What's new in Windows 7?

There has been a lot written about the current Windows operating system version, Vista. Some people have liked it immensely and others can't stop detesting it. However, when the Windows 7 beta was revealed to the public last year and made available as a download, it has received very rave reviews all around.

We are starting a new series that will delve into the new and enhanced features in the next major client operating system from Microsoft. In this first of the series, we will take a broad, overall view of features that would be most visible and some that have deeper meanings for users.
The New Taskbar
The taskbar is one of the most recognizable features of Windows ever since Windows 95. Although there have been changes in each version that has come out, none have been as dramatic as the one in Win7. Now nicknamed as "SuperBar", the new Taskbar comes with a whole new set of features by itself. For instance, instead of a Quick Launch bar and a separate running tasks area, the Taskbar now combines both of these to allow "pinnable" application icons.
That is, an application can appear as an icon on the Taskbar, but when launched, the same icon now acts as the running task, saving a whole bunch of real estate on the bar. Other abilities include interactive preview thumbnails, Aero based peeking into other windows and more.

The system notification area too has got a facelift. Instead of being cluttered with a ton of application icons all vying for the limited space in this area, Windows 7 allows only 4 icons in this area. All others are available by clicking an arrow to see them.

Desktop & Explorer
There have been a number of changes made to the Desktop as well. Personalization schemes include being able to rotate your wallpapers automatically and a number of other organizational features. The Windows Sidebar is now gone, although Gadgets have not. You can now drop gadgets directly anywhere on the desktop and be able to use them.

The new "SuperBar" is larger and contains a huge number of features by itself.

Windows Explorer has introduced a new data organization feature called "Libraries". These are special "folders" that can point to a number of different folders on your system or network. For instance, the Music library can point to c:\Users \Vinod \Music, D:\Media\Music and \\homeserver \Media\Muzik. Opening the Music library lets you see all the different files across these locations in one view as if they are all in a single folder on your system.