As I watch the various comments across Twitter relating to Windows 7 one of the most regular ones I see is Windows 7 users wondering why there is no mail application in the operating system.
This was actually done on purpose. The idea behind it is that by keeping applications like Mail separate from the operating system it would allow them to be updated more often.
So with this thought process you get the collection of applications called Windows Live Essentials.
One download, lots of great stuff. Now in one installation, Windows Live Essentials gives you instant messaging, e-mail, blogging, photos, and more.
The programs included in the Windows Live Essentials download are:
- Windows Live Mail
- Mail brings together your Hotmail, Gmail, and other accounts, along with multiple calendars.
- Window Live Messenger
- With Messenger, you can chat, swap photos, and see what’s new with friends.
- Windows Live Writer
- With Windows Live Writer, blogging is a breeze. You can add photos and videos, format everything just so, and publish to most blogging services.
- Windows Live Photo Gallery
- With Photo Gallery, it’s a snap to get your photos and videos from your camera to your PC. Find your favorite photos and share them with friends and family. Make your great photos look even better, and create impressive panoramic photos too.
- Windows Live Movie Maker
- Create movies and slide shows from your photos and videos, and share them with your friends and family.
- Windows Live Toolbar
- With Windows Live Toolbar, you always have quick access to Windows Live and Bing, no matter where you are on the web.
- Family Safety
- With Family Safety, you decide how your kids experience the Internet. Limit searches, monitor and block or allow websites, and decide who your kids can communicate with in Windows Live Spaces, Messenger, or Hotmail.
So there ya go – all those great to have programs in one convenient location for a centralized download. Once you have installed the programs all updates will be delivered via Windows Update.
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Richard is the Owner of WindowsObserver.com and has been involved in tech for over 25 years. His first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then he used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and what you see here today is the result of the work he has continued on the site since 1995. In January 2010 his community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when he was awarded the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for Windows Desktop Experience. In January 2011 he was renewed as a Microsoft MVP but in a new category called Windows Expert - Consumer and in January 2012 he received the award for the third time.
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Windows Live Essentials and Windows 7 http://tinyurl.com/yzc3rgl
Windows 7, heck Windows in general, is and will continue to be a great operating system. What other company besides Microsoft lets you easily create applications for free. Sure, you can’t sell your Visual Studio 2008 Express apps but you sure can give them away for free.
Neither MAC or Linux can provide really easy application development like Microsoft can for Windows.
Windows will continue to dominate because it simply provides more.
I published this blog entry late last night about Windows Live Essential sand WIndows 7 – http://bit.ly/6HEigq
The apps were kept separate because of antitrust law suits. Bundling them with the OS has no impact on update frequencies.
Steve – thanks for the comment. I based my statement on the following line from http://download.live.com/windows7:
“This enables us to innovate on them rapidly and keep them fresh for the users who love them.”
I understand that based on what you wrote it seems they have not met that goal so far.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
In reply to Steve:
Actually, de-coupling applications like Photo Gallery and Movie Maker does allow them to be updated with new features and improvements more frequently, outside of the general Windows release. This is a better strategy overall for these types of applications, as bundling the applications with the operating system would require that the feature sets and user interfaces stay the same for support reasons.
For example, instead of having 3 mail applications (Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail, and Microsoft Outlook), Microsoft can focus their efforts on one consumer product and one business/professional product (Live Mail/Outlook). The strategy just simplifies things overall.
While I’m sure the anti-trust aspect may have played some form of role in Microsoft’s decision as well, I doubt that it was their primary concern.
New blog post: Windows Live Essentials and Windows 7 http://bit.ly/4snlp2
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