Windows 7, Neutered?

After a lot of hardships and complaints by our European brethren, the ‘big M’ is finally making quite a few applications detachable in Windows.

This is a God-sent for some. The ability to remove a Windows application you don’t like is a change for the better with so many other applications on the market that can do the exact same job as the integrated Windows applications, but much better. Google’s Picasa rips past Windows Photo Gallery in terms of speed and capability. Firefox, Chrome and all the other alternative browsers give you so many reasons to leave Internet Explorer as a standby, on both security and speed.

So why then is Microsoft spending money to develop applications which people can get for free from the web with comparable or better features and functionality than the integrated widows apps, well its because the consumer expects a base level of functionality. For example, you say Microsoft is monopolising the web browser market by bundling IE with windows, but if there isn’t a web browser integrated into windows, then how will you be able to browse the net to get another browser?

It’s a sad day for good ole common sense, however unlike Windows XP, that sad hodge-podge Operating System, where the update system was tied into the browser and the DLNA stream services were a part of Windows Media Player 11, Windows Vista and 7 both have these systems untied from any individual applications, minus DLNA media streaming with was tied to Media Player in Vista. In 7 the DLNA system is linked to the Libraries System for data aggregation. Essentially any folder that is added to a library can be shared along with the other items through the DLNA server which can be enabled form the Network and Sharing Centre, and not Windows Media Player hence untying it from a application.

By untying these applications Microsoft can potentially distribute windows without any applications and have the hardware distributor choose a software suite such as the Google suite i.e Picasa GTalk and Chrome or the Windows Live Suite to replace the integrated apps that come with Windows. What happens next is completely up to chance and dumb luck if you ask me , but i will say this, when Microsoft released Windows Live Photo Gallery, I wanted to remove the Windows Photo Gallery and Fax and Photo Viewer in Vista but i couldn’t. Going into the future, for techies like me to be able to remove applications that we will never use and out clients will never use will be a great help. What would be more interesting is if Microsoft allowed us to easily add third party application to the installations disc. Now that would be interesting!

Oh well, Peace Out!!!!!!!