The Essentials
Thinking back in time, Windows once relied on optional extras to deliver new toys to play with. Anybody remember the Plus! packs associated with the likes of Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows XP?
In Windows Vista, Plus! packs came to an end in favour of something more infamous: Windows Ultimate Extras. We won't go into detail, but to say that Windows Ultimate Extras were underwhelming would be an understatement. So what can Microsoft do with Windows 7?
Well, Ultimate Extras are gone. Plus! packs aren't coming back. And as if that isn't sapping the fun from your Windows 7 experience, be prepared to lose more, as Microsoft's latest operating system ships without a number of core applications previously available in Vista. As far as built-in programs are concerned, say goodbye to Windows Mail, adiós to Windows Messenger, adieu to Windows Calendar, sayonara to Windows Photo Gallery and ciao to Windows Movie Maker.
That's right, Windows 7 ships without an email client, or basic functionality such as instant messaging and video editing.
Instead, all that goodness is made available as part of a free accessory pack dubbed Windows Live Essentials. The product name itself is telling, this is an accessory pack that aims to expand Windows 7's online functionality through a set of "Essential" applications. Such is the importance of Windows Live Essentials, that Microsoft describes it as "the yin to Windows 7 yang".
But that raises an obvious question - if the applications in this new accessory pack are essential, why aren't they bundled with Windows 7 as standard? It's an interesting point, and Microsoft is believed to have branched out with these select applications to ensure that they're kept up to date more frequently than the operating system as a whole. Alternatively, it could be a means to alleviate concerns of anti-competitive practises.
Reasoning aside, what do you actually get from the Windows Live Essentials software suite? Download the free all-in-one installer from download.live.com and users are given access to seven Windows Live applications, Family Safety; Mail; Messenger; Movie Maker; Photo Gallery; Toolbar and Writer.
Looking at it simply, Windows Live Essentials puts back a lot of what has been removed since the Vista days. But it does more than that, as the applications themselves are far better-equipped than the lacklustre solutions available in Vista.