Windows 7 less annoying, but also less secure?

Microsoft said on Tuesday that regular PC users will be able to test
out a "beta" version of Windows early next year.

Windows 7, the forthcoming operating system, will let users choose to
see fewer alerts and warnings from their computers. Rampant
notifications and pop-up windows alerting people to potential security
risks has irked many users of Windows Vista.

"We had all the best intentions of helping to secure the PC platform
even more, particularly for novice PC users who needed to be
protected," said Steven Sinofsky, a senior vice president in
Microsoft's Windows group.

Sinofsky didn't back down from the major changes in Vista responsible
for the rise in alerts, but he did acknowledge that Microsoft needed
to work earlier and more closely with outside companies to avoid a
similar mess in Windows 7.

"Despite the difficult change we introduced, we did move forward the
ecosystem, making it more secure for end users," he said.

With Vista, Microsoft made some significant design changes to the way
windows and icons look, and also to where certain features and
functions are stashed in the system.

Windows 7 keeps some of those changes, but tosses out others. In an
interview, Julie Larson-Green, a Windows vice president, offered one
small example: Microsoft took the "add printer" feature out of the
quick-access Start menu, but after users complained, the company is
putting it back in Windows 7.