E-mail, photo and movie programs axed from Windows 7
Microsoft has confirmed that Photo Gallery, Windows Mail and Movie Maker will be ditched in Windows 7. Instead users will be able to download the equivalent software from the free Windows Live service.
According to Brian Hall, the man in charge of Windows Live, the company decided it was pointless to offer two different programs for each function, particularly as this made support more complicated.
Switching to Windows Live editions of the applications means Microsoft can offer online features, including connections to services from third parties partners. That avoids the operating system being directly tied to outside firms, which could cause anti-trust issues. For example, if Windows itself directly linked to Kodak’s photo-printing service, Walgreens could argue Kodak had an unfair advantage in the battle for PC users.
Some of the Windows Live versions are already available to download in what’s being billed as ‘Wave 3’ of the package. However, the photo, mail and movie components are all beta versions meaning they are complete and operational, but are still in the testing stage.
There’s no firm date for ‘Wave 4’ (which should include the final versions of the components), so it’s not guaranteed it’ll be ready before Windows 7 comes out. And it’s not yet known whether Microsoft will simply include links in Windows 7 for downloading the Windows Live components or if they’ll look to get hardware manufacturers to bundle it in with Windows 7-enabled machines.
Assuming Microsoft does have the finished software available in time, it seems a smart move: it’s ditching some pretty basic programs, promoting Windows Live, and at least taking some baby steps towards making Windows 7 less bloated than Vista.
In theory having the Windows Live versions of the applications competing with third party software will encourage Microsoft to produce better programs rather than knowing they can get away with a half-assed effort because so many users stick to pre-installed software. In practice, it may be able to steer Windows 7 buyers to the Windows Live site so smoothly that many don’t even think of looking elsewhere for their photo or movie making needs.
But if nothing else, it should cut down on the number of YouTube videos with the godawful Microsoft Movie Maker ‘credit roll’.
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