Barney's Blog

Blog archive

Windows 7 Meets PC Makers

With the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) barely over, Microsoft conference organizers have already moved onto WinHEC, the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. PDC was all about Windows 7. Guess what? So is WinHEC!

Most know that one of Vista's biggest bugaboos is hardware incompatibility. It's no surprise, then, that hardware compatibility was Topic No. 1 at WinHEC, where Windows execs touted a new approach to integrating and loading all those device drivers.

Most also know that one of Vista's biggest bugaboos is performance -- at least, the lack thereof on lower-end hardware. For Windows 7, Microsoft is using parallel techniques to speed hardware and is changing the way applications load. Instead of loading and remaining in memory, applications will be loaded just when needed.

Finally, most know that one of Vista's biggest bugaboos is the eternity it can take to shut down the machine. Windows 7 should be orders of magnitude faster to turn off -- in part, I'd guess, because fewer items remain active in memory.

Will Windows 7 compete more with Vista or XP? And does XP SP2 satisfy your computing needs? Send me your thoughts at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on November 06, 2008


Featured

  • Microsoft Starts Countdown to Dynamics GP End-of-Support

    Dynamics GP, Microsoft's venerable enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for midsized businesses, is set to lose support in four years.

  • Image of a futuristic maze

    The 2024 Microsoft Product Roadmap

    Everything Microsoft partners and IT pros need to know about major Microsoft product milestones this year.

  • Windows Recall Preview Starts Rolling Out with Windows 11 24H2

    Microsoft on Tuesday began rolling out Windows 11 version 24H2, describing the update as a "full OS swap that contains new foundational elements required to deliver transformational Al experiences and exceptional performance."

  • An image of planes flying around a globe

    2024 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.