Microsoft prepares developers for Windows 7 problems
Microsoft has released a list of the most likely compatibility issues in Windows 7. It’s also revealed some of the enhancements designed to make it easier for both users and developers to deal with any problems.
The details appear in a document with the intriguing name ‘Windows Application Quality Cookbook’, though fortunately there aren’t any details about home-made explosives or other anarchical activities. Instead it’s a document aimed at developers advising them on how to best make sure their applications will work with Windows 7.
The document lists some known issues which developers will need to be aware of. Ranked in order of impact, the top three are as follows:
- Web-based applications may not be set up recognize the User Agent String (effectively an identification signal) for Internet Explorer 8.
- The Data Execution Protection system (which blocks many attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in a computer’s memory set-up) will be switched on by default in Internet Explorer 8. Applications not set-up with this in mind will likely crash.
- The removal of Windows Mail will screw up any application that expects it to be there.
It’s worth noting that these, and the other listed problems, are not really bugs as such. They generally stem from genuine improvements to Windows, which could catch developers unaware.
The document also gives detailed advice about how to check applications will work in Windows 7. There are also details about Windows Troubleshooting, a new feature which will be part of the Solutions Center accessible through the system tray. Developers will be able to add details of their applications to this feature so that users have a standardised way of solving problems with a program.
Mary-Jo Foley of ZDNet makes a great point about the document: it’s a firm reminder that users who choose to skip Vista and go straight from XP to Windows 7 are still likely going to find plenty of compatibility issues with their chosen applications.
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