Last week we heard an interesting but unconfirmed claim from the WinSuperSite that said that Microsoft was dropping the three application limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition. Good news: it’s true.
Windows Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc confirmed the news with a post on the Windows blog, which read, “based on the feedback we’ve received from partners and customers asking us to enable a richer small notebook PC experience with Windows 7 Starter… We are also going to enable Windows 7 Starter customers the ability to run as many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being constricted to the 3 application limit that the previous Starter editions included.”
This does provide a significant upgrade to what most figured to be a cripped version of Windows 7. Now users will be free to run as many applications as their modest systems can afford to run.
What’s more, Microsoft said that, for the first time ever, it will be offering starter edition on small notebook PCs worldwide and not just in specific regions. That should help keep prices low in times where everyone is watching their wallets.
So what’s to keep Windows 7 Starter Edition from being the budget version that will do it all? Several things. Leblanc listed the following features that will NOT be a part of Starter Edition:
- Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
- Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
- The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
- Multi-monitor support.
- DVD playback.
- Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
- Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
- Domain support for business customers.
- XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.
With the three application limit is gone, are the above ‘limitations’ still reason enough for you to upgrade your Windows 7 license?