Windows 7 Compatibility Testing – A Giant Step Forward
This Windows 7 Compatibility post is from Cristina.
Application compatibility is a byword attached to almost all new software releases. With the current release of Windows 7, application compatibility is particularly important.
Why is application compatibility so crucial for Windows 7?
Because the world will be upgrading to Windows 7 with all their existing applications. We’re talking hundreds of millions of PCs, each with its own set of applications and quirks.
Microsoft has developed a methodical approach to ensure complete application compatibility testing prior to the distribution of Windows 7.
- By doing so issues can be identified and dealt with at an early stage.
- This will minimize the support impact on its users and provide a baseline of feedback for its developers.
- In effect, this will reduce the time and effort required in later testing and is ideal for identification of future risks and concerns.
Microsoft’s compatibility testing for Windows 7 covers a wide range of different applications from Data Backup/ Security to even Games.
How does Microsoft achieve accurate and reliable testing given the sheer numbers of applications?
Well, Microsoft uses a sample testing approach wherein all applications that fall under similar data processing, technology and methods and other parameters are grouped together. It’s similar to tests being conducted in laboratory rooms testing different species of animals and their behavior.
Windows 7 Aims to Avoid the Incompatibilities that plagued Vista
Narrowing down to the heart of what this particular blog post is all about, Microsoft recently came up with the Windows 7 Compatiblity Center (still under development) site that will deal with Windows 7 compatibility issues.
This is a very wise move on the part of Microsoft since compatibility issues were one of the major drawbacks of Vista. The numerous incompatibilities between Windows Vista and XP resulted in very painful transitions and unhappy customers.
The Windows 7 compatibility center website is still finalizing its database of compatible third party applications. However, the writing is on the wall. Windows 7 will not repeat the compatibility fiasco that plagued Vista.
Let’s start with Security and Anti-Virus software. This is a partial list of Windows 7 compatible anti-virus software and security software -
- Bit Defender.
- Trend Micro.
- Kaspersky Lab
- Norton from Symantec
- BullGuard
- McAfee.
- AVG.
- Avast.
- Webroot.
- Panda Security.
- AhnLab
- eset.
- Rising.
- Sunbelt Software
- GData
- F-Secure
- Microsoft Security Essentials.
A lot of the Windows 7 features that are getting a ton of attention are the obvious ones - the UI changes and the multi-touch.
However, Microsoft’s strong push to make Windows 7 backwards compatible with Vista and to include XP Mode might be equally important.
By identifying and resolving compatibility issues with third party applications through their different tools (e.g. Compatibility Administrator Tool, Application Compatibility Toolkit ,etc) Microsoft and the Windows Team are taking a giant step towards making Windows 7 a new and more powerful Windows OS.
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Filed under: Windows7