Windows 7 is a version of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft
for use on personal computers,
including home and business desktops, laptops, net-books,
tablet
PCs, and media center PCs.[3]
Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009,[4]
and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009,[5]
less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows
Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released
at the same time.
Unlike its predecessor, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was
intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line,
with the goal of being fully compatible with applications and hardware
with which Windows Vista is already compatible.[6]
Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch
support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar,
referred to as the Superbar, a home networking system called Home-group,[7]
and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included
with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows
Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in Windows
7;[8][9]
most are instead offered separately as part of the free Windows Live Essentials suite
Goals
Bill
Gates, in an interview with Newsweek,
suggested that this version of Windows would be more "user-centric".[31]
Gates later said that Windows 7 would also focus on performance
improvements.[32]
Steven Sinofsky later expanded on this point, explaining
in the Engineering Windows 7 blog that the company was using a
variety of new tracing tools to measure the performance of many areas of
the operating system on an ongoing basis, to help locate inefficient
code paths and to help prevent performance regressions.[33]
Senior Vice President Bill Veghte stated that Windows
Vista users migrating to Windows 7 would not find the kind of
device compatibility issues they encountered migrating from Windows
XP.[34]
Speaking about Windows 7 on October 16, 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve
Ballmer confirmed compatibility between Vista and Windows 7,[35]
indicating that Windows 7 would be a refined version of Windows Vista.[
for use on personal computers,
including home and business desktops, laptops, net-books,
tablet
PCs, and media center PCs.[3]
Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009,[4]
and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009,[5]
less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows
Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released
at the same time.
Unlike its predecessor, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was
intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line,
with the goal of being fully compatible with applications and hardware
with which Windows Vista is already compatible.[6]
Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch
support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar,
referred to as the Superbar, a home networking system called Home-group,[7]
and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included
with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows
Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in Windows
7;[8][9]
most are instead offered separately as part of the free Windows Live Essentials suite
Goals
Bill
Gates, in an interview with Newsweek,
suggested that this version of Windows would be more "user-centric".[31]
Gates later said that Windows 7 would also focus on performance
improvements.[32]
Steven Sinofsky later expanded on this point, explaining
in the Engineering Windows 7 blog that the company was using a
variety of new tracing tools to measure the performance of many areas of
the operating system on an ongoing basis, to help locate inefficient
code paths and to help prevent performance regressions.[33]
Senior Vice President Bill Veghte stated that Windows
Vista users migrating to Windows 7 would not find the kind of
device compatibility issues they encountered migrating from Windows
XP.[34]
Speaking about Windows 7 on October 16, 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve
Ballmer confirmed compatibility between Vista and Windows 7,[35]
indicating that Windows 7 would be a refined version of Windows Vista.[
