Windows 7 will be the second release of Microsoft's
Windows desktop operating system built on the Vista
kernel.
With the beta release now
available,
IT departments and end users can start assessing whether it will be
worth upgrading. Microsoft has made a number of changes to the
Windows application programming interface, which could be used to
create new types of application or improve the usability and speed
of existing ones.
>> See also:
Windows 7 Beta 1: First impressions from the inside out
Microsoft says it should run on Vista-ready hardware without any
problems, and should support Vista-ready applications without
modifications.
1.
DirectWrite
Microsoft is introducing DirectWrite into Windows 7, an API
which enables applications to use OpenType Font technology.
Microsoft says this allows Windows application developers to
improvethe readability, formatting and support of text for multiple
languages.
John Curran, director for Windows at Microsoft, says, "NetBooks
have relatively low-resolution screens, while other users will run
the same application on large-screen monitors. DirectWrite allows
application developers to support the different types of screens to
improve readability. It also means people won't have to install
fonts separately."
2.
Direct2D
Microsoft has traditionally focused on 3D graphics through its
DirectX technology, which is used to make animation in computer
games run smoothly. Microsoft will now offer Direct2D,
hardwareacceleration for 2D graphics API.
Microsoft says this will provides high performance and high
quality rendering for 2D geometry, bitmaps, and text. Itclaims the
technology will boost the performance of graphics in enterprise
applications like Microsoft Office.
"The whole Windows GUI is 2D, so all applications are 2D,"
Curran says. "From a business perspective, to render [paint the
screen] quickly is important in applications. So software
developers can use the power graphics accelerators in PCs to
improve enterprise applications."
3.
Direct3D 10.1 Command Remoting
Microsoft is working on making its Terminal Services thin client
protocol more efficient. One approach being developed in Windows 7
is to use graphics accelerator hardware on PCs that are being
deployed as thin clients, to make the user interface display
faster.
When Terminal Services is used today, the server transmits a
bitmap of the Windows GUI down to the client machine. In Windows 7,
Microsoft is planning to allow applications to use Direct3D 10.1 to
provide hardware accelerated graphics on the remote PC's graphics
processor, reducing the need to transmit bitmaps.
"In the past, PCs havenot been able to make best use of the new
graphics accelerators on desktop PCs. Direct3D 10.1 Command
Remoting can potentially speed up applications and improve network
bandwidth," says Curran.
4.
Multi-Touch
Multi-touch is one of the big features Microsoft is highlighting
in Windows 7. Multi-touch takes touch screen technology up a notch
by allowing users to drag and drop on a touch screen. It includes a
gesture-recognition API that supports panning, zooming, and
rotating, Curran says.
"I have seen a demo where a user resizea and manipulates screen
images using hand motions. Certainly CAD/Cam applications and
design software lend themselves to raw finger input."
Microsoft recommends application developers start assessing how
a touch user interface can improve the usability of new
applications. "Try to imagine them using these with touch rather
than the mouse. How does that change the experience?"
There may be some features in an application,such as using a
slider to change volume or brightness, that are performed with a
mouse today, but would work more naturally using gestures.
5.
Sensor API
Microsoft defines the term "light-aware UI" as any program that
uses light sensor data to optimise its content, controls, and other
graphics to cope with lighting conditions, ranging from darkness to
direct sunlight.
The light aware function is one part of its senor API that
hardware manufacturers can use to make PCs aware of their
environment. So a laptop screen can automatically be made to change
its screen colour, brightness and contrast levels based on the
level of ambient light. Not only can light be controlled this way.
Curran says. "Native support for sensor is built in to Windows 7 to
support temperature, ambient light, and GPS."