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Windows 7 removes e-mail, photo tools
Author: Gareth HalfacreePublished: 24th September 2008
Windows 7 won't include the Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery, or Windows Movie Maker packages from previous versions.
According to an article over on CNet, Microsoft is planning to drop the Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Mail, and Windows Movie Maker extras – last seen in Vista – from its default OS install. Instead, users who want the packages will have to make do with the cloud-based Windows Live versions instead, and even that will only be made available as an optional – free, gladly – download.
The general manager of Windows Live at Microsoft, Brian Hall, told CNet that the aim was to make the system “much cleaner”, and to improve the speed at which the company is able to roll out new operating system releases.
It also, handily, pushes users towards the Windows Live versions of said apps: it's clearly no accident that as Microsoft invests heavily in cloud-based computing and rolls out Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Mail, and Windows Live Movie Maker the old, 'dead' versions of said applications vanish from Windows. According to Hall, this is to remove the requirement to support two separate versions of programs that perform the same function – which certainly sounds like a good idea from the perspective of bugfixes and security updates.
Speaking as a relative tech-head who chooses his own mail client and photo editor, I applaud Microsoft's decision to pare down the operating system – but I can't help but feel that there may well be some confused users in Windows 7's future, especially if they're upgrading from a prior version.
Do you like the fact that Windows XP and Vista provided you with commonly needed tools straight out of the box, or will you feel happier when your OS is just an OS? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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I think I'll stick with Linux and the Open Source software I use on Windows thanks.
Andy
that would be absolutely wonderful.
yep
But some tools are also useful to run local, like the picture and fax viewer to quickly flick through photos.
Who am I kidding, I'll still be a penguin head, but at least I'll hopefully have fewer reasons to curse at the computer when i have to use a MS app.
I also love the Picture and Fax viewer, but I have to hand it to MS; this is a great step forward. It is easier for them, and now I don't have anything I never use installed on my PC everytime I do a format.
Besides, this might just be the push that some people need inorder for them to install software properly and safely further increasing tech literacy among the masses (or it will result in many calls from grandmothers about the magic box).
My big gripe is that even though I never use IE, I have to keep patching it because it creates security issues for the whole system due to the way they welded it to the OS. Hopefully it will be a totally seperate program in Win7 which can be used to download Opera (or FF or Chrome or whatever) and then be uninstalled.
And while I'm dreaming, I'd also like MS to quit supporting any form of DRM
I do use the photo viewer thingy in Vista & XP though - it's a useful way to browse through photos looking for the one I want without having to fire up Photoshop.
Good news.
First programs I install are AVG, Comodo, Firefox, Thunderbird, KLite (with Media Player Classic, of course), FastStone Image Viewer and Paint .NET.
Most of the bundled programs Microsoft includes dont get used at all, IE is just used for Windows Update.
I want them!
Is it REALLY a killer to add a Custom button in Windows Setup where you can add/remove features you want in Windows?!
I do use A LOT PhotoGallary, as Flibblebot you don't need to wait to startup a monster application just to check pout 1 freaking picture.
The only time I use Internet Explorer is when I want to run a 64-bit Web browser for those sites that use OS detection to offer you a download. As I want the 64-bit version, I use IE 64-bit.
To add:
Al these tools are fairly light, I mean HDD space is NOT an issue anymore, it doesn't load on the back. PROOF: Windows Vista Business edition doesn't start up faster than the Ultimate edition. As you are are not running these software, it does not eat resources, and Vista take 20min to install, and probably limited to the user optical drive speed. So I REALLY don't see where the "bloatware" is. If it bothers anyone, just delete the start menu shortcut.
well thats what they think,
they have been pushing to make setup as simple as possible for some time now and by adding in custom install options you complicate things
what they need to implement is a question right at the very start of the process do you want to install windows default or customised.
let us have the choice from the very start anyone who doesnt know to pick default when they are not sure what they are doing has no right to be anywhere near to an OS being installed
Just means that when you come to install windows, there would be 2 things you would ensure you have, windows install disc, and a usb stick with latest fire fox on
so that you can then download the latest drivers / codecs etc from various sites.
So would rather keep IE, but WMP can go... and keep MPC :D
> Windows Mail ... last seen in Vista
Wouldn't that also be first seen in Vista?
same thing really though
But then how will I download Firefox or Chrome?? :'(
My sentiments exactly!
OSX ships out of the box with Safari
Linux ships out the box with Firefox
So what incentive is there for MS to remove IE?
Kimbie
Exactly. And maybe there could be an option, just a little check box during installation asking you if you want to install IE or not. If you already have downloaded whatever browser you want to use and stored it on a 2nd partition you're fine, if you don't, just install IE with Windows, download the browser of your choice and then get rid of IE again.
Just a thought...
I do actually like Windows media player though. Apart from that nearly everything else is done by other good software (Open source where possible).
removeing Windows mail will confuse the hell out of new users, as i use outlook it would not bother me
Id rather it didn't have....
DVD Maker
Mail
Media Centre
Meeting Space
Movie Maker
Calendar
Contacts
Etc
:)
Vista Basic ;)
I can't do without mail though, I much prefer it over web-based mail, and I don't have to bother with thunderpants either. :)
Then you need vLite.
False fact! Sorry, but Vista doesn't have IE included in the core.
So you're saying you can just uninstall IE in Vista without any problems? :|
If I type "C:\" in IE, I get a dialog box saying "A website wants to open web content using this program on your computer [...] Windows Explorer by Microsoft Windows", and a folder opens if you allow it.
If I type an URL in the address bar of a folder, my default web browser (firefox) opens with the link I type.
In addition, IE additional Toolbars can't be visible on the normal folder as they could in XP and older Windows.
Nothing from IE can affect your folders browsing. So either they did a perfect job at separating both or removed Internet Explorer from Windows Explorer.
Internet Explorer is a part of Windows now and I don't see it going anywhere. In Vista it's true that the integration with Explorer (file browser) was finally broken, but that is because Vista comes with an entirely new Explorer. Microsoft still uses their MSHTML rendering engine and Browser ActiveX control in several applications and third-party applications also use it. Internet Explorer isn't just a browser, it's a technology. Would you say they remove technology from their OS that they depend on? And don't say you wouldn't mind if Mozilla's technologies were everywhere someday. If you're going to discuss this at least be impartial.