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Tech?Update!: Windows 7 and Snow Leopard

This year saw the release of the new versions of both Apple's and Microsoft's operating systems, Mac OS X and Windows respectively. Both have some things in common, such as being the seventh version of the operating systems in question and in both cases the vendors claim that the focus has not been on new features and functionalities but on enhanced performance, speed, and efficiency. In the following we will take a look at the most important new features of both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard as well as on the implications for network printing under these systems.

Microsoft Windows 7: Launch and Reception

Almost three years after introducing Windows Vista, Microsoft announced the world-wide availability of the successor Windows 7 on October 22nd, 2009. Windows 7 had been developed under the code names "Vienna" and "Blackcomb". While Vista entered the stage with over 1,000 new functions and extensions and had been showered with a lot of criticism right from the start, the new feature list of Windows 7 is significantly shorter. Experts claim that they also significantly help to smooth out features that left room for improvement in Vista. Bill Gates himself proclaimed that Windows 7 was to be much more user-centric. So Windows 7 might well be regarded as a more focused upgrade of Vista. It does not require more powerful hardware than its predecessor and it is compatible with all Vista applications. Users who have installed Vista on their PC can simply upgrade to Windows 7, while XP-users will have to move to Windows 7 by a more complicated migration process.
During development enhanced performance was one of the important goals for Microsoft and experts are full of praise for the fact that Windows 7 is the first Windows operating system that is fully compatible with Netbooks. While Vista was never warmly welcomed, there was a run on Windows 7 as soon as its date of availability was announced. Even Amazon UK, the homeland of Harry Potter, announced that preorders for Windows 7 broke all records, including the ones for the last Harry Potter volume "The Deathly Hallows".

Windows 7 and Network Printing
Along with Windows Vista Microsoft introduced a new printing architecture, the XML Paper Specification (XPS). Windows 7 comes with the latest XPS Essentials Pack to provide users with its up-to-date version. The XPS Viewer has been improved for Windows 7, including better searching capabilities, digital signage for XPS documents and the option for users to limit who can view, copy, print, or sign a document.
Also Windows 7 now includes "location-aware-printing", a feature which is really user-centric when it comes to network printing. For example, if a notebook is used both in the office and in the home, i.e. in two locations with different networks and available printers, the new system allows users to configure the default printer and other available printers in the respective networks. As soon as the notebook is logged into one of the networks, the respective printers are automatically available.

Apple Snow Leopard (Mac OS X v10.6): Focus on More Performance
While Snow Leopard's predecessors Tiger and Leopard entered the stage with about 150, respectively 300, new features, Apple's "no-new-features" approach regarding Snow Leopard is unusual. This also accounts for the name Snow Leopard, which refers to its immediate predecessor. Originally, the new system was planned to be only an upgrade for Leopard. During its development, which took almost two years, the new version of the operating system grew into an upgrade version for all Intel-based Macs. Primarily Apple has almost completed its move to 64bit architectures with Snow Leopard. This new system only supports the current Intel-based Mac product lines. It no longer supports Power PC architectures. According to Apple the focus for Snow Leopard clearly lay on enhancing performance, speed, efficiency, and some security features. In contrast to that, the number of visual changes is rather short.

So what is different for users? Some reviewers report faster boot and shut-down times, faster and easier installation, and the Time Machine backup is also faster. Snow Leopard also takes less disk space. Apple promises 7 GB more free disk space, compared to Leopard. Reviewers found they got even more space back from Snow Leopard. There is now an energy-saving "wake-up-on-demand" feature and Microsoft Exchange support for mail, address book and iCal. However, this support is limited to Windows Exchange 2007, Snow Leopard does not support older versions.

Also Snow Leopard is no longer compatible with some software still much used by Leopard-users, such as the Windows virtualization program Parallells Version 3.0. Apple provides a list of incompatible software.

All in all, most of the reviews of Snow Leopard were positive.

Apple Snow Leopard and Network Printing
There was unanimous praise for Snow Leopard's new and intelligent printer driver management. Although the system will not support already installed printer and scanner drivers, Snow Leopard will download all such drivers that were recently used as well as all drivers available in the network during installation. So the new system no longer downloads all printer drivers but only those that users really require for the printers, scanners and MFPs accessed via their PCs or notebooks. Should the system encounter a new, previously unknown printer in the network, Snow Leopard automatically downloads the required printer driver from the Internet as soon as there is a connection. Of course users can download all printer drivers, if they like. However, some experts consider that the new printer driver management accounts for the largest part of the saving of disk space under Snow Leopard. Although many printer vendors such as HP and Epson have provided printer drivers for Snow Leopard, not all printer drivers are supported yet by the new system.

The new CUPS version 1.4 provides enhanced printer driver support. Snow Leopard performs better in networks and supports Kerberos. The new CUPS version, by the way, is based on the new version of the Internet Printing Protocol, IPPv2.1.

SEH Support for Windows 7 and Snow Leopard
Our complete product range for network printing solutions, print servers and print appliances such as the ISD series, enable straightforward and secure printing in both Windows and Mac networks - SEH has fully supported the latter from the beginning. As a matter of course we have tested the new versions of the respective Microsoft and Apple operating systems with our products. We can assure all customers that our products are fully compatible with both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. So if you have installed the new systems, you can print smoothly with our products!

For more information about Microsoft Windows 7 and Apple Snow Leopard, please refer to the Internet:

Microsoft Windows 7:
Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/
CNET News: Windows 7 Review (including comparison between Windows XP, Vista and 7)
CNET News: FAQ: Buying the right Windows 7 upgrade
Windows 7 News & Tips: http://windows7news.com/
Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows 7 FAQ

Apple Snow Leopard:
Apple: Mac OS X Snow Leopard official site: http://www.apple.com/macosx/#
Ars Technica: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review
Engadget: Snow Leopard Review
Macworld: Review - Snow Leopard

Comparison Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard
Gizmodo: Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard