IE8 is supposed to be faster and more stable Rendering engine: IE8 will improve compliance with web standards;

web sites can opt-in for IE7 mode for backward compatibility InPrivate: Makes sure that the browsing history cant be tracked Accelerators: Allows you to invoke a web application by selecting an object on a web page (for example for blogging) Web Slices: Users can subscribe to snippets on a web page, which will be updated automatically by the browser SmartScreen Filter: This is the new name for the Phishing Filter. It has a new user interface, is supposed to perform faster, and has new heuristics, anti-malware support, and improved Group Policy support. Automatic Crash Recovery: The browser will reload the pages after a crash

Calculator (improved)

New user interface Calculation history Unit conversion Calculation templates

Date calculations Controls that are optimized for touch

XPS Viewer (XML Paper Specification) (improved)

New user interface Relevancy-ranked XPS searched Thumbnails provide an interactive view of several pages at a time Preview XPS documents in Windows Explorer and Office

HomeGroup (new)

Windows 7 computers can connect automatically with each other to share resources (files, printers, etc.) Users can decide what they want to share Support for Libraries Can be configured via Group Policy

MinWin (new)
The most comprehensive source about MinWin, the new mini kernel in Windows 7, is this interview with Mark Russinowich. Robert McLaws translated the main part for non-developers.

MinWin is fully bootable Requires 25-40MB of disk space It contains the executive systems, memory management, networking, and optional file system drivers Components only call down the stack, and not up It allows building of less bloated Windows editions that run on netbooks and other computers with limited hardware resources

GPU Computing and Windows 7

In Windows 7, the CPU and the GPU create a co-processing environment. Check out this article at Microsofts Windows blog for more information.

Ready Boost (improved)

Allows you to concurrently use multiple flash drives Works with USB memory keys, Secure Digital (SD) memory cards, and other internal flash devices Supports over 4 GB of storage

Battery life (improved)

Reduced background activities when the computer is idle Adaptive display brightness: Display brightness is reduced after a period of inactivity Less processing power for DVD playback Wake on Wireless LAN Smart Network Power: Power of the network adapter is turned off when cable is unplugged Better battery life notification A new power config tool Tgt5g5

U7ju7ju

Security .. The fundamental security-related improvements were introduced with Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista. The new security features in Windows 7 can be considered as fine-tuning. I am a bit disappointed that there are only minor changes to UAC. Most interesting, from a system administrators point view, is the new AppLocker, which allows you to restrict program execution and the multiple active firewall profiles, which would solve problems with laptops that are used at home and in the corporate network.

User Account Control (UAC)

Windows 7 has two new UAC settings:

Program-based changes only: Dont notify when the user installs software or changes settings Notify only: The user is only notified through a balloon message

Applications There are quite a few enhancements in Windows 7 that directly address the work of system administrators. In particular, OS deployment will be improved. However, there is no wow feature like the new imaging capabilities of Windows Vista. Also noteworthy is the support of VHD files. This demonstrates that virtualization technology is moving more and more from the server to the desktop. The new PowerShell features are certainly nice, too. It has yet to be seen which of these will also be available on Vista and XP.

VHD image management and deployment

Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files can be deployed using Windows Deployment Services VHD files can be managed using DISM (see below) Boot .

Feature..

Windows 7 simplifies everyday tasks

HomeGroup

Jump Lists

Snap

Takes the headache out of A quick (and fun!) new Speedy access to your favorite pictures, sharing files and printers way to resize and compare songs, websites, and documents. on a home network. windows on your desktop.

Windows Live Essentials A suite of great programs in one free download. Mail, Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, and more.

Windows Search

Windows Taskbar

Better thumbnail previews, Find virtually anything on easier-to-see icons, and your PC, instantly. more ways to customize.

Windows 7 works the way you want

Full 64-bit support

More personal

Performance improvements

Windows 7 makes the most of Redecorate your desktop with powerful 64-bit PCs, the new fun new themes, slide shows, Designed to sleep and resume quicker, be less memory hungry, desktop standard. or handy gadgets. and spot USB devices faster.

Windows 7 makes new things possible

Play To

Remote Media Streaming

Windows Touch

Pair Windows 7 with a Play your media on other PCs, Enjoy music and video on your touchscreen and you won't stereos, or TVs around the home PCeven when you're always need a keyboard or house. not at home. mouse.

Device Stage: A new central location for all external devices that provides information about the device status and lets you run common tasks; the device manufacturers provide the contents for their devices; examples for common tasks: media synchronization with portable media players, PIM synchronization, ringtone editor. Drivers of new devices are automatically downloaded Location Aware Printing: Windows 7 changes the default printer depending on the connected network (home, work, etc.) Support for Bluetooth 2.1: simpler device pairing, better security, better power savings, Group policy support Support for wireless alternatives to USB: Ultra Wideband (UWB), Wireless USB (WUSB), Wireless Host Controller Interface (WHCI), Device Wire Adapter (DWA) Blue-ray Disc write support Sensor and Location Platform: Support for devices such as ambient light sensor, GPS, temperature gauge, etc. Display Color Calibration: Helps adjust an LCD display to be as close as possible to the sRGB standard color space High