With everyone reviewing the first “beta” of Windows 7, I wouldn’t say that this is a first look. If you haven’t seen these snapshots before, you’re definitely not online.
Two quick notes before we start. First, It’s not really a beta, it’s just Build 7000 which the Microsoft page for Windows 7 doesn’t confirm as an official beta. However they have a “What’s coming in the Windows 7 beta” title in the page. Second, how I got it and how can you. It’s out there, man. you know it, I know it, even Microsoft knows it. Anyway, Let’s dive in.
Was it 20 minutes? maybe a little more, I’m not sure. But I’m sure that the installation is much faster than Vista and XP. The installation is pretty much straight forward and similar to Vista except for the option to setup a “homegroup” which was the first thing to grab my attention (only because I saw the new task bar in snapshots. We’ll get to that later).
Homegroup is simply a simple way to create a home network. The name is – I think – an opposite to Workgroup which is the nickname for any network group with no domain controller. So, Other than the name, how’s a Homegroup is different from a Workgroup?
It’s easier to create/join a Homegroup. Open a Windows Explorer and choose “Homegroup” on the left and you get the wizard. When you click to create a homegroup you get the option to share a “Library”.
Library is a new word for me, so I decided to follow what it means. I found in the task bar an icon with a folder in it.
I assumed that it’s “My Computer” or “Computer” (since Microsoft decided in Vista that it’s not mine anymore) but it turns out to be Windows Explorer and it opens on “libraries”
Interesting, so is this like Virtual folders from Vista that never really made it to mainstream? Yes, but with a different approach. Virtual folders was a shortcut to the results of search keyword except the results are dynamic. It wasn’t a snapshot of the results but a shortcut to the search. In Windows 7, a library is a pool of the content of many folders in one view which is great if you want to find things quickly unless those things have the same name because the view doesn’t show content with the same name differently. so you can easily end up with this.
So, a library is a folder of folders which is cool but my question is “Why?”. Isn’t the whole point of folders is to keep things organized and if you want to find them use “Search”. The only logical benefit of libraries is to combine the content of different folders in your machine and offer them in one entry point on a Homegroup which is exclusive to Windows 7 machines (a note in the Help section) at Home (at least for now, not clear if it’s offered through Windows Server).
What I’m trying to say – again - is “Why?”. Libraries in Windows 7 are replacing “My Documents”. If you click “Documents” in Start menu, windows explorer opens on the “Documents” library. So, Microsoft is pushing libraries as the default option (with no obvious chance for the user to change this default).
Anyway, what’s the default folders included in this Documents library? Two folders, [My] Documents and Public Documents. This choice brings another subject to my attention. My Documents. There are couple of issues here:
- Anyone who ever had to suddenly re-install Windows (which is a big portion of the Windows population) knows very well that keeping files under My Documents is a bad bad bad idea. Why there isn’t a way to easily change the default location of My Documents, anyway?
- The default and only breakdown of folders includes Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures, Videos (and other less famous ones). Of course you can create new folders, but Microsoft is treating those folders specially, they’re referenced in all Microsoft application in Windows and sometimes you can’t get rid of them. Like Windows Media Player you can’t remove the “Users” folder. You can only “Ignore” it.
- Other than My Documents, there are also Public Documents. Now, you can share My Documents and you can share Public Documents. In Windows 7 they’re combined in the Documents library. Again, the urging question, “Why?”. What’s the point of having two folders?
Back to libraries in Windows 7, if you take a look at the image of the wizard. You’ll notice that you can select the libraries to share and they’re only limited to the default libraries created by Microsoft (by the way, if you shared a default library after you have deleted it. It will be created again!!!). Now, What about “My” libraries? the ones that I created. I have to use something similar to “Share” in Windows Vista. How is this faster or simpler? Why can’t the windows Users folder be easily customizable and expandable. Why can’t it have profiles based on the user category? Does Microsoft really think that ALL Windows users are the same? I want to be able to apply a certain User folder based on my category (Student, Power user, Developer, Mum, etc.) and I want those profiles to be expandable, editable and created by the community.
For my first look at Windows 7, Microsoft is missing the point on why they’re making changes. Not only for the libraries, but also for the new taskbar. But that’s another post.
5 comments:
I personally have been waiting for Libraries since the early Longhorn WinFS days.
I can see your point on the issue with two files with the same name.
But there's ways of sorting that...
For example if you have thumbnails view on you would be able to see a preview of the file in most cases.
Or you could use, Group by - Location, so you would then be able to see that test.txt is in Documents (personal docs folder) as well as Public Documents.
I'm personally going to find Libraries very useful as I have 7Tbs worth of data.
I have Music and Picture and Movie folders spread across multiple drives and network shares.
With the Music Library for example, I am then able to add the locations for all my mp3s and then arrange them with the Stack Views - Artists, Album and Genre etc.
The stacks views in combination with the Libraries will be a great way of viewing and sorting files from multiple locations virtually, without actually effecting the real file location. And then filtering through them further with the stacks.
On the same note, I can then still browse these music folders through their physical locations, as I don’t always want to see my parent’s music, or music from the last lan party.
However, there's two things I wish Microsoft improved upon.
First are the stack views themselves,
Libraries are most useful based on these views, so it’s a shame they didn't create a more powerful file browser with 3D views e.g. Phodeo using WPF. It would also be nice if the size of the icons for the stacks themselves were dynamically generated based on how many items are in it.
Then we have Lists.
This was a feature that was briefly in Vista pre beta 1.
This is basically your "Burn Folder" on OSX.
This is a virtual folder that simply allows you to create a static list of files from any location. This is most useful when you want to burn/copy files but you don't want to have to move or create duplicate files. Hence the name Burn Folder on OSX.
So they are actually just shortcuts to the real files. However, they behave as if the real file. E.g. if you copy or burn it, it’s going to copy/burn the actual file and not the shortcut.
The sooner Microsoft moves people away from Folders and more into the virtual folder structures the better. It might be confusing for the average folk at first, but in the long run, it’s the smarter move.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the Library concept. My question - like I repeatedly said - is "Why?". If libraries is something that Microsoft thinks is better than folders (especially with folder content spanning over several HDs) then maybe they should introduce it as a concept with sufficient publicity, attention, and research of users feedback because it's something that will affect every user.
The "Documents" link now direct to the Documents library rather than the Documents folder under User profile folder. This is something that will affect every user who is using the profile folders.
Now, are virtual folders (or libraries) recognizable by backup software. I don't think so, probably backup software will have to be modified to recognize those libraries. If I'm an average user who can't notice the difference between the library and the Documents folder that I've been using forever. I'm gonna have some problems.
I like Microsoft's attempts to make some changes, I just hope that these changes are meaningful and reflect actual user needs and solve actual problems.
You stand correct with backup software, as programs will need to be updated to understand a library.
As in regards to users saving stuff, are you aware that there are default locations hardwired to each library?
So if a user goes to save a Word Document and clicks on the Documents link in the Save dialog box, which as we know is the documents library, it will still actually redirect the file save and place the document inside the Users Personal Documents Folder.
Microsoft should really make the public very aware of this feature and how it works.
Once the general public understand it, it will be for the better.
Again as I said in my first post, if Explorer had some really "WOW" views and effects on different ways to arranging the files within libraries it would help show off how useful they are.
I feel that Windows 7 is still only half of what the original Longhorn vision was. Here’s to Windows 8 sigh...
huI think libraries is what was originally been in WinFS Saved Searches, which was a very amazing feature to be cut out of Longhorn, it was a very nice way to keep whatever files you see similar wherever they are in one place and treat this place as a folder, so you can save new files to it, no matter where the file will be placed.
Thats another thing actually,
Libraries in Windows 7 are just aggregating multiple locations of files to one view.
While via a Saved Search, where say you ask to display all files with the Tag "Project 12" from year "2008". It would have been nice that when you then save a file to that Saved Search, it applies all the same metadata tags.
Again this is something that Windows 7 can't do.
RIP WinFS :(
Post a Comment