Comments

1. Mitigation Elf

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 4:53PM  

   Hey Brandon... I am enjoying this feature of Windows 7. However, I am an avid Vista Ultimate user and love the Ultimate extra that plays a video as the wallpaper. Will this Vista Ultimate feature be carried over into Windows 7? I sure miss it already!
2. Gary Gechlik

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 5:06PM  

   I think this is a background feature through gadgets I have been using for a year. I would suggest that MS finally thinks through the issue socially.

   Is there a way that the OS can go online and download in the background a background image. This can include a published image optimized for desk top size. Perhaps this image downloads at a certain time and includes a certain picture, news, etc. Windows7 users can develop backgrounds and share them.

   The point is there has to be an social extension to the background structure.

   I spoke to my friend at Google development this morning. He agrees that MS must focus heavily on its core business model. The Windows 7 team must succeed, because another blown launch could mean a serious setback for the company.

   My advice is to work hard on all those details. However, there has to be a few killer applications.

   Without a killer application now or on the horizon the Windows 7 build will sell, but not at a premium.

   Remember, Apple has I-tunes, a KillerApp. Microsoft had Office from 1998 to 2003. Ed Zander admitted when I was Stanford that Powerpoint was a KillerApp.

   I would even challenge the development team to think deeply. What are the elements of the KillerApp. How many KillerApps do you need for a Windows 7 launch that beats expectations? Answer: 2.

   KillerApp one is aimed at consumers. KillerApp two is aimed at enterprises. Together, these two well deployed applications merge to push Microsoft back into the perceptual lead.

   Remember the XP launch. Microsoft Word was a KillerApp when linked to Outlook. Outlook was a killerApp when linked to MS Word.

   Microsoft Office became the defacto standard. There was no substitute. It dominated even liberal Universities that had a clear Apple bias.

   Gary
3. chaostheory

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 7:15PM  

   @Gary Gechlik: you know what is a KillerApp for Windows? Games :P Or more precisely: DirectX. It's really weird that Microsoft did not decided to make Windows Gamers Edition yet (i usually do it myself with nlite :) )

   About shuffling desktop backrounds: its cool, but what i really love in win7 is taskbar - how it looks and how it behaves. Good job!
4. martial

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 8:12PM  

   Will Windows 7 support Multiple background for different video output? To avoid scrappy background due to size difference.

   Example daily used at work:

   notebook (1028x768) and LCD (1680x1050)
5. newscientist2000

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 10:38PM  

   Gary Gechlik, I like your thinking the ability to download new backdrops easily was one of my favorite features of PCLinux OS.  There's a menu you go to that connects to the web, you see a preview picture and can download the pic if you like it, it seems to update with most downloaded etc, and some other categories.

   Perhaps this could be in Windows 7 or as an Ultimate Extra for Windows 7 and Vista.  Maybe photo sharing sites like Corbis or Flickr could be involved, and the suggested Wallpaper choices could change daily to keep the desktop fresh.

   The issues here are potential copyright infringement for photos, and of course protecting minors from unsuitable shared content.

   Which is why this feature may be better off being a download extra and not built into the OS... with the ability to subscribe to services like Corbis or Flickr that would be responsible for the shared content.  The Microsoft Legal Department would need to be involved but its sure nice having a choice of new photos for your desktop right at your fingertips so to speak.
6. newscientist2000

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 10:46PM  

   If the above comment doesn't make sense then sorry, I won't actually be on Windows 7 till the weekend as I'm currently backing up files from my Trojan invested XP partition first, and well I like to rename things and file them before I backup...so it takes a while.

   Does the “Get more themes online” feature allow any of what I described or is the comment limited, kinda like Office Online with carefully screened content?  Is the content limited to pictures of locations?
7. nickds7

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 11:38PM  

   I noticed a possible bug in the background shuffling. I did submit feedback through windows 7 on this issue. Try to recreate it if you can.

   I enabled background shuffling, as a test I switched it to every 10 seconds (or whatever the quickest time is).

   I then unchecked background shuffling.

   In the same window, without closing it, I changed my background. I then applied the background, only to have it switch background shuffling back on. I definitely did disable background shuffling.
8. Quikboy

   
   Posted on: January 14, 2009 at 11:46PM  

   Is DreamScene available for Windows 7? I'm not trying the beta. Pictures are neat, but Videos are cool too.
9. lee25

   
   Posted on: January 15, 2009 at 2:50AM  

   Quikboy , Windows 7 will not include DreamScene however there is a hack out there that will install it however you have to download each video yourself and they won't show up in Desktop Backgrounds so you have to save them all in a folder and right click and select set as desktop  background on each one when ever you wish to change it.
10. osuwildlifer

    
    Posted on: January 15, 2009 at 6:01AM  

    I love the fact that this feature has been added to Windows7!  One thing I haven't figured out yet:  If you have several folders you want to be included in the desktop slideshow, is there any way to select them all?  I've only been able to add a single folder's contents.  Would be nice to have the ability to select multiple folders.