Windows 7: Finally, an End to Vista Misery

Microsoft is rolling out a successor to Vista, its universally reviled operating system, with Windows 7 now available in a relatively bug-free beta download. Early users report that the new edition is a marked improvement. David Pogue, in the New York Times, says Windows 7 ends “a big part of the Vista misery,” and Walt Mossberg, in the Wall Street Journal, claims it “leaves Vista in the dust.”

The new OS retains Vista’s streamlined look, but runs far faster and does away with many of the pesky nag screens that infuriated users. Windows 7 also includes a Mac-style application dock, and even supports touch-screen navigation with a compatible monitor. Pogue calls Windows 7 “Vista with whole heck of a lot of refinement,” while Mossberg goes further: “It’s a serious competitor, in features and ease of use, for Apple’s current Leopard operating system.” (More Microsoft stories.)