I totally agree that these "new" features seem like a rip from other OSs.
I think the new and bold thing about Windows 7 is that it doesn't suck...as much. You gotta look at it from the perspective of a typical non-techie users. My mom had Vista and whens she needed help it took me quite a while to figure out all the crazy control panels and cryptic hidden settings. She once even deleted her network connection and couldn't get it back. Windows 7 will hopefully reduce the clutter and make it easier to use than Vista.
Vista's new network and sharing center is probably the worst thing about it. Otherwise I like the OS better than XP, but that is a disaster. I don't notice it so much on my desktop, since I set it and then forget it, but on my laptop it's a constant pain.
I think the new and bold thing about Windows 7 is that it doesn't suck...as much. You gotta look at it from the perspective of a typical non-techie users. My mom had Vista and whens she needed help it took me quite a while to figure out all the crazy control panels and cryptic hidden settings. She once even deleted her network connection and couldn't get it back. Windows 7 will hopefully reduce the clutter and make it easier to use than Vista.