When we think of an operating system, we inevitably tend to think: Windows. Why? Because despite there might be other operating systems out there, Windows is the most widespread and best known of them. That affirmation stays in place even now, in the “Vista era,” one of the unpopular periods in Windows’ history.

Microsoft has continued development for the post-Vista era as well, and now, we’re looking at the new Windows 7 – still beta – and we can’t help but thinking this is indeed a remarkable improvement that delivers innovation on a user-oriented platform. Windows 7 is built on a concept that is likely to act as the best ambassador for the operating system, where innovation meets usefulness meets simplicity.

There is one thing many still wonder about when it comes to Windows 7: it looks good, it promises a lot, but is it just as exposed to viruses? According to the company, the new operating system also brings improvements in the security department.

Windows is known to have had many virus-related problems in the past, and the best at exploiting that vulnerability in particular is Apple, who has been constantly arguing in its Mac versus PC ads that if you don’t want viruses on your computer, you should stop using the Windows Operating System.

For starters, things already look better with the contested Vista operating system, which according to Microsoft’s security report released earlier this year, is safer than its predecessors. However, in the first half of 2008, the amount and malware and potentially unwanted software removed from computers worldwide grew 43 percent compared to the second half of last year. But despite of that, the vulnerabilities in the operating systems have continued to decline, with over 90 percent of vulnerabilities targeting applications.

The trend in operating system was, the higher the service pack level, the lower the rate of infection, and just by looking at the improvements in Vista compared to XP, we can assume that Windows 7 will be even safer.

Microsoft seems to be not only ready to make it big with Windows 7, but the first impressions were that they also learned a lot from the Vista experience, and they hopefully won’t make the same mistakes again. We’ll have to wait another year at least to see Windows 7 in its final form, but based on user and developer feedback, Microsoft believes Windows 7 will be a success, and a platform for future developments.

During the PDC2008 presentation of Windows 7, Microsoft unveiled aspects of the new operating systems that made both developers and users eager to get their hands on it. From performance, to reliability, to security, improved navigation, user interaction, personalization, multi-touch, and a close connection with the Web, Windows 7 promises to make the Vista experience a thing of the past.