Windows 7 Thoughts?

[egtx]

Wondering what folks think of the Windows 7 beta.

I am finding that I am compelled to install it on almost every machine available to me. It's hard to explain exactly, but the overall polish applied to it so far makes it nice to use. I have been using Vista x64 for a couple years now and I have been relatively happy with it. So far Win7 is a nice upgrade from that; so much so that I hate going back to Vista now since in so many ways Win7 feels better.

Some of My Favorite Things:
The new taskbar is awesome IMO. Being able to pin icons and move them around at will is great. The jump lists are cool and I can't wait for more apps to support that functionality.

The new Libraries feature in Explorer is a nice idea, making it quick and easy to find different types of media all over the PC. I made a new Library for "Downloads" and have found that very useful.

The new window manager is cool, being able to dock items and move things to the next monitor. Still, I find myself having to install FreeSnap to be able to snap items to corners and such. I wish FreeSnap was built in...

Overall I am surprised with stability and hardware compatibility of the beta. I haven't had a single BSOD and all of my hardware works when I install the Vista x64 drivers. This is a great sign for the eventual release - perhaps we won't be plagued with the chicken+egg driver problem this time around!

Surprisingly, I am liking IE8. There are neat features built into it. I imagine I will still use Firefox and Chrome more, but IE8 definitely feels like a substantial improvement over IE7 for those times when you have to use IE.

The networking connection manager works a lot better than in Vista. This is great on my laptop for switching various WiFi networks, my work network, etc...

What I Don't Like

I miss the old Sidebar. Now your gadgets just go to the desktop. Since I have dual 24" monitors I found it very useful to dock all my gadgets on the side of my second monitor, where they were out of the way without sacrificing too much horizontal res. With Win7 now this is harder to accomplish since the gadgets are on the desktop, meaning apps will more easily obscure them. Certainly not a dealbreaker, but a little disappointing nonetheless.

The early buzz was that performance is much better than Vista. So far on my systems (a Dell XPS M1210 Dual Core laptop, Core i7 box, and a 8 core Dual Xeon workstation) perf doesn't seem all that much different. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's too bad that at least for me the buzz of a leaner, meaner OS doesn't hold true.

Too bad that you have to install a hotfix due to a critical MP3 bug that went out in the release. Not a big deal but don't forget to install it!

Final thoughts:

It's too bad the beta expires August 1 as I will miss using it. This may be the first version of Windows in a long time that I will install as soon as it comes out. In the past I have waited for SP1 releases. However, if this beta is a sign of things to come I am pretty excited.

Curious to hear what others think of the beta.

[pwcmed]

I had windows 7 installed on my gaming computer and I liked it . I wanted to try out crossfire with a 4870 and a 4850 so I went back to vista. I kind of regret it now because I keep on getting a BSOD when I crossfire them. I should've made a back up image because I'm back on my single 4870 and I would like that nifty task bar back.

I have noticed a couple differences that I enjoy

When you play a video and it uses the optical out, then you choose a different output you don't have to restart the video the get the sound working.

If you have two monitors and have one set up a different level and turn the extended desktop function off then back on, it stays at that same location.

[hnzw_rui]

Win7, so far, so good. Haven't really played around with it as much as I've wanted, though.

So I didn't really read the Terms and Conditions (my bad) but does the August 1 expiration date also apply to those who downloaded the beta from TechNet Plus?

[Kougar]

You can still dock gadgets on the side of your screen as if the sidebar still existed. It was either Paul Thurrott or Ars Technica had a good trick on doing this in just a few clicks. I liked the idea of gadgets, but after seeing how badly the ones I was using were written (they stopped working, stopped updating, or had memory leaks that got out of control) I quit using them.

After conintual bad experiences with Vista since it launched I'm pretty happy with Windows 7. I'm certainly not going to go back, W7 beta runs better than Vista SP1 ever did. The interface operates smoothly, and things just work. I am also looking forward to an OS that will recognize and optimize itself automatically for SSDs during the initial install. The X25-M is only $369, if it keeps falling in price anyone can afford one by the time W7 arrives...

HNZW_Rui, yes the deadline applies to all W7 betas. Since you use TechNet Plus you are more than likely going to have access to the RC1 build anyway, and that one shouldn't expire until after W7 launches or is about to launch.

[werty316]

Windows 7 is pretty much what Vista should have been in the first place. The redesigned task is quite neat.

[Sovereign]

Windows 7 is pretty much what Vista should have been in the first place. The redesigned task is quite neat.

+1 There are so many small changes that you will notice in day-to-day use that make 7 just so much better. I'm not going to list them; you really need to experience them (if possible of course).

[Darkstar]

Win7, so far, so good. Haven't really played around with it as much as I've wanted, though.

So I didn't really read the Terms and Conditions (my bad) but does the August 1 expiration date also apply to those who downloaded the beta from TechNet Plus?

Yes, it applies to all Beta's

[Camride]

I love it. I have it dual booted on my desktop but will be switching it over to WIn 7 completely here real soon. I also installed it on my work laptop and it runs great. I am very impressed at how polished it is for a first beta. M$ really got it right on this one. I liked Vista but it does have it's issues. I really like all the new Aero features, Aero shake is cool and so is dragging the window to the side/top. I'm very happy with it so far, though I wish I didn't have to use IE8 beta. There are some sites I use at work that don't display properly in IE8. I get around it by using IE Tab in FF, but it would be nice to be able to install IE7 or at least IE8 RC1.

There are some good dedicated Windows 7 forums out there as well. I've been using windows7forums.com whenever I run into an issue.