the tindog coffeehouse

Over the weekend I downloaded the Beta 1 of Windows 7 and finally got around to installing it on a spare laptop yesterday.  I’m not going to go into an in-depth review of it here, partly because I don’t have time but also because there are plenty of other tech blogs out there which already have.  (Lifehacker is a great place to start.)  But I did want to share a few thoughts about it.  (More later.)

First, let me get my two biggest gripes out of the way.  I don’t like the new taskbar.  Period.

The Quick Launch bar, which I use constantly, is gone.  Instead, programs can be pinned to the taskbar like they’re pinned to the Start menu.  It’s just awkward.  Fortunately, while Microsoft doesn’t give you the option to turn it back on, there is a very easy way to get it back, which I’ll cover in a separate blog post.

Second, I don’t like the revamped Windows Explorer.  When you open Explorer, you’ll now see a Favorites section (introduced in Vista), Libraries, Homegroups, and then the Computer section.  (Click image to enlarge.)

While some of the settings in Explorer can be tweaked, some of them can’t, and that bothers me.  One of the biggest strengths of Windows is the ability to tweak the settings to the user’s preference.  At least in this build, Microsoft seems to be limiting that.  Just give the users more an ability to change things around, that’s all I’m saying.

A couple of other really quick thoughts:

• Installation – I did a full install, and it was very quick and very simple.  Probably the quickest clean install of Windows I’ve done in a while.
• User Access Control (UAC) – One of the most hated features of Vista.  It can be completely turned off in Vista, but in 7 you can also easily adjust the settings in the Control Panel making it more or less active.  However, in all the testing I’ve done so far, I’ve yet to get any UAC prompts, so I haven’t had to change the settings.  That’s a good thing.

• Action Center – Here, you can adjust which kind of notifications you get in your taskbar.  This is a handy and long-overdue feature.

• Windows Peek – The little area to the right of the clock is the Show Desktop button.  Hover over it, and all the windows become transparent so you can see the Desktop.  I just can’t see how this would be terribly useful.  Seems like one of those “gee-whiz” features like Flip 3D that adds no real value.
• Window Transparency – In Vista, when you maximize a window, the translucent window title bar and taskbar become opaque.  In 7, they remain translucent.  I don’t really care for that, but obviously the transparency settings can be adjusted or turned off completely.
• Libraries – Windows 7 has a new feature called Libraries, which are basically shortcuts to your documents, music, pictures, etc.  I wasn’t really thrilled about them initially, but you can easily add, remove, or change them.  I can see how this would be useful on a home computer where you have a bunch of different media files.  While you can’t turn them off in Explorer, you can at least customize them, so that helps.
• Homegroups – Basically a way to share media among computers and networked devices in a workgroup-type format but password-protected.  I doubt I would ever use it, and I’m not sure how much non-techy home users would either.

Coming soon: I have a couple of other follow-up posts planned, one concerning the new taskbar, and another which takes a look at some of the other features and changes in Windows 7.  In the meantime, if you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

Previously:
Vista: The good, the bad, and the meh