A list of 20 things people would like to see in the upcoming version of Windows code-named Windows 7 has been circulating the interwebz. The list is okay but nothing too fantastic. Some people have some good ideas while others are lacking.

The list is as follows:

1. Modularised OS: For easy modification like in Linux everything is modular and replaceable.
2. XP Virtual Machine: The biggest issue with Vista was compatibility with older software/drivers.
3. New UAC: UAC is a great idea, but it was too intrusive.
4. Gaming Mode: Which only initiates the required services for gaming.
5. Productive GUI: Productivity of Vista's Aero GUI wasn’t exactly enhanced all that much.
6. All for One and One for All: Only Home, Business/Pro, and Server editions.
7. WinFS: The infamous NTFS replacement.
8. Home User Licensing: Let’s say you have 3 PCs in your house and want to upgrade to Windows 7, but have to pay three times for three separate licences.
9. Driver Availability: Arguably the Achilles heel of Vista was the slow uptake of drivers by device manufacturers.
10. Standards Compliant Browser: There’s nothing more frustrating than coding a website which works fine in Firefox but not in IE.
11. Program Caching: A simple toolbar notification stating ‘Vista is caching your programs to improve speed would end all the confusion.
12. Microsoft Toolbox: For keeping system up-to-date without seeking drivers and patches manually.
13. OS Restoration via imaging: This image would be saved on another HDD or partition ready to restore in the case of a system failure.
14. Barebones Kernel: Allowing the user to choose between MinWin and the default kernel could allow older systems to run the new OS nicely.
15. 64bit only: Considering the 4GB memory addressing limit of 32bit, you can see that confused customers won’t be happy.
16. Better out-of-box burning capabilities: Vista cannot burn discs very well, and there is a severe lack of options.
17. Diagnostic Tools: It happens all the time, you build your own PC and the OS install constantly crashes. You blame the OS.
18. Faster Boot and Shutdown: A faster boot time would be a great first impression to many critics.
19. Simplify and manage startup items: A simple startup interface (not as daunting as the current MS Configuration Utility) and another feature would be to schedule programs to start after a certain amount of time.

EDIT: It appears the list I copied is missing one thing so there is only 19. I thought I was going crazy.

Some of these are good ideas. I like the idea of a modularized operating system. It is how Linux does it. If you want a particular option you download it and install it, if you don't want it then fine no big deal. The UAC does need to go. It is a pain in the ass. Simplifying the editions is a great idea. Vista comes in eight different versions, each one offering slight differences. You should only have two versions, a home version and a server version. I don't even agree with the XP Home and XP Pro editions, it doesn't make any sense. I could keep going but it would get boring.

What I would really like to see in the next version of Windows is less reboots. You can update just about everything in Linux without having to reboot. I should be able to install my updates and just kep going without having to reboot the system. What's worse is usually after you reboot you have to download updates to the updates you just installed and then reboot again. To me that is just plain retarded.

I really hope Microsoft learned from the debacle that is Windows Vista. So many people just hate Vista it isn't even funny. I am not a huge fan of it but it works. I use it at home on my main PC and three laptops. But it is a bloated mess. I mean the standard base install of Vista Ultimate is 12GBs. That is just stupid. That is before you install updates, drivers, and the programs you wish to use. Once you are done you can easily use up 30GBs of your hard drive.

People hate Vista so much that they are turning to Windows Server 2008 and using it as a workstation. I read about it this morning. It is way more stable than Vista and doesn't require a reboot every other day. It is lean and mean. I am actually thinking about doing this at home or here at work on my workstation just to see what life is like. If you are interested in checking out the 2008 Workstation head on over to this website and read the guide. There is even a utility you can run once you have 2008 Server installed to make the necessary changes. It is sad that people would rather run a server edition operating system than the consumer level edition. If you are a hardcore gamer I wouldn't recommend it though as the server editions don't fare very well with games. There is a list of games at the aforementioned website that will run though and it is a pretty good list.

I guess that is it for now.