Email, photo-editing, and video-editing programs to be excluded from Windows 7

Email, photo-editing, and video-editing programs to be excluded from Windows 7

Unlike Windows Vista’s long list of bundled apps, Microsoft announced that they will not include built-inprograms for email, photo-editing, and movie-editing. This means we won’t be seeing: Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker.

As a substitute, they will be offering service-connected Windows Live versions as optional free downloads.

That being said, we don’t know what they specifically mean by that. Is this the end of the road for Paint? Or are they just taking out all the extra editing features that were added to the Picture Viewer?

In a follow-up interview on Monday by CNET, Windows Live general manger Brian Hall said,

Microsoft made the decision to remove the tools from Windows for several reasons, including a desire to issue new operating system releases more quickly than it has in the past. The move also removes the confusion of offering and supporting two different programs that perform essentially similar functions.

Long story short, they believe that fewer apps will make the operating system cleaner and less bogged down.

After doing a mediocre job with Windows Vista, all eyes are on the big M now to deliver. Microsoft is stripping these previously bundled apps, probably to avoid anti-trust issues. It all depends on which apps are to be offered via Windows Live, and which apps remain bundled.

[Source: CNET]

Author’s Take(?):

After decades of bundling Paint and Notepad with Windows, it would be crazy to take them out now right?
There’s another issue that I think I should bring up. I always thought that Microsoft beefed up Windows Vista because it probably made some behind-the-scenes deals with hardware companies. Could it be that they’re going for software now because Plan A miserably failed?
Overall, I think this is a good move for Microsoft. Users won’t be bogged down with software you never use and can’t install. On top of that, they can actually use better counterparts that are free (I’m talking to those still using Internet Explorer.) Microsoft can also periodically improve the Windows Live versions and possibly integrate some kind of online storage program so you can access your files from anywhere.
The only problem is, what happens when you have no Internet? Hopefully Microsoft will provide an offline mode for these Windows Live programs.

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