Windows 7 Beta Review

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How does one review a supposedly new version of a product that they have, in reality, already been using for months? It's not easy, believe it or not: The Beta version of Windows 7 (build 7000) that Microsoft will later deliver to tech beta testers and then, in January, to the public, is nothing more than a very finely tweaked version of the various post-M3 (Milestone 3, or build 6801--see my lengthy overview of that build) builds I've been using since October. In fact, there is almost no difference at all between this version of Windows 7 and M3, assuming you've enabled all the hidden M3 features using Rafael Rivera's "Blue Badge" tool.

 

Now, that's not a complaint per se, though it does make my job as a reviewer a lot less interesting. Windows 7 simply isn't changing over time. And that says a lot about the state of Windows 7 development at this point in time. That is, Windows 7 is much further along now than was any other Windows version when it reached its first beta release. In fact, this build is much closer to a release candidate (RC) build than a beta from a quality standpoint. It is feature complete, it is reasonably stable, and it is highly compatible with the software and hardware I use on a regular basis.

 

 

Yes, there are some weirdisms. And I'm curious to see whether the Beta "degrades" over time as did the last M3-era build I used day-to-day. (I've been running Windows 7 full-time since the M3 shipped.) But over the past few days, I've put the Windows 7 Beta through its paces. And I must say, wow: Windows 7 isn't your father's Longhorn.

 

 

Read the rest at Paul Thurrott's Site