Windows 7 Will Drop Email, Photo, and Video Programs

[Jason Dunn]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10048142-56.html

"Microsoft has decided that Windows 7 won't include built-in programs for e-mail, photo editing, and movie making, as was done with Windows Vista, CNET News.com has learned. The software maker included Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Mail, and Windows Movie Maker as part of Vista, but later chose to offer separate downloadable Windows Live programs that essentially replaced those components with versions that could connect to online services from Microsoft and others. Microsoft told CNET News late Monday that it has decided to remove those features entirely from Windows 7 and instead offer only the service-connected Windows Live versions as optional free downloads. Earlier on Monday, Microsoft had declined to say how it was handling things."

This is risky business for Microsoft. Why? Because there are a lot of Windows users that don't install extra software on thier PC - many people I know use whatever came with their computer, regardless of whether or not there's something better out there for them. Every Apple computer ships with iLife, and now every Windows 7 computer will ship with...nothing? Or perhaps we'll see every OEM select their own email, photo, and video solution - thus creating an even more fragmented PC landscape. That's not a good solution either. I have a slim hope that Microsoft will be able to encourage OEMs to bundle the complete suite of Windows Live products with each computer they ship, or perhaps offer some sort of easy download option...but I still see this as being problematic on a number of levels. What do you think?

[Jason Dunn]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10048142-56.html

"Microsoft has decided that Windows 7 won't include built-in programs for e-mail, photo editing, and movie making, as was done with Windows Vista, CNET News.com has learned. The software maker included Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Mail, and Windows Movie Maker as part of Vista, but later chose to offer separate downloadable Windows Live programs that essentially replaced those components with versions that could connect to online services from Microsoft and others. Microsoft told CNET News late Monday that it has decided to remove those features entirely from Windows 7 and instead offer only the service-connected Windows Live versions as optional free downloads. Earlier on Monday, Microsoft had declined to say how it was handling things."

This is risky business for Microsoft. Why? Because there are a lot of Windows users that don't install extra software on thier PC - many people I know use whatever came with their computer, regardless of whether or not there's something better out there for them. Every Apple computer ships with iLife, and now every Windows 7 computer will ship with...nothing? Or perhaps we'll see every OEM select their own email, photo, and video solution - thus creating an even more fragmented PC landscape. That's not a good solution either. I have a slim hope that Microsoft will be able to encourage OEMs to bundle the complete suite of Windows Live products with each computer they ship, or perhaps offer some sort of easy download option...but I still see this as being problematic on a number of levels. What do you think?

[Bob Christensen]

Weren't a lot of Microsoft's lawsuits related to bundling apps with Windows?

Or, maybe they are looking to save development time in order to get the new version out the door faster?

[John Lane]

I must respectfully disagree.

1. I think this will get them away from anti-trust claims.
2. It would be very easy to have an icon or somesuch to add back the "live" features
3. It annoys me on Vista that Microsoft pushes their windows mail so hard when I am already using Outlook. It is like Microsoft never heard of outlook.

[John Lane]

The only thing is I don't see a replacement for Movie Maker. I used the Live Photo Gallery alot until I discovered the Picasa 3 Beta.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Um.

It's just a bunch of content viewing and manipulation apps. I wouldn't go as far as saying it will lead to a "fragmented PC landscape". I mean, the idea of having a PC is choice right? This is not like some core API that is being left out, or like the mess we have with 32/64 bit Windows OSes and related software, or that the fact there are multiple OSes out for PCs (and yes, a Mac IS a PC, just running Mac OS).

[stan]

Windows mail and movie maker I can see to live without, but Photo? Why?? that's is like the most basic function since windows 3.1. i love windows photo galery. It super quick to load a pictures. Damn, while at it, why not remove internet explorer? or explorer? or Windows Media Player!!! My point is, photo view capability is so basic that imagine your shipped laptop couldn't open your album, it outrages!

[c1oudrs]

the problem is that the bigger the ship, the harder it is to turn. no one has a bigger challenge in this regard than microsoft. recently news came out that wm7 has been delayed. we all know that internet explorer mobile is sorely lacking. microsoft needs to wake up and make hard decisions. leaving some of the add ons off that aren't integral to there operating system is one way to speed up production and concentrate resources. yes they should have been competing all along. but until they get an operating system right and a browser right nothing else will be worth anything. through years of incompetence they have left the door open and now its back to the wall getit right or die time. either a slow death or a fast one. this is actually one of the first indications I've seen that microsoft gets it. in the meantime HTC and the rest can do the add ons and the savy user can download 3rd party software. if microsoft survives the next ten years as a dominant force then they can return to the bundle game to push their sideline products. that's my opinion of course but I'm actually quite hopeful over it all.

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by johnlane

3. It annoys me on Vista that Microsoft pushes their windows mail so hard when I am already using Outlook. It is like Microsoft never heard of outlook.

Sure, you have Outlook installed - but that's a commercial program that you likely paid for. What about the bulk of users who don't have Outlook?

I'm not saying it's the end of the world or anything, but I've seen it time and time again: people who don't know any better are using Outlook Express instead of a better email client, they're using Windows Picture and Fax Viewer instead of a better image viewer, they don't have any photo gallery/management software installed...and these same people have probably been ignoring the IE7 Windows Update so they're still using IE6.

To a large degree, many consumers don't have the knowledge to install better software onto their computers - and the thought of a Windows computer coming with nothing installed might leave consumers with the impression that Windows 7 offers "nothing".

[Rocco Augusto]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

Why? Because there are a lot of Windows users that don't install extra software on thier PC - many people I know use whatever came with their computer, regardless of whether or not there's something better out there for them. Every Apple computer ships with iLife, and now every Windows 7 computer will ship with...nothing?

I personally think this is a great thing, but I can completely see where you're coming from. I usually never use the bundled applications and would like nothing more than to uninstall them but since they're integrated into the operating system, you can't. The reason I never use these applications is because they are usually inferior to other solutions out there, free or otherwise, that get updated more often with new features and even bug fixes. The bundled apps usually only see a big update, if any, with the release of a new version of Windows and that makes them outdated very quickly.

Removing the applications from Windows lets Microsoft focus more on updating these applications more often and making them more useful to PC users as a whole. If done right getting this functionality back on your desktop could be as simple as clicking on a desktop shortcut after you install the OS or even Microsoft including a nice custom installation menu that will let you pick and choose which app you would like to install during the initial installation of Windows 7. Whether or not they do something like this though is still up in the air I guess.

Even if you have to go online and download the programs at least Microsoft was nice enough to leave us a browser with the new OS

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

Removing the applications from Windows lets Microsoft focus more on updating these applications more often and making them more useful to PC users as a whole.

Indeed, that's what I hope will happen - certainly we're seeing more movement in the Live suite of applications than on updates for the built-in applications. On the other hand, Windows Live Movie Maker Beta has no timeline...so how I can I use it to edit DVR-MS files? I fear that the Live team may really screw up their applications...