Windows Live Takes Over for Bundled Photo, Video, and Email Apps in Windows 7
Posted 09/23/08 at 07:30:48 PM | by Mark Edward Soper
CNet's Ina Fried reports that Microsoft has decided to remove Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail from Windows 7. Given the fact that Microsoft continues to upgrade its Live replacements for Photo Gallery and Mail, and added Movie Maker to the Live family, as we reported last week, this move seems to make a lot of sense.
As someone who's been recommending that Windows Vista users replace Windows Photo Gallery with Windows Live Photo Gallery ever since Live Photo Gallery was launched, I think that stripping Windows of utilities that only some people will use makes plenty of sense. Here's why:
1. Faster development of operating system releases. As Windows Live general manager Brian Hall told Fried, "It [this decision]makes it [Windows 7] much cleaner."
2. Fewer worries about antitrust actions. Lawsuits by the EU forced Microsoft to distribute EU-specific versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista that are missing Windows Media Player. By dropping other multimedia features, Microsoft makes Windows 7 even less appealing as a lawsuit target.
3. New partnership opportunities. According to Hall,"We can do things with specific partners to enable really great experiences that might be hard in Windows." We might see Windows 7+Adobe, Windows 7+Corel, or Windows 7+open source bundles from various OEMs.
4. Fewer opportunities for compatibility problems. As anyone who has ever wrestled with Windows Vista multimedia tools being broken by installing third-party tools (I recommend the freeware Vista Codec Package, available at http://shark007.net, if you can't burn CDs or DVDs in Windows Vista anymore after installing a third-party DVD burner) can agree with, the possibility of reducing the chances of a "codec war" or other compatibility problems by reducing the amount of multimedia stuff in Windows 7 is a welcome one.
So, what do you think? Do you like the idea of choosing your favorite free or commercial photo, video, and email clients right from the start, or do you prefer the current method? Are you more likely to buy a system with a preinstalled version of Windows 7 if it had a well-integrated third-party media and email software bundle, or do you prefer to create your own "best of breed" combination? Do you have a horror story of third-party apps and Windows butting heads? Tell them now before Windows 7 does away with them. Click Comment and tell us now.
Windows 7 logo courtesy of ArsTechnica.
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I think this is great.
Submitted by winmaster on Thu, 2008-09-25 15:47
It's about time Microsoft did this. Do people really need a utility bundled with Windows and a free alternative that does exactly the same thing only better and is one download away with the Live suite. It started with Messenger. Do I really need Windows Live/MSN Messenger and a stripped down version called Windows Messenger. I think not.
I think they should leave it
Submitted by atomaweapon on Wed, 2008-09-24 12:52
I think they should leave it in the Home Editions, and strip it from the pro versions. It would be too disorienting for home users who are used to being able to use these apps.
Microsoft should consider making downloading Live products easy
Submitted by Marcus_Soperus on Wed, 2008-09-24 20:10
Maybe Microsoft should consider making downloading and installing the latest Live products very easy, such as with an icon on the desktop or in the Start menu, similar to the way they once provided links to AOL and other online services.
Or, maybe Windows 7 could ship with a CD that contains ready-to-install versions of Live (which could then update themselves automatically to the latest versions after installation).
Either of these methods would help satisfy the suggestion to enable home users to use these tools (which I find quite useful) without the problems of intermingling their code with the operating system.
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It's amazing how illogical a business built on binary logic can be.
Submitted by winmaster on Thu, 2008-09-25 15:41
What Microsoft should do is put the entire Windows Live Suite on the Windows 7 install CD. Then sometime during installation usere would get a message: "Would you like to install Windows Live?" then "Are you sure?" and a "Are you sure your sure?" If users clicked next, they could select which components of Windows Live they want, and they would be intergrated into Windows so the average consumer wouldn't know the difference and power users could have the freedom they so much desire.
Take that Steve Jobs!
As long as they don't
Submitted by jwalch.hawk on Thu, 2008-09-25 17:50
As long as they don't include products they normally charge for (I'm particularly referring to Live One Care here)... Otherwise it's just asking for antitrust suit....
Submitted by jwalch.hawk on Wed, 2008-09-24 07:50
I pretty much agree with it. In the case Windows Mail, I just don't get why they even included the stupid thing with Vista. It's basically the latest incarnation of Outlook Express, which no one likes anyway. I think the original idea was to "tease" users to get them to want to buy the real Outlook (which isn't bad, imo)... At this point there's no real need to do that. The only one I'm a little sad about is Windows Movie Maker because I did actually happen to use that (my needs in that area are simple, thus the built-in software was just fine with me). I think your first three reasons are really good. I'm not as convinced on the 4th one, but I'm sure once I create myself some bizarre incompatibility situation I'll change my mind. :P
Submitted by Marcus_Soperus on Wed, 2008-09-24 20:13
it will still be around, and just a download away. Keep in mind that Windows 7 will give you the option to get these tools from the Live website, or to use other tools.
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It's amazing how illogical a business built on binary logic can be.
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