A Comprehensive Review of the New Windows 7 (2)
Windows 7 Libraries
A great new feature in Windows 7 is its Libraries which will allow the user to view files on his computer according to theme instead of location. So if you want to look at all the photos that you have in your PC, then you can use libraries to view all of them, regardless of the folders that they are in. The great part about Libraries is that folders viewing can also be done over network sharing as well as in-the-cloud environment.
Windows Direct X 11
DirectX 11 offers a thrilling addition to Windows 7 with DirectX Compute with its graphics and 3D audio family of application programming interfaces (APIs). DirectX 11 will have GPU computing which handles not only 3D graphics but also enhanced multi-core resource management, a well-organized utilization of processing channels, and hardware tessellation support for improved models in 3D.
Great Gaming Potential
The important characteristics of DirectX 11 which gamers should be aware of are that Windows XP does not support Direct X 11. Another is that DirectX 11 is backwards compatible so it supports the DirectX 10 video cards. Therefore games made for the new API can still run on previous graphics processing units (GPUs), but without the same heightened performance. Last, the best feature to make waves will probably be the hardware tessellation of DirectX 11. This basically means better graphics when rendered on your computer using Direct X11.
Functionality of a Central Processing Unit: Shaders
Shaders are used to compute rendering effects, programming GPUs, on hardware for graphics with increased flexibility. Using the (general purpose) GP-GPU technology, one can encode H.264 videos, scrub videos, convert RAW images to TIFFS, and render the frames of movie animation. DirectX Compute will now offer a common interface compatible across NVidia, AMC and Intel instead of requiring specific video cards.
The New Microsoft HomeGroup
The new HomeGroup promises more ease in file-sharing and ease in navigation without the hassles of firewalls, permissions, and share settings. However, the downside is Windows 7 is only compatible with other PCs and laptops running Windows 7 to allow the HomeGroups network sharing to actually work.
The Touch Capability
Tablets have been somewhat exclusive in the past and have required a special operating system to run them. With the release of Windows 7, it is an edition that allows the mainstreaming of an OS that actually supports the touch capabilities. If your PC has the appropriate software and hardware installed, you will be able to use the touch functions.
The Removal of Some Applets in Windows
You will no longer find Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Mail, or Windows Movie Maker in the Windows 7 edition. No longer part of the core applets, it can still be availed of through separate downloads of Windows Live Essentials