Windows :07
Microsoft last week launched its
latest incarnation of the Explorer browser - the IE8.
 Half
the world is still using IE6, having not bothered with even IE7 and the
other half is using Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari, so why should you
upgrade or install? Microsoft has several reasons.
Accelerators help you find interesting facts fast. For example, if
you come across a theater listing while browsing the Net, it is easy to
get directions and maps and find more info on it from Encarta without
even opening another tab.
In Private browsing: Surf the Internet without leaving a trace on
your computer or the World Wide Web.Webslices: If you look for updates
on certain sites regularly, say eBay, add a webslice.
It will update the info in a box, without you having to go to the
site itself.
Better search: There is an enhanced search facility with visual
suggestions.
If you look for Darwin, you will see his picture. MS also promises
better security.
It also offers a compatibility view for older websites which do not
meet the IE8’s standards. But it is not perfect - some state of the art
sites are adjusted for compatibility view, whereas they are displayed
perfectly in the other latest browsers.
 Tabs
are old news now, but IE8 offers grouped tabs. Related sites are colour
coded for easy identification.
Microsoft has taken a page out of Google’s Chrome book and introduced
a smarter address bar, which offers URL suggestions as you type.
It is also integrated with Live Search, just as Chrome is integrated
with Google itself. MS has also placed better zoom facilities at the
user’s disposal.
The jury is still out on whether it is better than the other
browsers, but it is not faster than some of the browsers with a simpler
interface.
It takes rather long to download and install (I had already installed
the RC1 version earlier) and it requires a reboot of your PC mainly
because it is tightly linked to the Windows XP or Vista OS.
That brings us to Windows 7, Microsoft’s next-gen OS tentatively
scheduled for release in December 2009.
Vista was a universal failure derided by users so MS has a lot to
prove with 7. It will also be the first MS OS equipped with a ‘kill’
switch for IE8. Microsoft obviously had enough of those antitrust suits.
 When
released it will have several versions - Starter, Windows 7 Home
Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, and Windows 7
Ultimate. Windows 7 Home Basic will also be sold, but only to emerging
markets.
MS promises a faster and easier Operating System with 7. For
starters, the task bar is much improved and has small previews so you
can select what you want easily. There’s also a Jump List showing your
most recent activity.
You can also make open files and windows ‘invisible’ if you want to
see your desktop for something else. Windows Live Messenger, Picture
Gallery, Mail, Writer etc are integrated to the OS.
There will also be a single printers and devices screen to make
things easy. And with Win 7, it is also easy to share pictures, videos
and images on your local network or through the Web with the whole
world. Only time will tell whether Windows 7 achieves world domination.
- Pramod
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