Matt Palmer’s Blog

Windows 7 will be available in stores October 22 - is your app ready? Here's a quick checklist to make sure your application takes full advantage of the new features in Windows 7:

• Test for compatibility
  Tools like Application Verifier can help you ensure your application has a smooth transition to Windows 7. Learn more about application compatibility at the Windows Developer Center.
  
  
• Add support for Libraries
  Windows 7 Libraries allow users to group similar files across several folders. When your application works with Libraries, you can suggest a reasonable place for users to save their work, or you can even create Libraries specific to your application. Check out three strategies for making your application Libraries-aware on the Windows 7 for Developers blog.
  
  
• Use the new Ribbon API
  The Ribbon menu that was introduced with Office 2007 is "the next generation user experience" for Windows applications. Grab the sample code or check out the Windows 7 Ribbon series on Channel9 to find out how to use the ribbon in your app.
  
  
• Integrate with the web using Accelerators
  Using the Windows 7 Accelerator Platform you can make sharing your application's content with sites like Facebook and Live Maps just a click away. You can even create your own accelerators to make use of your product's website.
  
  
• Speed up your code with the new Windows 7 Instrumentation updates
  You've probably heard by now that Windows 7 is faster than XP or Vista - can your app keep up? The new Windows 7 Intrumentation features and updates to Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) can make finding the bottlenecks in your code easier than ever. The Windows 7 RC Training Kit for Developers has hands-on labs to try out the new features.
  
  
• Qualify for the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo
  Check out the Windows 7 Software Logo Program to find out how your application can qualify for the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo - which will also net you a priority listing on the Windows 7 Compatibility Center.