It’s the talk of the tech world these days… Windows 7 is here.  Microsoft’s newest version of their operating system was released to the masses on Thursday.  It seems like just yesterday Windows Vista arrived, and there was a buzz about that system.  But the reviews of Vista weren’t exactly glowing.

Back in May, we talked about the free downloadable version of Windows 7 that was available to the public.  So, now that it’s out for purchase on the shelves, we have some reviews to go by to see if this is something worth your hard-earned cash.

For the most part, critics seem pretty happy with Windows 7.  It has a striking resemblence to Vista, a clean, very pretty layout.  But it seems to have gotten rid of the annoying things people really hated about Vista.

First off - compatibility.  That was a huge issue with Vista.  Many applications and drivers that were designed to work with Windows XP simply wouldn’t work with Vista.  But reviewers say this is much less a problem with Windows 7… and you shouldn’t be pulling out your hair in frustration with this version.

Secondly, it seems the “annoyance factor” people felt with Vista has disappeared with Windows 7.  It’s a running joke, but one with merit… that Vista - as a security measure - would always ask you if you’re sure you want to perform any action.  Now, I’m not personally a fan of Mac ads, but I have to admit - they personified this problem very well.

Apparently they’ve fixed this, so you’re not going to have to say “cancel” or “allow” whenever you want to do anything.

It’s not exactly mainstream yet, but touchscreens are starting to grow in the computer market.  And Windows 7 has allowed for that and it’s compatible with those screens.  If you can’t picture what I’m talking about, imagine an iPhone and blow it up to a big computer screen, and you’ll get the picture.

Okay, things are sounding pretty good so far… but there’s at least one complaint as pointed out by the New York Times.  And that’s the fact that Microsoft has stripped the new operating system of several accessory programs.  That includes software for managing photos, editing videos, reading PDF documents, and so on.  Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t get them - you are still able to download them for free from the Microsoft website.  But it’s going to be really confusing to people who are used to these applications being readily available with the system.

Overall, the reviews are good.  It’s probably set to pull Microsoft out of the shadow it’s been hiding in since the nightmare that was Vista.  However, a word to the wise - give it a bit of time before you decide to buy.  Let’s not forget that Vista got pretty decent reviews at first, and it took more than a small downturn from there.