Windows 7 jettisons features, you can download them instead

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 15:00

Opinion and Analysis

Looks like Microsoft is going to do its best to “simplify” Windows 7 in many ways we don’t even know about yet, but what we do know is that there’ll be no email client, no photo gallery and no built-in movie maker: you’ll need to download them, instead.

CNET US’ Ina Fried has reported that Microsoft is set to strip the email, photo gallery and movie maker capabilities out of the upcoming Windows 7, and will offer them as “Windows Live” downloads, instead.

Fried also reported that “Wave 3” of Microsoft’s “Windows Live” programs has just been released in beta format, and are all ready to download free of charge.

These new programs include a Mail beta, Messenger beta, Photo Gallery beta, Movie Maker beta, Writer beta, Toolbar beta, Family Safety beta and a Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta.

Removing email, the photo gallery and video movie maker capabilities out of Windows 7 will make the new OS a bit “lighter”, and will show that Microsoft is serious about not overloading Windows with features that competitors are also offering – in many instances, also as free downloads, which might make anti-trust authorities a bit happier.

The obvious question is how prominently Microsoft will push the Windows Live suite of products for users to freely download, especially given the fierce competition from a host of competitors, be it Google, Mozilla or others.

One would have to imagine that Microsoft would promote Windows Live services within Windows 7 as much as it could without going overboard.

Not having an email client, photo gallery or movie maker software built into Windows does seem a bit strange, given they were there in Vista, and even in Windows XP, although the “photo gallery” capabilities of XP were more built into Windows Explorer than available as a separate program, as the email and movie maker programs are.

So, is this the “componentisation” of Windows that we’ve been hearing about? Please read on to page 2.