The latest beta build of Windows 7 includes improvements that Microsoft is making over Vista. We've take a user's look at what's on offer on the desktop.
If you haven't had a chance yet to install the Windows 7 beta, here's the first in a series of posts where we'll take you through what's new.
First impressions of Microsoft's Windows 7 are that you have installed Windows Vista and some third-party desktop theme. Just remember this is only a beta, so things may still change.
Looking around the screen, the Start button and Quick Launch icons now animate and the Internet Explorer icon displays an easily-accessible list of favourite sites. You can shrink the icons down to small, but they're placed in chunky boxes that double as launchers and replace the program-packed Quick Launch strip that many long-time Windows users may prefer.
Above: the Windows 7 desktop; changes can best be described as subtle - the most obvious changes are in the taskbar
Clicking the new prominent Help and Support button tells you all about what's new – improved loading speed, better battery performance for notebooks and easier trouble shooting with the Action Center, all of which we will test at length, later.
The first functional change is the way that your windows work. Rather than clicking on the minimise or maximise icons, dragging a window
to the top of the screen will maximise it, while dragging to one side will
resize it to help easily move files between folders. A helpful blue shadow shows
you how much screen space the new window will take up. Finally, drag to the lower
right and all your windows will become transparent -- hardly earth shattering but
it adds extra benefits for those addicted to moving files or with crammed desktops.
Further features including integration with Microsoft's Live Services, which is great if you use them, or a series of annoying reminders if you don't. (See the IE8 install screen).
Above: Live is everywhere as Microsoft ties the Internet to the desktop
Start using applications or utilities and you'll see icons appear on the task tray rather than the old application or file name. Vista's
gadgets are still there waiting to be used, but hopefully the list will expand come launch time for Windows 7. So, there's no radical redesign on the desktop front, although we await using the touch-screen controls on a suitably configured system in the future. Next up, we'll take a look beyond the desktop, inside the system.