at the moment. :D

Although at first look it looks similar to Windows Vista and why should it not look as its using the same Kernel. But there are lots of enhancements and feature additions which makes it better than Vista as well as faster than Vista, no doubt. You can keep my words.

I have written a detailed review at AskVG.com which includes all new changes and features in this latest build.

Like Windows 7 Setup, which is very same as Vista setup. Same interface, same options, same wizard, same timings. Everything is same except the setup background and the boot screen which is too awesome. "Starting Windows" is displayed along with a glassy scrollbar in the middle of boot screen. The setup background is the same image which is used as Desktop wallpaper in the latest Windows 7 build.

*img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/vishaal_here/Windows%207/Win7_Setup_Wizard.jpg

It took almost 25-30 minutes in installing Windows 7. Nothing was asked during the setup. A few things like time zone, etc were asked at last. So you can make a coffee or drink after running the setup.

You can read the complete review at following link:

What's New in Windows 7: A Small Review with Screenshots
goobimama
goobimama #30
Oct 29, 2008 at 9:25 PM
Win7 does look interesting. I'll definitely get it for my Home PC.
NucleusKore
Oct 29, 2008 at 9:47 PM
So saying that, you know what, Sinofsky said that we learnt some lessons from our previous release doesn't mean that they are admitting to mistakes, I am not aware of what mistakes they made, in any case.

Now, now there.......... there's no need to get defensive. I just highlighted a few interesting lines. That's all.............

*s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj44/visio159/Unismilies/41large.png

I sincerely do hope you read that article

*s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj44/visio159/Unismilies/38large.png
din
din #32
Oct 29, 2008 at 9:50 PM
@NucleusKore

No, his remarks are pointed at a comment I made (which I removed on a a second thought !)
NucleusKore
Oct 29, 2008 at 9:53 PM
OOPS, sorry iMav
amitava82
amitava82 #34
Oct 29, 2008 at 9:54 PM
Am I going to get a free upgrade for my OEM Vista? If not, then it sucks... :|
NucleusKore
Oct 29, 2008 at 9:58 PM
OEMs do not get free upgrades.
IronManForever
Oct 29, 2008 at 11:04 PM
^^ Neither do the regulars as I believe.. :p
NucleusKore
Oct 30, 2008 at 7:10 PM
No, but they get the upgrade at a discount price, I think 50%
iMav
iMav #39
Nov 2, 2008 at 12:51 AM
^^ Even Arya uses Windows once in a while. Can't live without it, no 1 can. ;)
goobimama
goobimama #40
Nov 2, 2008 at 1:05 AM
[rant]
Oi. Wait a minute here. Don't go around making silly proclamations. I will get this for the HomePC, but I'm not giving up on my Mac just yet. I just hate taking care of XP, and Vista being better stability-wise bogs down the system like a giraffe on a hot summers day. No I don't ever need to use Windows. It's a different matter that most computers out there are Windows PCs and I'm forced to interact with them.
[/rant]

Win7 looks like the perfect balance between XP and Vista, and that's why I like it.
shantanu
shantanu #41
Nov 3, 2008 at 11:54 PM
No Predictions can be made until you see it and use it in real !! A person if compares Xp and Vista cannot be serious about his Own Skills.. Windows 7 might be a completely different look out ?
x3060
x3060 #42
Nov 8, 2008 at 8:10 PM
yes, win 7 looks a perfect balance between xp & vista....rightly said mate...even am looking forward for it.
desiibond
desiibond #43
Nov 8, 2008 at 11:17 PM
yes. Explorer looked as if "a bit of XP is injected into Vista"
A
Nov 9, 2008 at 12:25 AM
the pdc buid is nt much different from vista... i got my hands on this build yesterday...