In 1985, the North American company Microsoft launched an operating system called Windows ("windows" in English). Its visual appeal and ease of use for managing computer resources made this work environment one of the most widely used in the world.
Since then, Microsoft has released several versions of Windows; one of them was Windows Vista, which was released in January 2007 after several years of development. Vista was the successor to Windows XP, the previous version of the operating system.
Analysts noted that more than five years passed between the introduction of XP and Vista, the longest period between two consecutive versions of Windows.
Among the main novelties of Vista (whose code name during development was Longhorn), are the new graphical interface called Windows Aero, the inclusion of Windows Sidebar (a sidebar with applications), the installation of Windows Defender (a program that improves computer security) and the ability to load applications up to 15% faster than XP thanks to the SuperFetch tool.
Windows Vista also makes it easy to install the Internet Explorer 7 browser and the Windows Media Player 11 media player.
After its launch, Vista had two big updates. The Service Pack 1 (SP1) was introduced in February 2008 and included improvements in performance, reliability and security of the operating system. The Service Pack 2 (SP2), meanwhile, added support for Bluetooth 2.1 and the ability to record data to Blu-ray without the need to install an additional program.
It is known that there is a large volume of piracy of Microsoft operating systems; however, the company carried out a strong campaign to promote the legal acquisition of Vista, including it in various models of computers, both laptop and desktop.
Weaknesses and Windows 7
The complaints about the operating system were many and largely justified. First, there is its interface, which changed radically in Windows Vista, disorienting the millions of users who had made the effort to get used to the old one. Although Windows 7 does not mean a return to basics, it presents certain necessary adjustments to make browsing more enjoyable.
Outside of looks and organization, one of Windows Vista's most pronounced weaknesses was its performance, in addition to its exaggerated technical requirements; Windows 7, on the other hand, offers more possibilities and greater fluidity while occupying less disk space and consuming less RAM. Some of the most notable differences are in boot, shutdown, and hibernation times.
It is worth mentioning that many of the improvements that Microsoft presented with Windows 7 were due to specific requests from its users in the days of Vista; Through forums and contacts with the technical service, millions of people expressed their dissatisfaction and, apparently, they did not do so in vain. Examples include modification of the confusing button off , which was itself a menu of options, and deactivation default gadgets (a series of small additions such as watches and notepads that were shown on the desktop).
For many, Windows 7 was the true successor to XP and, contrary to what certain negative reviews tried to disclose, it is a completely independent version, with a series of improvements and new features that take it away from a mere update to correct the errors of Vista.