Microsoft's newest operating system, called Windows 7, becomes available today.

It's expected to work better than its predecessor, Vista. And it's intended to look less cluttered than Vista, streamlining operations with fewer clicks and fewer annoying notifications. That includes making it easier to set up home networking to share photos, plugging in new devices and adding new software.

Windows 7 also adds better support for touch-screen controls, leading such PC makers as Dell and Hewlett-Packard to add "multitouch" screens that respond to finger gestures.

Making a version of Windows that people like, rather than tolerate, is critical for Microsoft. Most people don't chooseWindows as much as they end up with it, because it's familiar and affordable. But it's conceivable Microsoft will have to work harder to win people over, thanks to a small but growing threat from Apple's Macs and a forthcoming PC operating system from Web search nemesis Google Inc.