Windows 7 is the latest version of the Windows Operating System which as of June 26, 2009 has been made available for pre-order. It is advertised as their easiest, fastest, and most reliable operating system yet and I certainly hope it would be. How many of us felt blatantly corralled into purchasing the Vista operating system or a new PC just to run it? And I am speaking to consumers… businesses have had it much worse. So while I usually greet Microsoft like an acquaintance that has done me wrong a time or two, I must say that I’ve jumped on board this time.

My philosophy has always been that I just want the OS to run my applications and to do it well. I do not buy a computer because of the little Microsoft sticker they put somewhere on my case. My preference would be that the OS is invisible or at least easily over-looked. However, that philosophy has quickly become out-dated as the need for security, compatibility, and speed cannot be ignored. Performance improvements are most important to me and Windows 7 is touting to have them.

Background services will only run when needed which should allow the processor’s power to speed up the operations which are in use. Windows 7 claims to demand less memory than Vista as well. Memory upgrades generated quite a sore spot when upgrading to Vista from XP so this is a welcome announcement. Managing USB devices will see improvement as 7 should recognize and make available your peripherals simply and quickly. Windows will become a light sleeper as well, promising to reconnect and resume work faster after naptime. Expansion of 64-bit support and better power management are also being promised.

A stand out announcement is that the system requirements are much the same as Vista’s. This is certainly not normal software vendor behavior. It would be prudent to cautiously wait and see on this one, however I do love surprises.

I have briefly mentioned some of the announced performance features, but you can get a fuller view from Microsoft here. I will wait to review all of 7’s features after release and having personally given it a run through.

Microsoft states that the official release will be October 22nd, 2009. I have to laugh. Why do they even come up with a specific date? Knowing their history I would rather them just say “we hope to have it out within a year or so”. Regardless of the actual release date they are offering a very good preorder deal now.

Be First, Save Half
Pre-order today and save at least 50% through participating retailers. You will have the choice between Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate versions.

While half off is a good preorder deal, the best deal is being offered to those users who are still on XP. Keep in mind you will need a PC with 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM (I recommend at least 2GB), and DirectX 9 graphic support. The deal is buy Vista for your XP system now and receive 7’s upgrade when released for as little as $9.99. Many PC manufacturers are offering similar deals for upgrading when purchasing a new Vista system today as well.

Nothing much from Microsoft would truly excite me… at least compared to the excitement I had migrating from DOS to Windows 3.0. Then again, considering the price of these current promos I may at last believe I got a good deal from Microsoft.