Yep, you'd almost think DP7 was tailored for those stuck on legacy PPC's and Tiger.
I guess it uses the DP6 cache vs. starting from scratch, because startup was almost instantaneous; just validating the new MAS plug-ins that come with DP7.
In fact, even after validating these new plug-ins that ship with DP7, startup was probably 10x faster than in DP6 (on my machine).
No problems re-opening the project I was just working on, with all settings intact in eight separate sequences/chunks.
Channel Strip is why I spent the $200+ now vs. waiting for a new computer. This will quadruple my productivity and minimize errors, and will even help once I get a new computer with a larger monitor.
Let's face it, when you are isolating a track to choose plug-ins, pan amounts, etc., you rarely need the actual Mixer window itself; just the details of that track.
Furthermore, on smaller screens, and even some larger screens, one has to do a LOT of scrolling to see the entire track, and this causes performance issues, as well as loss of train of thought or not being clear on which track you are working with.
Being able to expand the track name without impacting the Mixer window is also a bonus. I use long track names as I name my tracks after the equipment used in the recording, as this is more future-proof and DAW-neutral (as well as searchable) vs. using Track Comments. So the audio files are named after the sound source and the patch, with additional details, or after the instrument and the mic.
The tiny narrow view in the Mixer window, though it can be customized, was always a problem for me, especially as I had to do so much width-wise scrolling regardless of the channel display width.
So, Channel Strip is especially helpful to those with small monitors, but swith large track count projects, would help even those with larger monitors, and for people who have a second portable computer for remote sessions or editing, will still come in handy on that second computer.
I haven't touched the other new features yet, except for the Lyric editor.
Later this week, I'll try opening up DP 3.5 projects from the OS 9 days that haven't been opened since. That will be the true test, based on some problems reported in another posting.
.