TECHPULSE Adios, Windows Vista, Windows 7 is here at last.

It has been a high-profile week for software giant Microsoft Corp as its CEO Steve Ballmer offically launched its new Windows operating system in New York on Oct 22, Thursday.

Windows 7 hit the ground running, and as expected, it received a positive reception worldwide.

Press reports indicated Windows 7 has broken all previous launch records. According to the Guardian, Amazon UK received the highest-grossing pre-order ever, beating the pre-order sales of the latest JK Rowling book, "Harry Porter and the Deadly Hallows".

And about time, too. Windows Vista didn't quite win the hearts and minds of users since its dismal launch less than three years ago. For many users, it was an abominable operating system that left them cold. It's a bug-infested OS.

There were complaints that Vista is not stable, a space-consuming fiend, sluggish and full of annoying security alerts. Vista scared off newbies and annoyed the experts with its pesky behaviour.

Thumbs-up given

As for Windows XP users, the majority of them held back from migrating to Vista because they are aware that it has issues with software incompatibilities.

Now, the good news is that Windows 7 can run XP applications if you install the XP Mode software which you can download free from the Microsoft website. XP Mode is not yet an integrated option in Windows 7.

Windows 7 beta testers have given the thumbs-up and are confident that the new OS may finally sway XP users to upgrade from the popular eight-year-old operating system.

Data analyst firm Forrester Data in the UK is predicting the XP market shares are set to drop from 84 percent to 34 percent and Vista's paltry shares will drop to 10 percent as users make the switch to Windows 7.

The look of Windows 7 is very different from XP or Vista, and the sleek interface isn't just eye candy. According to tech analysts who have taken a good look at Microsoft's new OS, the consensus is that it's functional, practical and delivers better performance. 

The Windows 7 launch is expected to be a catalyst that will see a rebound in computer sales which have seen slumping demand in recent quarters.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Ballmer told the crowd at the New York launch that he expected 300 million Windows-based PCs to be sold this year. He also said that 45,000 retailers worldwide were now selling Windows 7.

Since 2009 is coming to an end, industry watchers are not expecting the new operating system to boost PC sales significantly but sales are anticipated to pick up for 2010.

Two big differences

So what are the prospects for people to upgrade to Windows 7 in the next 12 months? With Windows 7, has Microsoft redeemed itself after the Vista debacle?

"There are two big differences which make the kind of backlash we saw with Vista much less likely," according to Dale Vile, research director at analyst Freeform Dynamics.

"Firstly, Microsoft is not directly hyping Windows 7 in the same way as it did with Vista; most of the positive buzz is coming from 'the community'.

"Secondly, all indications are that Windows 7 is actually ready for mainstream use, which, in hindsight, was not true of Vista when it was released," says Vile.

According to tech expert and "perpetual geek" Yobie Benjamin who writes at SFGate.com's City Brights blog, moving from Windows Vista to Windows 7 was a surprisingly painless process.

Benjamin claims he's not Microsoft's biggest fan but Windows 7 really bowled him over. In his blog post, he is saying that "Windows 7 is darn good...very good."

Unfortunately, users of XP cannot simply upgrade to Windows 7 unless they do backup copies of all their files and start over from scratch, doing a clean installation of Windows 7. Although 2 gigs of RAM is the least to use Windows 7, it is highly recommended to go for 4 gigs.

Overall, Windows 7 is viewed as a significant and much-needed improvement to Windows Vista, and as one pundit puts it, Vista will eventually go the way of New Coke and the Edsel. And just like them, it won't be missed. So it's like saying "hasta la vista" to Vista.

With Microsoft hitting the right note this time with Windows 7, the new OS could well be the new cool with its slick and user-friendly interface.

* Freelance writer MARK KHOO writes about the blogging experience and keeps up-to-date with the currents on the World Wide Web. He blogs at TheNextPost.com