2009-04-15 20:35:08

Respected readers!

I haven't written a windows 7 review in a longwhile, due to releases of minor builds which, apart from constantly shrinking, did not contain many fixes. It would of been quite pointless writing reviews which consume time and space, only containing a few sentences of "well, the install image shrank more, and performance is awesome..."

But for once, we are very close to the RC release -- in fact, some have sighted that build 7077 will be the RC build which those in public will receive. Microsoft is now moving into the RTM (release to Manufacturing) branch codebase, though they will maintain the RC branch with various fixes (but not  new features and options!)

What does build 7077 have to offer?
I am not going to test accessibility-related software with this build just yet, as we are through the major fixes and additions to the Operating System -- all that is being done now is fixes and tweaks. From this point, it is up to the various companies to heed my warnings and concerns, hopefully using them appropriately in the future. And it is up to you, users, to contact them and let them know on how Windows 7 functioned with their product and try to work together in perfecting their product more. Now, many of them will say, "oh, we don't support windows 7". But this shows a company which isn't fully dedicated to it's customers.
The word support has 2 types of meanings: 1. they don't work with Windows 7, and thus the products function "unknown" with the OS. and 2. The company does not generally give technical support assistance if you run Windows 7.
These 2 are fundamentally different concepts -- and keep that in mind. If a corporation wants the best and greatest developments for its customers, it should already be testing Windows 7 and working with Microsoft (Yes, MS does have a program for software companies) in making 7 function exceptionally well with products. And by allowing users to test ongoing beta software, that company can further ensure windows 7 compatibility. That's all I have to say about the blind or even sighted markets...

Windows 7 install: The progress!

The installation of build 7077 has changed slightly, in that you now can see statistics of how your setup process is going. Not only this, the process to upgrade has also changed.

I performed both an upgrade and a custom install.
The install .wim image for 7077 is only 2.06 GB, while the DVD averages around 2.35 GB in size.

During your upgrade process, setup now collects your settings and files, rather than just restarting after copying files from the DVD. I assume that this consolidation of files and programs ensures a smoother upgrade process. The setup program now has a status line at the bottom of the screen, stating such information as "Identifying system files and settings to be gathered..." and "Expanding Windows installation files (90 of 2252 MB expanded)" .
As you can see, you now get an exact  progress of your installation. This is quite a neat feature as (for developers) you can debug and see where setup went wrong (which stage more specifically), and for a regular user, you can tell how fast your setup process is going.

A custom installation took around 20 minutes to complete, so it in deed has decreased slightly in time.


Help: now completed

The what's new section in help and support is now finished and details in depth  14 new key features of Windows 7. You may recall a what's new document in build 6956 and 7000 of windows 7, but this was less detailed. The sections include:

Regards:

tomi

2009-04-15 20:55:38

Well MS did give NVDA a not insubstantial grant some time ago to let them work on, among other things, Windows 7 support.

All this said I'm still tired of MS shifting around how things work, not least being the start menu changes you mentioned, combined with the inevitable backward compatibility or lack thereof. If at all possible I won't be moving on from XP, and I would try out Linux or Mac first before I go so far as upgrading to Windows 7 or anything later. Call it voting with my feet on their insistance on reinventing the operating system with each new edition.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2009-04-17 18:53:02

the only thing that  stops me from upgrading are the ribbens. now this is a "painful" menu.

<Insert passage from "The Book Of Chrome" here>

2009-04-17 19:40:50 (edited by tomi 2009-04-17 19:41:25)

hey, Ribbons are fun! I actually find them  quite cool! smile
Even without screen readers not knowing that it's a ribbon menu they function quite well with them.

Regards:

tomi