Windows 7: Looks good so far

Windows Vista was crap when I first installed it in my computer. I mean, I was very excited about Vista at first if you want my honest opinion, but after seeing that my USB Bluetooth was not compatible with it, I didn't mind at first. And then, there went the Handycam and Sony Picture Package software's compatibilities. And it's mind-numbingly slow.

"Ugh, can't this get any worse?," I asked myself. So I downgraded to XP and now I'm happy with a Mac, with Windows as a gaming platform more than a productivity, or all-around for that matter, platform.
Now, Microsoft promises Windows 7- the next Windows to be released in 2010- to be less bloated, and better to use while retaining the appealing interface design. And for the first time in a long time, I'm believing in Microsoft's promise. No really, making the jump to 7 seems like a very reasonable idea in the future in my opinion, and that's because of these few adjustments (using pictures stolen from C|Net and is subject to change since this is pre-alpha):

Universal Ribbon Interface
Love it or hate it, the Ribbon interface is probably the future of Microsoft products, so I guess we better learn now. Perhaps I'll grow to love it too, so yes, I'm gonna resolve my differences with it and embrace it. Below is a picture of the new Paint.

Now with Crop!

Adjustable User Account Control
Instead of being able to either turn the damned feature on or off, you can now adjust how annoying User Account Control has to be. Hey, Mac has this too but less annoying. If Windows 7 can do that, I'm soo jumping ship from XP. Otherwise, sorry, this safety feature was just headbang-inducing back then.

Internet Explorer 8
I know that IE7 opens quick, but its standards compatibility is crap, and sometimes, the performance is just... sluggish. IE8 may (and will) change all that, and since it was 6 months ago when I first tried its beta (and it f**ed up my computer and I had to perform a System Restore), I'll just wait and see what happens in the end.


No more Windows Sidebar
I like the idea of the Windows Sidebar, I liked how it worked in Vista, but I liked it only when I installed Vista through Boot Camp on a MacBook, because it was virtually unusuable in my dedicated Windows computer. Now, you can put gadgets freely anywhere in the Desktop.

And while you can also drag widgets or gadgets onto the Desktop even with the current version of Vista, you'd still have to have the Sidebar on, and I can't have that, so I want to have this.

Bluetooth File Transfer Wizard
Bluetooth File Transfer had to be installed using third-party software based on my experience, so now, like the Macintosh, Windows 7 comes with a built-in File Transfer program for Bluetooth devices. Right now, it's only file transfer, but Microsoft promises to add more Bluetooth services.
Sticky Notes!
Recycle paper! Save the trees! Use digital post-it notes!

And while Macs have been offering for almost a decade, the new Sticky Notes application will be very useful to many. Need to remind yourself of a task? OK, use Sticky Notes.

And for now, these are some of the promising enhancements being made to Windows. Fix it, Microsoft! Fix it now!