A sneak peek at the new Windows 7 from Microsoft. Windows 7 is the successor to Windows Vista. Image credit: PC World

So what are some of the biggest changes and features? The new taskbar is the first one that stands out. This has what has been called “jump lists” of controls and icons that can be clicked. Another feature is a highlighting ability you get from rolling over icons. Whatever is being rolled over, all of the other application windows turn transparent so they can be previewed.

Another change is the sidebar, which ceases to exist. This change is significant for laptop owners who want more screen space. In addition, the system tray will only exhibit what you want it to show and has everything else tucked away.

When it comes to sizing, Windows 7 has made the option more automatic. When a window is dragged to the top of the screen, it will maximize and restore itself when pulled down. When something is dragged to the sides, it will be resized automatically to 50 percent. Especially with today’s demand for touch screens, the screens have always been fair game for improvement.

One demonstration has shown the start menu as being 25 percent larger for this purpose. It also showed a large, on-screen keyboard.

Another welcome change is the change to Microsoft Office, which will now have new Web applications. These are “lightweight” versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that can be used in the usual Web browser. This time, though, the Web and Windows get to work with each other effectively.

As Windows and Office seem to go together and aren’t identified without the other, an upgrade was needed to make sure the programs would be more relevant and would better work together. This is a great feature for people who are on the move a lot and need to be in touch via the Internet with e-mails and more.

Speculation on the new Windows 7, which is currently slated to ship in 2010, has both positive and negative reception.

While the new taskbar seems like a neater and different style, what about having multiple Word documents or other programs open at the same time? Will this be more difficult to decipher which one is which? People also wonder about the amount of memory required, safety concerns with spyware and viruses and just how similar or different this will be to Windows Vista.