Multi-Touch in Windows 7

Firstly it is nice to see that MS has decided to add something very clearly new to the OS this time around, it's important to have something to push at the start or at least to get people's attention. Multi-touch could have been predicted by anybody who pays attention to MS developments- the first things I heard about Windows 7 were that tablets played a bigger focus and that touch was important... seemed obvious- but nice to see it running.


So whilst I am happy to see something relatively new I would have to give my full honest opinion, and whist it may look like I have more criticism than praise that's not the case it's just that I feel criticism isn't worth anything unless its backed up!

Firstly I would say that multi-touch will not be a huge breakthrough for the desktop or notebook as both are mature platforms and their UIs are perfectly suited to the current mouse and keyboard input methods- scroll wheels do zooming for me and a mouse works fast and efficiently whilt obscuring nothing from view unlike a hand (I am the very proud owner of a tablet PC and know that this can be a pain).

If multi-touch is going to be a valuable addition to the future of windows it will need to permeate the whole OS- what works in one component must work somewhere else but most of all it as to be fast- for example if I want to zoom into a page I am viewing in IE8 I do not want to have slowdown whilst pulling my fingers apart- multitouch works best when it feels fluid enough to not put anybody off using it- so Windows 7 better be light where possible.

At the moment I would say the biggest risk is that this is going to be Microsoft's new feature to define Win7 by- but surely windows 7 shouldn't require a new screen or laptop to be better- the entire thing needs small improvements- the sum of which is a much better product than an ol dog with a new trick! If tablet PCs are anything to go by adding one or two tricks doesn't win many people over when it requires big original investment.

More than anything I wish MS would refocus on what the set out to do initially wih Windows Longhorn and produce a product which looks and operates as well as this video, with this video not only was there some drool worthy eye-candy in the GUI but it all had function and tied together very well- most of all there was still a real emphasis on what is important with operating systems- file management and information presentation:

• The media files were displayed with a lot of information about each being shown- front row, center! Not like it currently is in vista.
• Inforation was presented to you about who else you could interact with at that moment- linking in with online services
• Let's see a windows with connectivity in mind- I should be able to know who I can contact and share with instantly, without other applications involved and it should feel fluid- Live Mesh seems to be a step towards this in some ways but in a different direction.
• Connectivity is big and it's a place where the OS can stay relevant
• Look at the main "features" of the OS- the programs that come with it and how they can improve
• Every preloaded program (Paint, Notepad, Calculator) has a third party making improvements- most of which have appeared on here- MS can clearly see that there's room for improvement so improve- make the OS feel like it's all getting an upgrade
• One demo today of paint and multitouch appeared to be a very regular paint with Multitouch added later on- why aren't other features being added when the other trends involved are photo sharing/management etc like layers and filters?

I really wonder sometimes how Microsoft goes about creating a new OS (it would make an incredible On10 show)- do they sit around and share ideas ever? Do research teams beg for a spot in the new product? Does anybody ever sit down to really dicuss the future of computing trends and how to change with it?


I would like to make a presentation showing what I mean but I feel it would never get viewed by anybody at MS and thus be a waste of time bu when adding Multitouch seems to be MS's new trick it doesn't seem to me they're looking for problems and solutions or improvements they're looking for new things to bolt onto the edges and not fully integrate... it saddens me slightly, I love the company but sometimes I am slamming my head on my desk in frustration about simple things!

1. multitouch works for applications like Virtual Earth, DeepZoom etc with limited interfaces and dimensions
2. multitouch works in these situations because i can entirely replace the keyboard and mouse very easily
3. multitouch works on phones because the applications have high complexity but the input devices are limitted- it makes up for the limitations however it never trumps the classic keyboard and mouse

It would be nice to see an entire OS running multitouch but at present nobody has shown that being possible- it works for more simple devices with limited feasibility for cumbersome peripherals e.g. kiosks and tablets but it doesn't seem to be a great solution to anybody's problems- problems should be addressed first! Not second.



(P.S. Larry, thank you very much for the invitation you sent to me for Live Mesh, it is a great product, one that allows me to have faith in the company doing something very right indeed inside those walls- it's quickly become essential to my computing and I cannot wait to see it develop more)