096. Ultraseven (Launching Windows 7)
“A luxurious super huge burger with 7 113g beef patties in an American size bun with a diameter of 13cm!” —advertisement for the Windows 7 Whopper (translated from Japanese)
In the era of “boxed” software release to manufacturing was a super special moment. The software is done, and the bits permanently pressed onto a DVD disc. That disc, the golden master, is then shipped off physically to duplicators around the world and then combined with another artifact of the era, a box or in the case of Windows 7 a plastic anti-theft DVD contraption. While Windows 95, the excitement of computing and the newness of internet set a high-water mark for launch events, the completion and launch of Windows 7 was a major worldwide business event. The industry was looking for optimism as we emerged from the Global Financial Crisis and the ensuing slump in PC sales. Windows 7 was just the ticket and the launch would prove to be part of a massive uptick in PC sales or as some hoped a return to ongoing up and to the right curves. But could that really be the case?
Back to 095. Welcome to Windows 7, Everyone
The months after the PDC were extremely intense. We had set out to promise and deliver, but the success of the PDC had managed to inflate expectations. These were not false expectations—the use of the product was widespread and broadly satisfactory. That success is what raised expectations. PC makers, Wall Street, OEMs, and enterprise customers knew the product to deliver and were not just impatient.
We made a significant number of changes from M3 to beta. With our improved engineering system changes were made in a controlled though collaborative manner. Each change was discussed by many people and then the code change reviewed—no holes punched in the wall. With each passing day it was more difficult to make changes while we aimed for stability of the beta. The most important thing about shipping a beta is not that it is perfect but that it ships in a known state. If something isn’t right that’s okay, as long as it’s known. In the case of Windows 7, we knew work and bugs remained but were highly confident that millions of people would try out the beta and have a great experience.
That methodical crawl to beta went on for weeks, each day making fewer changes and calmly making it to sign-off. Then it was time to ship the beta.
![Steve Ballmer on stage with screens behind him saying Windows Beta. Steve Ballmer on stage with screens behind him saying Windows Beta.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26fb4ae7-7645-4a54-9de8-fe8c14dd56a8_3888x2521.jpeg)
On January 8, 2009, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, SteveB announced the availability of Windows 7 Beta. The venue and the announcement from the CEO made this a significant worldwide event. It was covered on CNN, BBC, and more. That was exciting and even felt a bit like old times for a moment.
I watched from back in the green room because we were getting ready to turn on the web site for download and had no idea what to expect. While the internet was old news, downloading a gigabyte DVD image was hardly routine, especially from home and not something the internet was yet equipped to handle reliably.
To have some sense of control, we set a limit of 2.5 million downloads. Back then, before everyone had gigabit internet at home, a massive gigabyte download was something that would stress out the internet. As the keynote was going on we watched downloads begin. They quickly reached our limit while the keynote continued. A few calls to Redmond and we removed the throttle and began to rewrite our press releases with ever-increasing numbers. We extended the beta downloads through the end of January and had many more millions of installs than downloads as the download made it to all sorts of alternate and backup sites. We also learned a lesson in distributed computing that day.
![Windows 7 Beta Sorry, Windows 7 Beta downloads are no longer available. You can still register for a product key or look up the key you've already gotten. To look up your product key, just pick your version and language below, and click Go. From there, sign in with your Windows Live ID, and your product key will appear on the next page. Windows 7 Beta Sorry, Windows 7 Beta downloads are no longer available. You can still register for a product key or look up the key you've already gotten. To look up your product key, just pick your version and language below, and click Go. From there, sign in with your Windows Live ID, and your product key will appear on the next page.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5be5f97-557c-45c6-b416-7b86ca28e17c_1442x1424.png)
For the beta we issued unique product registration keys which became the scarce resource. We soon removed the limits on activating those keys as well. While the download site was structured to choose 32- or 64-bit along with locale to then generate a key, many figured out the URL that went directly to the 2.5GB download and passed that along. We just didn’t want to be overwhelmed with Watson and SQM data so capped the release at 2.5 million. That was silly but at least we received an indication of the excitement. There was a lot!
Every day we tracked bugs with Watson and observed usage with SQM. Hardware vendors were providing updated device drivers that were anxiously downloaded by millions of testers, many seeing new drivers arrive automatically by Windows Update. More new PCs would arrive to be qualified. More legacy hardware would be retested. More of the over 100,000 apps in the wild would be checked for compatibility. More enterprise customers would tell us that they were anxious to deploy Windows 7.
Many reviewers chose to review the Beta as though it was final or at least something regular people might care about. It would be easy to gloss over this but for me it was an important part of promise and deliver. It had been a very long time, perhaps never, when a first beta for Windows was considered broadly usable and also had customers asking if it was okay to deploy even more broadly. Promise and deliver.
![Hate Vista? You May Like the Fix Jan. 21, 2009 Stuart Goldenberg For an operating system that took five years to create, Windows Vista’s reputation went down in flames amazingly quickly. Not since Microsoft Bob has anything from the software giant drawn so much contempt and derision. Not every company lives to see the day when its customers beg, plead and sign petitions to bring back the previous version of its flagship product. One thing’s for sure: it won’t take Microsoft five years to produce the next Windows. The company wants to put Vista behind it as soon as possible. In fact, the next version of Windows is almost here already. It’s called Windows 7, and it’s available as a free download, in surprisingly smooth, stable test form, from microsoft.com/springboard (until Saturday). It looks and works a lot like Vista. In fact, what Microsoft seems to be going for in Windows 7 is “Vista, fixed.” If you ask the masses what they disliked about Vista (as I did using Twitter last week), you’re likely to get a certain common set of responses. That list of grudges makes as good a framework as any for assessing the prospects of Windows 7, which is expected to arrive within a year. It’s naggy and intrusive. Windows Vista is always popping up warnings and messages, making you wish you could just be left alone. Many of them stem from the much-despised, Orwellian-named User Account Control (U.A.C.) feature, which is supposed to warn you about virus and spyware installations that would otherwise take place behind your back. Trouble is, U.A.C. was way too suspicious, demanding your name and password even when it was just little old you making innocent changes (like setting your computer’s clock). In Windows 7, you can tone U.A.C. down — eliminating the warnings, for example, when you, the human, are the one making changes. Furthermore, Windows 7 bites its tongue far more often. Ten categories of low-urgency alerts no longer appear as taskbar balloons; now they get consolidated in a new Control Panel called the Action Center. A tiny flag icon appears on your system tray to let you know that new nags are waiting there. It’s slow. Microsoft definitely got the message here. Even in the test version, you can feel that a lot of things are faster: starting up (40 seconds on my three test machines), shutting down, reconnecting to wireless networks, copying files and inserting flash drives, for example. It’s no Windows XP, but even with months of fine-tuning still to go, 7 feels snappy. (On a Mac, paradoxically, it’s positively supersonic.) It’s a resource hog. Microsoft intends to keep the same system requirements for Windows 7 that it had for Vista (at least a one-gigahertz processor, one gigabyte of memory and so on). This time around, though, fewer people will have to buy brand-new PCs to run it, because three years will have elapsed. Fewer people will be installing the new Windows on 2003-era computers. Windows 7 is also supposed to be less bloated. (“Memory usage was reduced in hundreds of places,” says the reviewer’s guide.) It’s incompatible. A big part of the Vista misery involved incompatible software and drivers. There’s no greater headache than updating your PC and finding out that you can’t use your printer, scanner or favorite program. Even by Microsoft’s reckoning, only 2,800 programs have been certified to work with Vista so far, out of the tens of thousands available. As Microsoft puts it: “If it works in Windows Vista, it will work with Windows 7.” That’s not great, but what else can Microsoft do? In Windows 7’s Libraries feature, virtual folders replace several Vista media folders. In Windows 7’s Libraries feature, virtual folders replace several Vista media folders. It’s confusing. In Vista, a lot of things got moved around or renamed, often with no discernible purpose. There’s even more of that going on in Windows 7. Among other changes, the Pictures, Documents and Movies folders have been replaced by something very cool — but very confusing — called Libraries. They’re virtual folders. Click the Pictures library, for example, to see all the pictures on your entire PC or even your network, no matter what folders they’re really in. Oh, and talk about baffling: The core accessory programs for an operating system these days — e-mail, address book, calendar, photo management, movie editing and instant messaging — won’t come with Windows 7. Unless you buy your PC from a company that preinstalls these programs, you’ll have to download them yourself from a Microsoft Web site. Microsoft explains that this added inconvenience permits it “to provide more frequent updates for consumers.” Beg pardon? Who complains about the frequency of updates to their address book program? The editions are bewildering. Windows Vista is sold in at least six versions: Home Basic, Business, Ultimate and so on, each with a confusing and sometimes illogical subset of features. Officially, Microsoft says it hasn’t selected Windows 7’s version scheme, although a product manager at a conference mentioned to me that it will probably be similar to Vista’s. Ah, well — can’t win ’em all. Not all of Windows 7’s features are intended to address Vista’s deficiencies. Some are all-new. For example, the Windows 7 taskbar looks and works like Mac OS X’s Dock: a row of big, square program icons representing your favorite programs, whether they’re running or not. It has taken over the launching functions of the old Quick Launch Toolbar. You can turn this feature off, but don’t; it’s very nice. Other Apple borrowings: desktop wallpaper that changes at regular intervals. A yellow sticky-notes program. A simple menu of available wireless networks. “Private browsing,” in which your adults-only Web exploits leave no tracks in the History list or anywhere else. Jump lists (useful shortcut menus that pop out of the taskbar icons). And, on what Microsoft hopes will be a new generation of specially equipped laptops, multitouch gestures modeled on the iPhone’s. That is, you’ll be able to rotate an image by twisting two fingers on the screen, pinch to zoom, and so on. There are new versions of Internet Explorer, Paint, WordPad, Calculator and System Restore and a much better backup program. The Windows Firewall now protects you from both inbound and outbound evil Internet communications. Microsoft has added some really juicy window-management tricks. For example, you can maximize and minimize a window just by dragging it up to, or away from, the top edge of the screen. (There are keystrokes for this, too.) Battery life is supposed to be better on laptops, thanks to screamingly obvious changes like cutting power to jacks when nothing is plugged in. HomeGroups are fantastic. Type the same one-time password into every Windows 7 computer, and presto: instant, automatic home network, without having to fool around with accounts, permissions and so on. Every PC can see the other computers’ pictures, music, movies and documents, and folders that you specify, as well as share one another’s printers. Even in the test version, it works like a charm. Here’s another great idea in this age of high-resolution screens and low-resolution middle-aged eyes: with one click, you can now enlarge the type, everywhere, in all programs, without affecting the rest of the screen picture. Now, plenty of people online are reacting to Windows 7 by muttering: “Oh, great. So I’m supposed to pay another $150 to get a version of Windows that actually works? How about you pay me for spending three years as your Vista beta-tester?” That’s fine, but being bitter won’t get you a better PC. Windows 7, on the other hand, probably will. For decades, Microsoft’s primary strategy has been to put out something mediocre, and then refine, refine, refine, no matter how long and no matter what it costs, until it succeeds. That’s what’s exciting about the prospect of Windows 7. It’s Windows Vista — with a whole heck of a lot of refinement. Hate Vista? You May Like the Fix Jan. 21, 2009 Stuart Goldenberg For an operating system that took five years to create, Windows Vista’s reputation went down in flames amazingly quickly. Not since Microsoft Bob has anything from the software giant drawn so much contempt and derision. Not every company lives to see the day when its customers beg, plead and sign petitions to bring back the previous version of its flagship product. One thing’s for sure: it won’t take Microsoft five years to produce the next Windows. The company wants to put Vista behind it as soon as possible. In fact, the next version of Windows is almost here already. It’s called Windows 7, and it’s available as a free download, in surprisingly smooth, stable test form, from microsoft.com/springboard (until Saturday). It looks and works a lot like Vista. In fact, what Microsoft seems to be going for in Windows 7 is “Vista, fixed.” If you ask the masses what they disliked about Vista (as I did using Twitter last week), you’re likely to get a certain common set of responses. That list of grudges makes as good a framework as any for assessing the prospects of Windows 7, which is expected to arrive within a year. It’s naggy and intrusive. Windows Vista is always popping up warnings and messages, making you wish you could just be left alone. Many of them stem from the much-despised, Orwellian-named User Account Control (U.A.C.) feature, which is supposed to warn you about virus and spyware installations that would otherwise take place behind your back. Trouble is, U.A.C. was way too suspicious, demanding your name and password even when it was just little old you making innocent changes (like setting your computer’s clock). In Windows 7, you can tone U.A.C. down — eliminating the warnings, for example, when you, the human, are the one making changes. Furthermore, Windows 7 bites its tongue far more often. Ten categories of low-urgency alerts no longer appear as taskbar balloons; now they get consolidated in a new Control Panel called the Action Center. A tiny flag icon appears on your system tray to let you know that new nags are waiting there. It’s slow. Microsoft definitely got the message here. Even in the test version, you can feel that a lot of things are faster: starting up (40 seconds on my three test machines), shutting down, reconnecting to wireless networks, copying files and inserting flash drives, for example. It’s no Windows XP, but even with months of fine-tuning still to go, 7 feels snappy. (On a Mac, paradoxically, it’s positively supersonic.) It’s a resource hog. Microsoft intends to keep the same system requirements for Windows 7 that it had for Vista (at least a one-gigahertz processor, one gigabyte of memory and so on). This time around, though, fewer people will have to buy brand-new PCs to run it, because three years will have elapsed. Fewer people will be installing the new Windows on 2003-era computers. Windows 7 is also supposed to be less bloated. (“Memory usage was reduced in hundreds of places,” says the reviewer’s guide.) It’s incompatible. A big part of the Vista misery involved incompatible software and drivers. There’s no greater headache than updating your PC and finding out that you can’t use your printer, scanner or favorite program. Even by Microsoft’s reckoning, only 2,800 programs have been certified to work with Vista so far, out of the tens of thousands available. As Microsoft puts it: “If it works in Windows Vista, it will work with Windows 7.” That’s not great, but what else can Microsoft do? In Windows 7’s Libraries feature, virtual folders replace several Vista media folders. In Windows 7’s Libraries feature, virtual folders replace several Vista media folders. It’s confusing. In Vista, a lot of things got moved around or renamed, often with no discernible purpose. There’s even more of that going on in Windows 7. Among other changes, the Pictures, Documents and Movies folders have been replaced by something very cool — but very confusing — called Libraries. They’re virtual folders. Click the Pictures library, for example, to see all the pictures on your entire PC or even your network, no matter what folders they’re really in. Oh, and talk about baffling: The core accessory programs for an operating system these days — e-mail, address book, calendar, photo management, movie editing and instant messaging — won’t come with Windows 7. Unless you buy your PC from a company that preinstalls these programs, you’ll have to download them yourself from a Microsoft Web site. Microsoft explains that this added inconvenience permits it “to provide more frequent updates for consumers.” Beg pardon? Who complains about the frequency of updates to their address book program? The editions are bewildering. Windows Vista is sold in at least six versions: Home Basic, Business, Ultimate and so on, each with a confusing and sometimes illogical subset of features. Officially, Microsoft says it hasn’t selected Windows 7’s version scheme, although a product manager at a conference mentioned to me that it will probably be similar to Vista’s. Ah, well — can’t win ’em all. Not all of Windows 7’s features are intended to address Vista’s deficiencies. Some are all-new. For example, the Windows 7 taskbar looks and works like Mac OS X’s Dock: a row of big, square program icons representing your favorite programs, whether they’re running or not. It has taken over the launching functions of the old Quick Launch Toolbar. You can turn this feature off, but don’t; it’s very nice. Other Apple borrowings: desktop wallpaper that changes at regular intervals. A yellow sticky-notes program. A simple menu of available wireless networks. “Private browsing,” in which your adults-only Web exploits leave no tracks in the History list or anywhere else. Jump lists (useful shortcut menus that pop out of the taskbar icons). And, on what Microsoft hopes will be a new generation of specially equipped laptops, multitouch gestures modeled on the iPhone’s. That is, you’ll be able to rotate an image by twisting two fingers on the screen, pinch to zoom, and so on. There are new versions of Internet Explorer, Paint, WordPad, Calculator and System Restore and a much better backup program. The Windows Firewall now protects you from both inbound and outbound evil Internet communications. Microsoft has added some really juicy window-management tricks. For example, you can maximize and minimize a window just by dragging it up to, or away from, the top edge of the screen. (There are keystrokes for this, too.) Battery life is supposed to be better on laptops, thanks to screamingly obvious changes like cutting power to jacks when nothing is plugged in. HomeGroups are fantastic. Type the same one-time password into every Windows 7 computer, and presto: instant, automatic home network, without having to fool around with accounts, permissions and so on. Every PC can see the other computers’ pictures, music, movies and documents, and folders that you specify, as well as share one another’s printers. Even in the test version, it works like a charm. Here’s another great idea in this age of high-resolution screens and low-resolution middle-aged eyes: with one click, you can now enlarge the type, everywhere, in all programs, without affecting the rest of the screen picture. Now, plenty of people online are reacting to Windows 7 by muttering: “Oh, great. So I’m supposed to pay another $150 to get a version of Windows that actually works? How about you pay me for spending three years as your Vista beta-tester?” That’s fine, but being bitter won’t get you a better PC. Windows 7, on the other hand, probably will. For decades, Microsoft’s primary strategy has been to put out something mediocre, and then refine, refine, refine, no matter how long and no matter what it costs, until it succeeds. That’s what’s exciting about the prospect of Windows 7. It’s Windows Vista — with a whole heck of a lot of refinement.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F998893a4-403f-42f4-b0fb-8e84bd1344eb_1934x1925.png)
David Pogue, hardly a fan of Windows, practically filled an entire page of The New York Times with his review “Hate Vista? You May Like Microsoft’s Fix” where he concluded “For decades, Microsoft's primary strategy has been to put out something mediocre, and then refine, refine, refine, no matter how long and no matter what it costs, until it succeeds. That's what's exciting about the prospect of Windows 7. It's Windows Vista - with a whole heck of a lot of refinement.”1 Microsoft was back to making sure it got products right.
In The Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg said in another front page of the business section review “Even in beta form, with some features incomplete or imperfect, Windows 7 is, in my view, much better than Vista, whose sluggishness, annoying nag screens, and incompatibilities have caused many users to shun it. It's also a serious competitor, in features and ease of use, for Apple's current Leopard operating system.”2 He also posted a video review as part of some of his more recent work creating video reviews.3
All we needed to do was finish.
By July 13, 2009, build 7600 was pronounced final and signed off on by GrantG and DMuir, the test leaders for WEX and COSD.
Windows 7 was ready for manufacturing.
![Dozens of people wearing jeans, nave or grey sweaters, and white t-shirts Dozens of people wearing jeans, nave or grey sweaters, and white t-shirts](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F76c62c3d-ebc5-401a-b87b-e377039aadda_1050x750.png)
July 9, 2009 was also my 20th anniversary at Microsoft and the team help me to celebrate by dressing like me—jeans, v-neck sweater, t-shirt. At least I was predictable.
![A framed Lightbox featuring a stage photo of Steve Ballmer and the crowd, a signed DVD, and a photo of me on stage with Steve and Kevin Turner signing the DVD A framed Lightbox featuring a stage photo of Steve Ballmer and the crowd, a signed DVD, and a photo of me on stage with Steve and Kevin Turner signing the DVD](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88b05494-e208-45ee-b2aa-ce550bfda0f9_3556x3239.jpeg)
Shortly thereafter at a sales kickoff in Atlanta, the annual MGX, we surprised the global field sales force and created a media moment when SteveB, KevinT (COO), and I held up a “golden master” DVD (a gold DVD), symbolically signing it as we announced that Redmond had signed off on the Windows 7 RTM build. It was a release that 10,000 people worldwide had contributed to and would likely end up on over 1 billion PCs. It was complete with another photo of me looking uncomfortable celebrating with SteveB on stage at the sales meeting. The sales meeting was always a country-mouse/city-mouse moment for me.
![Microsoft Can't Evade: Downturn's Tight Grip By ASHLEE VANCE Microsoft, the once-swaggere ing giant of the personal comput-ver industry, has been humbled, both by-the recession and by. problems of its own making. On Thursday, the world's larg est software company reported its worst fiscal vear since it' initially sold. stock to the public in 1986. Year-over-vear revenue and. full-year sales of Microsoft's flag. ship Windows software dropped for the first time. "Clearly, Microsoft is not.im mune to the economic downturn,"; said Brendan Barnicle, a soft ware analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. Many prominent companies tied to the PC industry have watched about one-fourth of their revenue vanish as business cus». tomers in particular have scäled: back new PC surchases. Micro~ soft makes more money from versions of Windows tied to busi ness computers than it does on cheaper machines aimed at con" sumers. If businesses start buy! ing again, Microsoft should bene fit from higher overall sales and • rising profits. But the economy's pinch is not solely to blame for Microsoft's, problems. The company's Windows Vista software, hailed in 2007 as the most significant product in the company's history, has failed to attract businesses in any meaningful way because of prob lems with compatibility and speed. According to a study by For rester Research, 86 percent of corporate PCs continue to rely on: the eight-year-old Windows XP. Microsoft's Windows profits, have also fallen because of rising. interest: in the cheap, compact, "Taptops known as netbooks, which rely on- the lower-priced: Windows XP.instead of Vista, Earlier this month, Google re vealed plans to sell a direct com-; petitor to Windows for the netbook market, and major PC make ers have backed Google in what is most likely a bid to put even Even Microsoft Can't Escape Tight Grip of the Downturn From First Business Page timate of revenue by $1.27 billion. it will. Maybe it won't," he said. time when losses were more ex- For the full, year, Microsoft's "They want to keep expecta- pected. They say the compariy more pricing pressure on Micro- revenue declined 3 percent, to tions tame in front of Windows 7," seems destined to capitalize on soft. $58.44 billion, while its net income. said Israel Hernandez, director of large-scale PC upgrades, as com- The big question haunting fell 18 percent, to $14.57 billion. software research at Barclavs panies finally give into the pres- Microsoft is when sales of its old- On a positive note, Microsoft Capital. "They want to keep. sure of buying new machines. line products like Windows and echoed recent comments from things in check until they have "They are at a great stage Office will come back and fuel the Intel, saying that there had been better visibility on the economy." right now," said Mr. Barnicle. company's aggressive strikes an increase in PC sales and Mr. Ballmer's most boisterous In the recession, Microsoft has into areas like search, mobile de- healthier spending in Asia and recent comments have revolved laid off thousands of people and vice software and online business the United States. applications. around Microsoft's staying pow- sought to cut far deeper than usu- "There are some signs that we al into its cost structure. "In my In its fourth quarter, Micro- have at least seen the worst," mind, we are a stronger company soft's net income fell to $3.05 bil- said Christopher P. Liddell, the than we were a year ago," Mr. lion, or 34 cents a.share, for the chief financial officer at Micro-period ended June 30. The figures soft, in a conference call. APC industry Liddell said. if the economy recovers as represent a 29 percent drop in net In numerous public appear- powerhouse posts its hoped next year, Microsoft ap- income from the $4.30 billion, or ances, Microsoft's chief execu- pears poised to find its "moio" as 46 cents' a share, that Microsoft tive, Steven A. Ballmer, has worst annual results. Mr. Ballmer describes it. The reported in the period a year ago. warned that people should not company will have revamped its Excluding charges tied to legal, expect a major bounce-back in traditional products and will be matters, layoffs and investments, technology spending when the releasing a new wave of online Microsoft earned 36 cents a share economy recovers. Rather, he er. He has vowed that the compa- business software. in the quarter, meeting the fore- suggested that a new, low bar ny will keep pouring money into Microsoft already appears con- cast of analysts surveyed by had been set and that companies research and development until fident enough to revisit a search Thomson Reuters. needed to adiust to such a reality. it gets search, mobile software . and advertising combination Microsoft's 17 percent drop in Microsoft's recent missteps and virtualization software right. with Yahoo, which Microsoft quarterly revenue was more have resulted in a more cautious Microsoft spends close to $10 bil- failed to acquire outright after ex- troubling to Wall Street, which public stance. In a recent speech, lion a year on research - more tensive discussions last year. pushed the company's shares Mr. Ballmer was equivocal about than any other technology com- Talks about a partnership have down more than 7 percent, to 'whether the company's new Win- Danv. intensified in recent weeks, and $23.70, in after-hours trading. The dows 7 software, to be introduced Analysts contend that Micro- some people at both companies company took in $13.10 billion in in October, would prompt a surge soft has survived the downturn say they believe a deal could be the quarter, missing analysts' es- in PC and software sales. "Maybe well enough, posting profits at a near. https://www.nytirhes.com/2009/07/24/ Microsoft Can't Evade: Downturn's Tight Grip By ASHLEE VANCE Microsoft, the once-swaggere ing giant of the personal comput-ver industry, has been humbled, both by-the recession and by. problems of its own making. On Thursday, the world's larg est software company reported its worst fiscal vear since it' initially sold. stock to the public in 1986. Year-over-vear revenue and. full-year sales of Microsoft's flag. ship Windows software dropped for the first time. "Clearly, Microsoft is not.im mune to the economic downturn,"; said Brendan Barnicle, a soft ware analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. Many prominent companies tied to the PC industry have watched about one-fourth of their revenue vanish as business cus». tomers in particular have scäled: back new PC surchases. Micro~ soft makes more money from versions of Windows tied to busi ness computers than it does on cheaper machines aimed at con" sumers. If businesses start buy! ing again, Microsoft should bene fit from higher overall sales and • rising profits. But the economy's pinch is not solely to blame for Microsoft's, problems. The company's Windows Vista software, hailed in 2007 as the most significant product in the company's history, has failed to attract businesses in any meaningful way because of prob lems with compatibility and speed. According to a study by For rester Research, 86 percent of corporate PCs continue to rely on: the eight-year-old Windows XP. Microsoft's Windows profits, have also fallen because of rising. interest: in the cheap, compact, "Taptops known as netbooks, which rely on- the lower-priced: Windows XP.instead of Vista, Earlier this month, Google re vealed plans to sell a direct com-; petitor to Windows for the netbook market, and major PC make ers have backed Google in what is most likely a bid to put even Even Microsoft Can't Escape Tight Grip of the Downturn From First Business Page timate of revenue by $1.27 billion. it will. Maybe it won't," he said. time when losses were more ex- For the full, year, Microsoft's "They want to keep expecta- pected. They say the compariy more pricing pressure on Micro- revenue declined 3 percent, to tions tame in front of Windows 7," seems destined to capitalize on soft. $58.44 billion, while its net income. said Israel Hernandez, director of large-scale PC upgrades, as com- The big question haunting fell 18 percent, to $14.57 billion. software research at Barclavs panies finally give into the pres- Microsoft is when sales of its old- On a positive note, Microsoft Capital. "They want to keep. sure of buying new machines. line products like Windows and echoed recent comments from things in check until they have "They are at a great stage Office will come back and fuel the Intel, saying that there had been better visibility on the economy." right now," said Mr. Barnicle. company's aggressive strikes an increase in PC sales and Mr. Ballmer's most boisterous In the recession, Microsoft has into areas like search, mobile de- healthier spending in Asia and recent comments have revolved laid off thousands of people and vice software and online business the United States. applications. around Microsoft's staying pow- sought to cut far deeper than usu- "There are some signs that we al into its cost structure. "In my In its fourth quarter, Micro- have at least seen the worst," mind, we are a stronger company soft's net income fell to $3.05 bil- said Christopher P. Liddell, the than we were a year ago," Mr. lion, or 34 cents a.share, for the chief financial officer at Micro-period ended June 30. The figures soft, in a conference call. APC industry Liddell said. if the economy recovers as represent a 29 percent drop in net In numerous public appear- powerhouse posts its hoped next year, Microsoft ap- income from the $4.30 billion, or ances, Microsoft's chief execu- pears poised to find its "moio" as 46 cents' a share, that Microsoft tive, Steven A. Ballmer, has worst annual results. Mr. Ballmer describes it. The reported in the period a year ago. warned that people should not company will have revamped its Excluding charges tied to legal, expect a major bounce-back in traditional products and will be matters, layoffs and investments, technology spending when the releasing a new wave of online Microsoft earned 36 cents a share economy recovers. Rather, he er. He has vowed that the compa- business software. in the quarter, meeting the fore- suggested that a new, low bar ny will keep pouring money into Microsoft already appears con- cast of analysts surveyed by had been set and that companies research and development until fident enough to revisit a search Thomson Reuters. needed to adiust to such a reality. it gets search, mobile software . and advertising combination Microsoft's 17 percent drop in Microsoft's recent missteps and virtualization software right. with Yahoo, which Microsoft quarterly revenue was more have resulted in a more cautious Microsoft spends close to $10 bil- failed to acquire outright after ex- troubling to Wall Street, which public stance. In a recent speech, lion a year on research - more tensive discussions last year. pushed the company's shares Mr. Ballmer was equivocal about than any other technology com- Talks about a partnership have down more than 7 percent, to 'whether the company's new Win- Danv. intensified in recent weeks, and $23.70, in after-hours trading. The dows 7 software, to be introduced Analysts contend that Micro- some people at both companies company took in $13.10 billion in in October, would prompt a surge soft has survived the downturn say they believe a deal could be the quarter, missing analysts' es- in PC and software sales. "Maybe well enough, posting profits at a near. https://www.nytirhes.com/2009/07/24/](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29d78976-3142-4d03-8258-906ea1df124d_3389x3168.jpeg)
Just as soon as that excitement was over, Microsoft announced what turned out to be the worst earnings in corporate history with a 17% drop in quarterly revenue in July 2009 the end of the fiscal year.4 The tough part was we knew this was coming while we were on stage, which made our celebration much less about the past and more about hope for the future. While many would blame the economy or Vista and some would even cite the recently announced Google Chrome OS (the predecessor to the Chromebook), the truth was much more secular in nature. PC makers were struggling on the bottom line as the 40 million netbooks as exciting as they were lacked profit. The astronomical rise in netbook unit sales discussed in the previous chapter led many to assume a bullish future. In fact, netbooks masked a secular decline in PC sales. We would know more as the year progressed as new PCs were sold with Windows 7 during holiday season 2009.
After the celebration, the team collectively exhaled. It was August and time for vacations, but we didn’t have a lot of time to waste. Come September, we had to get the team fully engaged to plan what was coming next or it would be a massive effort to regain momentum.
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Our team of administrative assistants outdid themselves with a wonderful ship party held on the activity fields in Redmond. In contrast to other Windows events, I would say this one was less eventful and even comparatively subdued, but still enormously fun for the team. We had custom cakes and cupcakes, tons of food, family-friendly games, craft beers contained to a two-drink limit within an enclosed area, and even Seattle hometown favorite The Presidents (of the United States) as the special musical guest. They took their popular song “Cleveland Rocks” and wrote the lyrics as “Microsoft Rocks.” I still have a bootleg recording of that.
The competitive issues we were facing weren’t going away. The organization was about to change and clarify responsibility for dealing with those.
Launching Windows 7
We had a fantastic foundation to build upon and all we needed to do was deliver an odd-even result—meaning a good release after the Vista release—and each of our core constituencies would breathe a sigh of relief. Looking outward, however, it was obvious the world was a very different place than when we started Windows 7. It was not clear any of those constituencies or even our own team were prepared.
There was still a product to officially launch, but not before some realignment at the top of the organization.
Bill Veghte (BillV), who had started at Microsoft right out of college and had overseen Windows 7 marketing through to launch planning, decided after two decades with the company that he wanted an opportunity to run a business end-to-end and announced his intention to depart Microsoft. After a transition he would join Meg Whitman at Hewlett Packard. With that, SteveB wanted to put all of Windows under one leader and asked me to do that. He really wanted to elevate the job title which I pushed back on because of the way Microsoft was structured (and remains so) we did not really have what most consider true ownership of a business. Nevertheless, that was the origin of the job title of divisional president.
One of my first tasks was to hire a marketing leader to take over from BillV, one who would best represent the collaborative culture we aimed to create. I wanted to bring finance and marketing together under one leader because the Windows business uses billions of dollars in pricing actions to fund marketing through OEMs. Tami Reller (TReller) had been the finance leader for the Windows business, reporting to the corporate CFO. When she joined Microsoft 10 years earlier following the Great Plains acquisition where she had been leading marketing. I got to know her then as the acquisition fell under my then manager, Jeff Raikes (JeffR). She was the perfect combination of marketing and finance leadership for a business where those went hand in hand and brought a great deal to our management team.
Microsoft wanted (needed) a big launch for Windows 7 and so did the industry. As had become a tradition for me, I wanted to spend the launch in Asia while my peers led the US event. My connection to my Microsoft family in Japan, China, and Korea ran deep and the business for Microsoft in those countries was huge. I couldn’t be in all places at once, so I chose to attend the launch in Japan. No one loves a retail launch more than Japan.
I arrived two days before the October 22, 2009 launch. I never worked harder at a launch event. From first thing in the morning (easy because of the time change) until well past midnight (well supported now with Modafinil) because of excitement at retail stores, we did press visits, interviews, broadcasts, met with customers, and more. We’d shuttle from event to event in a Japanese microvan—all of us in our blue suits and ties with a stack of name cards.
The above are two YouTube videos from Japanese Windows fans who recorded Akihabara Electric City the night of the launch as well as the Ultraseven appearance.
For years, even way back when I worked for BillG, I had been going to Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara (and Shinjuku) to see what Japanese consumers were buying and to buy assorted USB and power cables that are exactly the length I need. The size of the Yodobashi flagship is unimaginable. The evening before the event we got an incredibly cool behind-the-scenes tour of the store, getting a look at the entire operation at night as they prepared the signage that would blanket the store for our event there the next day, such as the big decals that covered the walls of the 5-story escalator. As someone who grew up in the shadow of Disney World, the underground tour of Yodobashi was much like the underground of Disney, and about the same number of people visit each year I was told.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_5760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdece4f07-61ff-4130-960a-92d81446f821_4500x2250.jpeg)
The team put on an outdoor event at the front of the store the evening of the launch with all sorts of famous-in-Japan anime/cosplay actors and tech celebrities. And when the first copy was sold that evening, we did a press event right there at the front of the store. All along the main street of the Akihabara Electric Town, Chuo Dori, there were events in front of the many stores selling PCs and software.
![Japanese text with a photo of the 7 layer Whopper Japanese text with a photo of the 7 layer Whopper](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1bbc477a-013c-4d20-87f8-f07321128a50_600x848.jpeg)
Microsoft Japan, MSKK, had come up with a crazy promotional partnership with Burger King. The chain created a seven-layer Whopper to celebrate Windows 7. It was five inches tall (13cm) with seven patties totaling 1¾ pounds (791g) of beef. It was unfathomable, even for a no-carb, protein person like me. The first 30 customers got to buy the burger for ¥777, or about $9 at the time. The launch team and I snuck over to the Burger King around the corner from Yodobashi and ordered the monster burger. None of us could eat it elegantly or even try to finish it, but we got some hilarious team photos of the attempt and general celebration.
![Two people dressed up as Ultraseven and another character from the series, I have no idea which one. Two people dressed up as Ultraseven and another character from the series, I have no idea which one.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8686d00b-790b-4e1f-b9af-d9d9d9aa5eb3_1278x714.jpeg)
At a hotel ballroom, we held the main launch event for the press, featuring all the new PCs from Japan PC makers. The event featured an Ultraman theme. Why? I knew about the movies but was not a huge follower. What I learned was that Ultraseven was the third installment of Ultraman from the late 1960s. It was still wildly popular in some circles in Japan. The launch had a cast of people doing choreographed battle scenes in Ultraseven and Ultraman outfits. It was something to see. I filed this away for another Lost In Translation memory.
MSKK hosted a both a casual user group meeting and a formal business launch as well. At the user group meeting we did demos and gave away a bags of Windows 7 logo gear among a series of demo stations at a cool Akihabara exhibition space down the street from Burger King. I wore a super cool Windows 7 windbreaker which I still have.
The business launch was a formal ceremony highlighting the broad support of both hardware and software for the launch. Joining Microsoft was the head of Dell Computer Japan. Together with a group of MSKK employees and partners we participated in the traditional celebration kagami-biraki or cracking open a rice barrel with big wooden mallets.
![Photo of me in a suit with several rows of Windows 7 PCs on display and a sign that says Windows 7. Photo of me in a suit with several rows of Windows 7 PCs on display and a sign that says Windows 7.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F541f327d-0dad-4a02-b8f6-ec565e999504_800x600.jpeg)
I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many product launches in Asia, but this time, for Windows 7, it was next level. MSKK is a gem of Microsoft. When I am lucky enough to be in Tokyo, even years and years later, walking around Akihabara I have the warmest and most vivid memories of the launch and my friends from MSKK. And sometimes my stomach hurts a bit thinking about the Burger King, which recently closed just before the pandemic. The news coverage of the event in Tokyo which was amplified across the important Asian markets was wonderful.
![Microsoft's Windows 7 hits stores LUCKY SEVEN? sold for around a tax-included Y14,600 as part of an initial Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 7 launch campaign. hit store shelves Thursdav in Microsoft claims the re- Japan as part of a global vamped software, with mul-launch for the wider public, titouch capabilities, is much promising to deliver a faster faster at starting and shut. and lighter operating system ting down. and more stable that may help boost sales of than Vista, was personal computers ahead of plagued with problems the vearend snoppine season. linked to frequent crashes, The U.S. software giant be. slow speed and complicated gan selling Windows 7 to large security functions. husinesses with volume I. Because so manv compa censing deals last month, and nies and consumers are stil demand has so far been strong using Windows XP - which following a sour response to its came out in 2001 - another predecessor. Vista major sales point for Windows Yasuyuki Higuchi, presi- 7 is the compatibility with the dent of Microsoft's Japan unit, older operating software, said preorders for Windows 7 which ensures that existing have already topped Vista applications will run smoothly sales in the first three months on the upgraded version. following its 2007 debut. Microsoft will also provide "We are going to work as the Windows 7 Starter edition hard as possible to trigger a for small notebook PCs to ad-revitalization of the market as dress growing netbook sales. a whole, starting with the For the U.S. company, the yearend shopping season,' success of Windows 7 will be Hicuchi said at a news confer- critical as it addresses grow-ence in Tokyo. ing competition from rivals. Companies like Sony like Apple Inc., with its latest Corp.. Fujitsu Ltd. and NEC Snow Leopard operating sys- Corp. will all be introducing _rom PCsinstalled with Windows 7 We think we have an ex in the hope of lifting flagging tremely competitive offering sales and stemming brice and we're ready to compete erosion as consumers shift to with everybody." Gteven Cin. smaller and lower-priced ofsky, Microsoft's president of netbooks Windows and Windows Live Tough conditions for the division, said in Tokyo PC market have continued for Microsoft's first new oper- the past several vears. but we ating system in nearly three hope (Windows 7) will pump years has been eagerly await- up the market," Hiroyuki Mi- ed by many consumers, who varima, president of electron- hope it will put to rest nagging ics retailer Bic Camera Inc., glitches common in Vista. said during a launch event at "I don't care if it's (Win- its flagshio Yurakucho store dows) 7 or whatever • " a 62. in Tokyo. year-old man who identified The latest operating soft- himself only as Okabe said as ware is priced at Y24.800 to he lined up at the Bie Camera Y38.800 for a full installation in Yurakucho to be among the or V15,800 to V26,800 to up- first to get hold of the new op grade from Windows XP or erating system. "The current Vista, excluding taxes. Vista was terrible so I wanted The widely used Home Pre- to switch as quickly Microsoft's Windows 7 hits stores LUCKY SEVEN? sold for around a tax-included Y14,600 as part of an initial Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 7 launch campaign. hit store shelves Thursdav in Microsoft claims the re- Japan as part of a global vamped software, with mul-launch for the wider public, titouch capabilities, is much promising to deliver a faster faster at starting and shut. and lighter operating system ting down. and more stable that may help boost sales of than Vista, was personal computers ahead of plagued with problems the vearend snoppine season. linked to frequent crashes, The U.S. software giant be. slow speed and complicated gan selling Windows 7 to large security functions. husinesses with volume I. Because so manv compa censing deals last month, and nies and consumers are stil demand has so far been strong using Windows XP - which following a sour response to its came out in 2001 - another predecessor. Vista major sales point for Windows Yasuyuki Higuchi, presi- 7 is the compatibility with the dent of Microsoft's Japan unit, older operating software, said preorders for Windows 7 which ensures that existing have already topped Vista applications will run smoothly sales in the first three months on the upgraded version. following its 2007 debut. Microsoft will also provide "We are going to work as the Windows 7 Starter edition hard as possible to trigger a for small notebook PCs to ad-revitalization of the market as dress growing netbook sales. a whole, starting with the For the U.S. company, the yearend shopping season,' success of Windows 7 will be Hicuchi said at a news confer- critical as it addresses grow-ence in Tokyo. ing competition from rivals. Companies like Sony like Apple Inc., with its latest Corp.. Fujitsu Ltd. and NEC Snow Leopard operating sys- Corp. will all be introducing _rom PCsinstalled with Windows 7 We think we have an ex in the hope of lifting flagging tremely competitive offering sales and stemming brice and we're ready to compete erosion as consumers shift to with everybody." Gteven Cin. smaller and lower-priced ofsky, Microsoft's president of netbooks Windows and Windows Live Tough conditions for the division, said in Tokyo PC market have continued for Microsoft's first new oper- the past several vears. but we ating system in nearly three hope (Windows 7) will pump years has been eagerly await- up the market," Hiroyuki Mi- ed by many consumers, who varima, president of electron- hope it will put to rest nagging ics retailer Bic Camera Inc., glitches common in Vista. said during a launch event at "I don't care if it's (Win- its flagshio Yurakucho store dows) 7 or whatever • " a 62. in Tokyo. year-old man who identified The latest operating soft- himself only as Okabe said as ware is priced at Y24.800 to he lined up at the Bie Camera Y38.800 for a full installation in Yurakucho to be among the or V15,800 to V26,800 to up- first to get hold of the new op grade from Windows XP or erating system. "The current Vista, excluding taxes. Vista was terrible so I wanted The widely used Home Pre- to switch as quickly](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39606d05-f460-462f-8e81-0519ca8fe077_2396x2165.jpeg)
Our confidence was high heading into reviews, which broke with availability of the product and new PCs in retail stores—we had plenty of positive reviewer experiences and no deep concerns. That’s what came from being not just in beta but running as the primary OS on reviewers’ and enthusiasts’ PCs for months. We risked a reviewer becoming somewhat bored or even cynical with the release simply because there was little new from the beta and no product drama to speak of. Hundreds of positive stories broke across print and TV. Local reporters did a lot of product reviews and buyers’ guides at that time. Waggener Edstrom worked tirelessly in the United States to feed them information and support.
![PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade. [...] Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. Full Text Translate Turn on search term navigation Corrections & Amplifications The edition of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system aimed at business users is called Windows 7 Professional. A Thursday Personal Technology column incorrectly said it was named Business. (WSJ October 10, 2009) In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade. With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999. After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers. Like the new Snow Leopard operating system released in August by Microsoft's archrival, Apple, Windows 7 is much more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary product. Its main goal was to fix the flaws in Vista and to finally give Microsoft customers a reason to move up from XP. But Windows 7 is packed with features and tweaks that make using your computer an easier and more satisfying experience. Windows 7 introduces real advances in organizing your programs and files, arranging your taskbar and desktop, and quickly viewing and launching the page or document you want, when you want it. It also has cool built-in touch-screen features. It removes a lot of clutter. And it mostly banishes Vista's main flaws -- sluggishness; incompatibility with third-party software and hardware; heavy hardware requirements; and constant, annoying security warnings. I tested Windows 7 on 11 different computers, ranging from tiny netbooks to standard laptops to a couple of big desktops. These included machines from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Sony. I even successfully ran it on an Apple Macintosh laptop. On some of these machines, Windows 7 was pre-loaded. On others, I had to upgrade from an earlier version of Windows. In most cases, the installation took 45 minutes or less, and the new operating system worked snappily and well. But, I did encounter some drawbacks and problems. On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista. And, on a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn't work properly. Also, Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated. It's tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7, and the variety of editions in which Windows 7 is offered is confusing. Finally, Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. These can be downloaded free of charge, but they no longer come with the operating system, though some PC makers may choose to pre-load them. In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple's Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That's no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows. Now, however, it's much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows. Here are some of the key features of Windows 7. -- New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the familiar taskbar has been reinvented and made taller. Instead of mainly being a place where icons of open windows temporarily appear, it now is a place where you can permanently "pin" the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose. This is a concept borrowed from Apple's similar feature, the Dock. But Windows 7 takes the concept further. For each running program, hovering over its taskbar icon pops up a small preview screen showing a mini-view of that program. This preview idea was in Vista. But, in Windows 7, it has been expanded in several ways. Now, every open window in that program is included separately in the preview. If you mouse over a window in the preview screen, it appears at full size on your desktop and all other windows become transparent -- part of a feature called Aero Peek. Click on the window and it comes up, ready for use. You can even close windows from these previews, or play media in them. I found this feature more natural and versatile than a similar feature in Snow Leopard called Dock Expose. You can also use Aero Peek at any time to see your empty desktop, with open windows reduced to virtual panes of glass. To do this, you just hover over a small rectangle at the right edge of the taskbar. Taskbar icons also provide Jump Lists -- pop-up menus listing frequent actions or recent files used. -- Desktop organization: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another called Shake allows you to make all other windows but the one you're working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times. -- File organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library -- Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos -- consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in. -- Networking: Windows 7 still isn't quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it's better than Vista. For instance, now you can see all available wireless networks by clicking on an icon in the taskbar. A new feature called HomeGroups is supposed to let you share files more easily among Windows 7 PCs on your home network. In my tests, it worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords. -- Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features won't likely become popular for a while because to get the most out of them, a computer needs a special type of touch screen that goes beyond most of the ones existing now. I tested this on one such laptop, a Lenovo, and was able to move windows around, to resize and flip through photos, and more. -- Speed: In my tests, on every machine, Windows 7 ran swiftly and with far fewer of the delays typical in running Vista. All the laptops I tested resumed from sleep quickly and properly, unlike in Vista. Start-up and restart times were also improved. I chose six Windows 7 laptops from different makers to compare with a new MacBook Pro laptop. The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time. -- Nagging: In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag. Also, Microsoft has consolidated most of the alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon, and they seemed less frequent. -- Compatibility: I tried a wide variety of third-party software and all worked fine on every Windows 7 machine. These included Mozilla Firefox; Adobe Reader; Google's Picasa and Chrome; and Apple's iTunes and Safari. I also tested several hardware devices, and, unlike Vista, Windows 7 handled all but one smoothly. These included a networked H-P printer, a Canon camera, an iPod nano, and at least five external flash drives and hard disks. The one failure was a Verizon USB cellular modem. Microsoft says you don't need external software to run these, but I found it was necessary, and even then had to use a trick I found on the Web to get it to work. -- System Requirements: Nearly all Vista PCs, and newer or beefier XP machines, should be able to run Windows 7 fine. Even the netbooks I tested ran it speedily, especially with the Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects in the operating system. (Other netbooks will be able to run other editions.) If you have a standard PC, called a 32-bit PC, you'll need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called "DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0." You'll also need a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. If you have a newer-style 64-bit PC, which can use more memory, you'll need at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification. Installation, editions and price: There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers. One, a limited version called Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks. A second, called Business, is mainly for people who need to tap remotely into company networks (check with your company to see if you need this). A third, called Ultimate, is mainly for techies who want every feature of all other editions. Most average consumers will want Home Premium, which costs $120 for upgrades. The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place. Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won't be able to do that. They'll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years. Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they've got or wait and buy a new one. In my tests, both types of installations went OK, though the latter could take a long time. Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy. Credit: By Walter S. Mossberg PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade. [...] Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. Full Text Translate Turn on search term navigation Corrections & Amplifications The edition of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system aimed at business users is called Windows 7 Professional. A Thursday Personal Technology column incorrectly said it was named Business. (WSJ October 10, 2009) In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade. With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999. After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers. Like the new Snow Leopard operating system released in August by Microsoft's archrival, Apple, Windows 7 is much more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary product. Its main goal was to fix the flaws in Vista and to finally give Microsoft customers a reason to move up from XP. But Windows 7 is packed with features and tweaks that make using your computer an easier and more satisfying experience. Windows 7 introduces real advances in organizing your programs and files, arranging your taskbar and desktop, and quickly viewing and launching the page or document you want, when you want it. It also has cool built-in touch-screen features. It removes a lot of clutter. And it mostly banishes Vista's main flaws -- sluggishness; incompatibility with third-party software and hardware; heavy hardware requirements; and constant, annoying security warnings. I tested Windows 7 on 11 different computers, ranging from tiny netbooks to standard laptops to a couple of big desktops. These included machines from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Sony. I even successfully ran it on an Apple Macintosh laptop. On some of these machines, Windows 7 was pre-loaded. On others, I had to upgrade from an earlier version of Windows. In most cases, the installation took 45 minutes or less, and the new operating system worked snappily and well. But, I did encounter some drawbacks and problems. On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista. And, on a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn't work properly. Also, Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated. It's tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7, and the variety of editions in which Windows 7 is offered is confusing. Finally, Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. These can be downloaded free of charge, but they no longer come with the operating system, though some PC makers may choose to pre-load them. In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple's Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That's no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows. Now, however, it's much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows. Here are some of the key features of Windows 7. -- New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the familiar taskbar has been reinvented and made taller. Instead of mainly being a place where icons of open windows temporarily appear, it now is a place where you can permanently "pin" the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose. This is a concept borrowed from Apple's similar feature, the Dock. But Windows 7 takes the concept further. For each running program, hovering over its taskbar icon pops up a small preview screen showing a mini-view of that program. This preview idea was in Vista. But, in Windows 7, it has been expanded in several ways. Now, every open window in that program is included separately in the preview. If you mouse over a window in the preview screen, it appears at full size on your desktop and all other windows become transparent -- part of a feature called Aero Peek. Click on the window and it comes up, ready for use. You can even close windows from these previews, or play media in them. I found this feature more natural and versatile than a similar feature in Snow Leopard called Dock Expose. You can also use Aero Peek at any time to see your empty desktop, with open windows reduced to virtual panes of glass. To do this, you just hover over a small rectangle at the right edge of the taskbar. Taskbar icons also provide Jump Lists -- pop-up menus listing frequent actions or recent files used. -- Desktop organization: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another called Shake allows you to make all other windows but the one you're working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times. -- File organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library -- Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos -- consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in. -- Networking: Windows 7 still isn't quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it's better than Vista. For instance, now you can see all available wireless networks by clicking on an icon in the taskbar. A new feature called HomeGroups is supposed to let you share files more easily among Windows 7 PCs on your home network. In my tests, it worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords. -- Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features won't likely become popular for a while because to get the most out of them, a computer needs a special type of touch screen that goes beyond most of the ones existing now. I tested this on one such laptop, a Lenovo, and was able to move windows around, to resize and flip through photos, and more. -- Speed: In my tests, on every machine, Windows 7 ran swiftly and with far fewer of the delays typical in running Vista. All the laptops I tested resumed from sleep quickly and properly, unlike in Vista. Start-up and restart times were also improved. I chose six Windows 7 laptops from different makers to compare with a new MacBook Pro laptop. The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time. -- Nagging: In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag. Also, Microsoft has consolidated most of the alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon, and they seemed less frequent. -- Compatibility: I tried a wide variety of third-party software and all worked fine on every Windows 7 machine. These included Mozilla Firefox; Adobe Reader; Google's Picasa and Chrome; and Apple's iTunes and Safari. I also tested several hardware devices, and, unlike Vista, Windows 7 handled all but one smoothly. These included a networked H-P printer, a Canon camera, an iPod nano, and at least five external flash drives and hard disks. The one failure was a Verizon USB cellular modem. Microsoft says you don't need external software to run these, but I found it was necessary, and even then had to use a trick I found on the Web to get it to work. -- System Requirements: Nearly all Vista PCs, and newer or beefier XP machines, should be able to run Windows 7 fine. Even the netbooks I tested ran it speedily, especially with the Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects in the operating system. (Other netbooks will be able to run other editions.) If you have a standard PC, called a 32-bit PC, you'll need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called "DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0." You'll also need a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. If you have a newer-style 64-bit PC, which can use more memory, you'll need at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification. Installation, editions and price: There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers. One, a limited version called Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks. A second, called Business, is mainly for people who need to tap remotely into company networks (check with your company to see if you need this). A third, called Ultimate, is mainly for techies who want every feature of all other editions. Most average consumers will want Home Premium, which costs $120 for upgrades. The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place. Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won't be able to do that. They'll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years. Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they've got or wait and buy a new one. In my tests, both types of installations went OK, though the latter could take a long time. Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy. Credit: By Walter S. Mossberg](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b286c32-d486-4854-b05b-b67c65865f89_2777x2001.jpeg)
Walt Mossberg’s review evoked a positive tone that started in January with the beta release. For his RTM review he said, “Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy.” The headline read, “A Windows to Help You Forget: Microsoft's New Operating System Is Good Enough to Erase Bad Memory of Vista.”5 There was little more we could ask for in a review.
Ed Baig of USA Today and one of the most widely read reviewers made it clear how positive he was on the product when he said “What you'll notice is that Windows 7 is snappier than its predecessor, more polished, and simpler to navigate. Screens are less cluttered. It has better search. Windows 7 rarely nags.…It sure seems more reliable so far.”6
Windows 7 was the first major release of Windows not to double the requirements for memory and disk space. While the box maintained the same requirements (also a first) in practice the reduction in memory usage and focus on Task Manager paid off handsomely. As much as we were proud of the business success, the engineering success of Windows 7 was among the most significant in company history and the reviews reflected this improvement in core software engineering competency. JonDe brought his engineering excellence to all of Windows.
Major PC makers used the time from sign-off on the build to the October launch event to prepare the first Windows 7–ready PCs and get them into stores for holiday sales, including Black Friday in the United States.
Industry analyst firm Gartner declared the “recovery of the PC market on a global level,” with preliminary numbers showing a 22.1 percent increase over the previous year. Their quarterly analysis was effusive relative to their own reports just months earlier that were doom and gloom. More than 85 million PCs were sold in the fourth quarter of 2009, up more than 10 million units from 2008. This even though we were in the midst of a global recession. One year earlier, the top line was that PC sales had crashed. By the end of the first quarter, Gartner would upward revise their forecasts for 2010 to almost 370 million units, growing nearly 20%. The primary reason was that mobile computing, including netbooks, was on fire. Gartner concluded “It was the strongest quarter-on-quarter growth rate the worldwide PC market has experienced in the last seven years.”7
It would be incorrect to assume cause and effect relative to Windows 7. There existed pent-up demand for new PCs to replace aging ones. Windows Vista had caused many, both at home and at work, to hold off buying new PCs, and the recession further slowed those decisions. Windows 7 brought many people back into the market. The shift to mobility was helping PC units, but the low cost of netbooks hurt the profits of the major PC makers.
The competitive forces were real. Apple was doing very well in the US (and Japan) and finished the year selling 24% more units year over year. The strength in consumer sales was the headline supported by the so-called consumerization of IT, where consumers were buying their own preferred PCs to do work rather than rely on stodgy corporate PCs that were slower, heavier, and burdened with IT software.
It felt, at least to me, that I’d been holding my breath for more than three years.
![black and white photo of the rice barrels at the Meiji garden and shrine, Tokyo Japan) black and white photo of the rice barrels at the Meiji garden and shrine, Tokyo Japan)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78857bcf-1cdf-4578-a344-c74fc56eefa7_2048x1536.jpeg)
I walked through Meiji Garden and Shrine early the morning of my flight home, a travel day tradition and one of my favorite places on earth. The world’s economy was still in shambles from the Global Financial Crisis. The PC sales everyone was excited by were obviously juiced by the start of an economic recovery and by netbooks. These were not going to last. When it came to netbooks, the major OEMs were anxious to exit the market and return to their view of normal. The problem was, as it became clear, netbooks were additive to a shrinking market. Consumers wanted portability. They were willing to try netbooks, but the product could not meet expectations.
When NPR reviewed Windows 7 in a very positive review, even the introduction espoused the end of the operating system, saying:
We are in the modern world now and, while Windows continues to be the default OS, everyone is talking about Mac OS X, Linux and the second coming of, wait, no, just the much-anticipated arrival of Google's Chrome OS.
The future is the Web, not the OS, and everyone knows it.8
As the Narita Airport customs officer stamped my passport and I walked through the turnstile, I could finally exhale. I think my stomach still hurt from the attempt at the seven-layer Whopper. Everyone else was heading back from the New York launch events and, other than the coverage I read, I don’t remember if we even took the time to share stories.
I had the same feeling I had when Office 2007 finished. As happy and proud as I was, it felt like the end of an era. With the huge shift happening in PC sales, PC makers, the internet and cloud, mobile phones, there was no denying we were in another era. When I looked at Windows 7, I did not have a view of “look what more we could do” as much as “we’ve done all we can do.”
What I do remember more than anything was talking to members of the team in the hallways, at meetings, remote offices, or over email throughout the course of the release. No matter what was going on and how difficult things got, I will always cherish all the people who shared their feelings about doing some of the best work of their careers—thoughts I still hear even as I write this. It was incredibly rewarding to hear. That wasn’t about me, but about the system and the plans put in place by the team of leaders we assembled. The Windows team was a new team. It was so ready to take on new challenges.
With RTM everyone on the team received their ceremonial copy of Windows 7. It is nice to have something to put on a shelf reminding each of us of the project and what we accomplished. For many, the next stop is the Microsoft Store to get upgrade copies for friends and family—another Microsoft holiday tradition.
![MARKETPLACE Grupo Mexico Hits Hurdle to Asarco MINING B2 © Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, All Rights Reserved GM Retains Right To Weigh Opel Bid CORPORATE NEWS B3 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. * Windows Microsoft Seeks A Clean Windows 7 TECHNOLOGY B9 Tuesday, October 20, 2009 B1 To Rebuild Windows, Microsoft Razed Walls Three-Year Effort to Create Latest Version Meant Close Collaboration Among Workers to Avoid Vista's Woes By NICK WINGFIELD ready when the operating system ners, too. H-P and Microsoft as-shipped, so early Vista custom- signed teams to do a "deep dive ers couldn't use many of those into the guts" of H-P machines to devices with their computers. figure out how to speed up the A key problem was that the time it takes to start and shut system, Microsoft Corp. needed to do more than fix the flaws of its predecessor. The company also had to address major bugs in its software devel- Windows 7 desktop marketing. "With Vista, opment process. The three-year effort to create Windows 7, which lands on store shelves this Thursday, was TECH JOURNAL marked by closer collaboration between the thou- sands of people working on aspects of the high-stakes product--reducing communications breakdowns that contributed to delavs and defects in Windows Vista, one of the company's biggest missteps. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's That approach helped the touch-sensing that was mainly a chief executive, also directed Windows 7 team stick to an im- direct substitute for a computer that software developers work portant new objective called mouse. With Windows 7, in con- more closely with computer "quieting the system," which trast, the software responds dif- makers, including Hewlett-Pack- sought to minimize windows and ferently when it senses a user is ard Co., and other PC players to head off the kinds of problems Steven Sinofsky, left, who led Windows 7 development, with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a sales meeting dialogue bubbles--such as secu- touching a screen, spacing icons that hobbled Vista. In July in Atlanta, where Mr. Ballmer "signed off" on the system's finished code in a company ritual. rity warnings--that pop up on differently and making scroll screen during the normal opera- bars larger to fit the dimensions It's too soon to tell how well the effort worked. But favorable neur who worked at Microsoft Philip Schiller, Apple's senior year Microsoft veteran who had tion of the PC. Such annoying of fingers-something that re-early reviews for Windows 7 on Windows and other products vice president of world-wide worked in its Office group until messages became one of the quired touch engineers to work have restored some faith that the during most of the 1990s. "It product marketing, says it's not 2006. It's a process that he com- most maligned aspects of Vista. closely with all major Windows 7 software giant can still execute looks like they are." clear whether Windows 7 has pares to an epic home remodel- In Windows 7, Microsoft re- groups, says lan LeGrow, a Mi- in a business that accounted for One of Microsoft's rivals, Ap- overcome the flaws of its prede- ing project. "Windows is no dif- duced those messages to make crosoft group program manager. more than half of its $20.36 bil- ple Inc., believes Windows 7 will cessor. "A lot of the same things ferent--it's a kitchen for a billion users feel more in control and "Instead of it being a plan lion in operating income during create an opening for it to lure were said about Vista before it people," he says. comfortable, says Linda Averett, owned by one team, our plan the fiscal year ended June 30. more customers to the Macin- shipped," Mr. Schiller savs. "y Two of Vista's biggest failings a Microsoft group program man- Was a Dart of all the teams.' " savs "I think Microsoft knew with tosh, in part because of the te- think we need to wait and see if were that it took too long to ager who was a chief enforcer of Mr. LeGrow, who led touch tech- Windows 7 it had to work harder dious process required to up- it's all that much better." make-five years--and crucial the system-quieting effort. nology on the Windows 7 team. and right some wrongs," says Ri- grade to Windows 7 from PCs The Windows 7 development software for printers, graphics Microsoft collaborated more -Pui-Wing Tam contributed chard Barton, a Seattle entrepre- running Windows XP. was led by Steven Sinofsky, a 20- cards and other hardware wasn't closely with its hardware part- to this article. MARKETPLACE Grupo Mexico Hits Hurdle to Asarco MINING B2 © Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, All Rights Reserved GM Retains Right To Weigh Opel Bid CORPORATE NEWS B3 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. * Windows Microsoft Seeks A Clean Windows 7 TECHNOLOGY B9 Tuesday, October 20, 2009 B1 To Rebuild Windows, Microsoft Razed Walls Three-Year Effort to Create Latest Version Meant Close Collaboration Among Workers to Avoid Vista's Woes By NICK WINGFIELD ready when the operating system ners, too. H-P and Microsoft as-shipped, so early Vista custom- signed teams to do a "deep dive ers couldn't use many of those into the guts" of H-P machines to devices with their computers. figure out how to speed up the A key problem was that the time it takes to start and shut system, Microsoft Corp. needed to do more than fix the flaws of its predecessor. The company also had to address major bugs in its software devel- Windows 7 desktop marketing. "With Vista, opment process. The three-year effort to create Windows 7, which lands on store shelves this Thursday, was TECH JOURNAL marked by closer collaboration between the thou- sands of people working on aspects of the high-stakes product--reducing communications breakdowns that contributed to delavs and defects in Windows Vista, one of the company's biggest missteps. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's That approach helped the touch-sensing that was mainly a chief executive, also directed Windows 7 team stick to an im- direct substitute for a computer that software developers work portant new objective called mouse. With Windows 7, in con- more closely with computer "quieting the system," which trast, the software responds dif- makers, including Hewlett-Pack- sought to minimize windows and ferently when it senses a user is ard Co., and other PC players to head off the kinds of problems Steven Sinofsky, left, who led Windows 7 development, with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a sales meeting dialogue bubbles--such as secu- touching a screen, spacing icons that hobbled Vista. In July in Atlanta, where Mr. Ballmer "signed off" on the system's finished code in a company ritual. rity warnings--that pop up on differently and making scroll screen during the normal opera- bars larger to fit the dimensions It's too soon to tell how well the effort worked. But favorable neur who worked at Microsoft Philip Schiller, Apple's senior year Microsoft veteran who had tion of the PC. Such annoying of fingers-something that re-early reviews for Windows 7 on Windows and other products vice president of world-wide worked in its Office group until messages became one of the quired touch engineers to work have restored some faith that the during most of the 1990s. "It product marketing, says it's not 2006. It's a process that he com- most maligned aspects of Vista. closely with all major Windows 7 software giant can still execute looks like they are." clear whether Windows 7 has pares to an epic home remodel- In Windows 7, Microsoft re- groups, says lan LeGrow, a Mi- in a business that accounted for One of Microsoft's rivals, Ap- overcome the flaws of its prede- ing project. "Windows is no dif- duced those messages to make crosoft group program manager. more than half of its $20.36 bil- ple Inc., believes Windows 7 will cessor. "A lot of the same things ferent--it's a kitchen for a billion users feel more in control and "Instead of it being a plan lion in operating income during create an opening for it to lure were said about Vista before it people," he says. comfortable, says Linda Averett, owned by one team, our plan the fiscal year ended June 30. more customers to the Macin- shipped," Mr. Schiller savs. "y Two of Vista's biggest failings a Microsoft group program man- Was a Dart of all the teams.' " savs "I think Microsoft knew with tosh, in part because of the te- think we need to wait and see if were that it took too long to ager who was a chief enforcer of Mr. LeGrow, who led touch tech- Windows 7 it had to work harder dious process required to up- it's all that much better." make-five years--and crucial the system-quieting effort. nology on the Windows 7 team. and right some wrongs," says Ri- grade to Windows 7 from PCs The Windows 7 development software for printers, graphics Microsoft collaborated more -Pui-Wing Tam contributed chard Barton, a Seattle entrepre- running Windows XP. was led by Steven Sinofsky, a 20- cards and other hardware wasn't closely with its hardware part- to this article.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3431e73d-ab8f-412c-8941-673b0ee93460_2091x1878.png)
The growth in mobility and demand for quality played right into Apple’s strengths, though not at first glance. The market continued to pressure Apple on low prices and did not see the weakness we did when it came to netbooks. On the heels of the Windows 7 launch, Apple released several new Get a Mac commercials. Among them was the segment “Promises” which reiterated all the times at new releases of Windows when Microsoft claimed the new release would not have all the problems of the old release. This one wasn’t accurate, but that didn’t matter.
In fact, Steve Jobs and Apple had a product in mind even more disruptive to the PC than the iPhone or MacBook Air…while we were just starting the next Windows release.
On to 097. A Plan for a Changing World [Ch. XIV]
Pogue, David, “Hate Vista? You May Like the Fix”, The New York Times, January 22, 2009
“Even in Test Form, Windows 7 Leaves Vista in the Dust” Mossberg, Walter S. Wall Street Journal, 22 Jan 2009
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123258632983004629
“Microsoft Can't Evade Downturn's Tight Grip” Vance, Ashlee, New York Times, 24 July 2009
“A Windows to Help You Forget”, Mossberg, Walt, Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2009
USA Today, Baig, Ed, October 16, 2009
Gartner press release, “Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments in Fourth Quarter of 2009 Posted Strongest Growth Rate in Seven Years”, January 13, 2010
Windows 7: Microsoft's Lucky Number?, October 22, 2009, by Wright Bryan, https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2009/10/microsoft_upgrades_with_window.html
I know we chuckled about it at the time but I'll still never forgive you for meeting UltraSeven without me. I have been an Ultraman fan since the early 1970s.
Yes, I know you had no idea beforehand, but that's rational thinking. The emotional child in me is still angry. :)