Is Windows 7 just Vista in disguise?

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You cannot have escaped the fact that this week is the Microsoft PDC2008. Those attending the Professional Developers Conference, only held every other year, were lucky enough to witness the first full public demo of Windows 7. What's more, PDC attendees even walked away with a full pre-Beta build of the next generation Windows Operating System.

Microsoft announced plans to release a full Windows 7 beta early into 2009.

Windows 7 promises to deliver new features to help protect privacy and data, while making it easier to recover from problems. Then there is the streamlining and simplification of common tasks courtesy of a new taskbar and a streamlined user interface. Hmmm, is it just me or does that sound an awful lot like the promises that were made for Vista? In fact, Windows 7 sounds an awful lot like Vista! You would have thought, with all the developers working on it, Microsoft might have made more of an effort to make it appear like a different product. After all, Microsoft does seem to be trying to leave Vista behind elsewhere, such as in the new official Windows blogs for example.

"We are excited to be delivering a pre-beta developer release of Windows 7 today at PDC2008," said Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of the Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. "With our new approach to planning and development we now have a great foundation for our partners to start learning and innovating on this exciting new version of Windows."

Other 'first time' news from PDC2008 includes the premiere demonstration of the new Web Applications for Office line. These are essentially cut down versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that can be used directly from within any standard Web browser. Better yet, the demo revealed full and lossless file compatibility between the Web, phone and PC versions of Office.

"Microsoft supports diversity in work styles and understands that customers want choice and flexibility in how and where they work," said Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division. "Microsoft is in a unique position to meet that customer need. Office enables people to view, edit, share information and collaborate on documents on the desktop, phone and in the browser, and do so in a consistent and familiar way."

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As observed, the obvious question at the time was whether Windows 7 was simply "Vista repackaged." The short, evidence-backed answer: Windows 7 reused the same NT/Vista foundation but was delivered as a concentrated engineering effort to fix Vista's rough edges — improvements in compatibility, performance and polish were the explicit goals rather than a full rewrite. Microsoft leaders described the release in those terms. (computerworld.com)

The practical differences are concrete and go beyond skin-deep changes. Windows 7 introduced a rebuilt shell (taskbar thumbnails, jump lists and grouping), Libraries for consolidated file views, HomeGroup to simplify consumer file/printer sharing, Device Stage for richer device integration, Action Center for centralized alerts, and Windows XP Mode for legacy application compatibility — plus numerous under-the-hood optimizations around boot, graphics and driver handling. These items explain why users felt it was more than a mere cosmetic update. (en.wikipedia.org)

For decision-making: preserving Vista investments mattered. Microsoft kept strong application and driver compatibility guarantees so enterprises and OEMs could carry forward work they already did for Vista, while offering tools (XP Mode, improved drivers) to smooth migrations — a combination that helped Windows 7 gain traction faster than Vista did. Real-world uptake and reviews from that era showed substantially stronger adoption and sentiment for Windows 7 versus Vista. (news.microsoft.com)

Bottom line: not merely a disguise. Windows 7 is best characterized as an evolutionary release that built on Vista’s foundation and delivered targeted UX and engineering fixes that changed the experience in important ways. The sensible approach back then (and the lasting lesson) was to test the specific apps and drivers that matter most, exploit XP Mode for legacy-only cases, and treat Windows 7 as a compatibility-friendly but materially improved successor. (en.wikipedia.org)

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