By Jo Best, 2 December 2008 14:52
With uptake of Vista still lagging, a lot of IT departments are pinning their operating system upgrade hopes on its successor Windows 7.
After Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference saw an unveiling of elements of Windows 7's desktop, Redmond's Engineering Windows 7 blog has unwrapped how the next version of the Microsoft OS will see a makeover for the taskbar, or what Windows 7 engineers call "the beachfront property of the Windows OS".
According to Microsoft, Windows 7's taskbar will be slightly larger than its Vista counterpart and bigger icons will be the default option. The idea, according to the software giant, is that the taskbar will become the main location that users launch their programs from.
The taskbar will also be given what Microsoft calls a "glass treatment", as shown here.
Photo credit: Microsoft
Comments
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1. anonymous
How nice!
Windows 7 is even MORE like Apple Mac now.
How flattering for the guys at Apple.
2. anonymous
Windows 7 Taskbar = OS X + quicklook
3. anonymous
Disapointing for an OS thats for bussiness use, lets have less of the bells and whistles.
Essentially Vista tarted up, a nightmare training staff, same as office 2007.
4. Nick Cole
What a complete waste of development, time effort and money. It just shows that they can think of nothing really useful and expect the world to throw money at them!
How much additional memory and processor power does all that need? And all just so that we can run Word, Excel, etc as before!
What is wrong with Start - Programs and the associated list which has far more room for more programs than the task bar?
Why cannot basic functions such as switching to the desktop with a maximized but busy application be sorted out, what about aborting a programme or command that is inadvertently pressed (usually and inevitably) requiring a long delay before control is returned, ........ ? Why does the OS still freeze when it tries to rebuild the drive list and there is a CD in the slot? We could all go on and on and on. But does Microsoft ever address these fundamental infuriating things or just waste billions on pandering to marketing makeovers?