Windows 7 RC Review: Good Speed, Bad Taskbar: Page 2

However, the multiple edition model does allow Microsoft to chisel more cash out of confused consumers, so in the end it’s a good thing for shareholders.

Then there’s that Starter edition. Starter edition is a crippled version of Windows that only used to be available in developing nations. It’s crippled in that you can only run three applications at any one time, it’s missing a whole bunch of new UI features such as the Aero UI, and there are no media center features.

The problem with the Starter edition of Windows 7 is that this edition will be offered by OEMs on cheaper systems, such as netbooks, so be careful when buying cheaper systems and make sure that you’re aware as to how these limitations might affect you.

The Ugly

There’s also an ugly side to Windows 7, and it relates to the UI. I said earlier that overall I was impressed with the UI changes that Microsoft had made, but there’s one are that I feel rightly deserves the “ugly” label, and that’s the newly revamped TaskBar.

The problem isn’t so much with the TaskBar as the default view that Microsoft has chosen for the way it handles having multiple Windows open. The default view crams the windows together on the TaskBar and makes it difficult to find the Window you want.

Fortunately, it’s easy to fix this. Just right-click on a blank part of the TaskBar and choose “Properties” and then “Combine when taskbar is full.”

It’s a simple fix to what could otherwise be very annoying.

Overall, Windows 7 looks set to be a great Windows OS, perhaps Microsoft’s best since Windows NT 4.0. However, it remains to be seen whether it will be loved like Windows XP, or hated like Windows Vista.