Speculation Mounts on Windows 7 Feature List

A leaked list reveals some of the most commonly requested features for the successor to Windows Vista (code-named Windows 7).

The 61 suggestions include some based on rival products, such as Session Restore from Mozilla's Firefox browser. After a crash, a Firefox user is able to go straight back to the page or pages that they were browsing at the time. Other users suggested a Firefox-style download manager to make it easier to keep track of multiple simultaneous downloads.

Another common theme is improvements to visual displays of information, such as the Recycle Bin icon gradually 'filling up' or a progress bar when using the hibernation feature.

Windows media player features are also popular areas for change. Suggestions include a picture-in-picture facility, a built-in codec manager, and a more extensive sound mixer.

Some suggestions are far less realistic: some users even requested the ability to 'back up' Xbox games onto a PC hard drive. (Source: Neowin.net)

The suggestions came in response to a survey sent out before Vista was released. An unnamed source told Arstechnica that there was no guarantee any of the suggestions will be included in Windows 7. However, the source did say the user interface will likely boast a new appearance, with the emphasis being "a cleaner look rather than adding on more gloss and shine."

Meanwhile the UX Evangelist blog is reporting several features are already scheduled for Windows 7. These include a Starter edition aimed at schoolchildren and beginner users, increased parental control, and better integration of search and organization features across the individual PC, Internet and mobile devices.

The reports follow a Microsoft document published earlier this year which explained that the four goals for future versions of Windows were to make information easier to find and use, make mobile working easier, make Windows more secure, and reduce costs. (Source: ZDNet.com)

Microsoft hasn't confirmed a release date for Windows 7, but late 2009 or early 2010 seems most likely. It will be interesting to see how responsive Microsoft is to the public feedback and whether they'll be willing to adopt improvements inspired by rival products.