Windows 7 Under the Scrutiny of Mac Users and Antitrust Regulators
From the point of view of a Windows user, the next iteration of the OS, Windows 7, looks like a great improvement compared to previous Windows versions and we can only expect it to get better and better as it moves out of Beta. But what about Mac OS X users; how do they see Windows 7? And on a graver note, what do antitrust regulators think of Microsoft’s operating system?
Antitrust regulators say they will make sure Microsoft complies with the 2002 settlement, and consequently they will put Windows 7 under the microscope – more so than they did with Vista and XP. The goal is not to allow Microsoft to push other software products in an uncompetitive manner by using their OS. A Technical Committee (TC for Short) has been set up by the D.C. U.S. District Court and this is what it had to say:
“In light of the number of new documents that need to be reviewed, the TC is going to shift its focus to direct review of the documents by the TC's engineers as the most efficient method of identifying issues with the documentation. The revised strategy will enable the TC to review the new Windows 7 and system documents more thoroughly than it would otherwise, which is particularly desirable given the significance of these new documents to the project as a whole.” The documents they are talking about are the “30 new technical documents and 87 updated technical documents” that Microsoft handed the TC.
What about Mac OS X users? It is a well known fact that when Microsoft pushed out Vista, numerous users switching from XP found the UI (user interface) had been modified so much that they had problems doing some of the simplest tasks. Some of them downgraded back to XP, while other switched camps and went with Apple’s Mac OS X. Now Microsoft is making a comeback with Windows 7 and is trying to get these people, and other MAC users as well, to make the switch.
Gale Gruman is just the person that said no to Vista, moved to MAC OS X, and now has but Windows 7 to the test. According to him, there are several areas in which Mac OS X UI is better (finder toolbar, default desktop configuration, control panels, taskbar preview, system utilities, and stability) and other areas in which the Windows 7 UI is dominant (gadget sidebar, Network and Sharing Centre, resizing windows, dialog boxes that let you perform tasks from within them, uninstalling applications).
Antitrust regulators say they will make sure Microsoft complies with the 2002 settlement, and consequently they will put Windows 7 under the microscope – more so than they did with Vista and XP. The goal is not to allow Microsoft to push other software products in an uncompetitive manner by using their OS. A Technical Committee (TC for Short) has been set up by the D.C. U.S. District Court and this is what it had to say:
“In light of the number of new documents that need to be reviewed, the TC is going to shift its focus to direct review of the documents by the TC's engineers as the most efficient method of identifying issues with the documentation. The revised strategy will enable the TC to review the new Windows 7 and system documents more thoroughly than it would otherwise, which is particularly desirable given the significance of these new documents to the project as a whole.” The documents they are talking about are the “30 new technical documents and 87 updated technical documents” that Microsoft handed the TC.
What about Mac OS X users? It is a well known fact that when Microsoft pushed out Vista, numerous users switching from XP found the UI (user interface) had been modified so much that they had problems doing some of the simplest tasks. Some of them downgraded back to XP, while other switched camps and went with Apple’s Mac OS X. Now Microsoft is making a comeback with Windows 7 and is trying to get these people, and other MAC users as well, to make the switch.
Gale Gruman is just the person that said no to Vista, moved to MAC OS X, and now has but Windows 7 to the test. According to him, there are several areas in which Mac OS X UI is better (finder toolbar, default desktop configuration, control panels, taskbar preview, system utilities, and stability) and other areas in which the Windows 7 UI is dominant (gadget sidebar, Network and Sharing Centre, resizing windows, dialog boxes that let you perform tasks from within them, uninstalling applications).
