“You don’t need to invent anything, you just have to do traditional research where you look at history and then compliment that with scientific research where you’re trying to do something new. That can lead to a lot in the business and technology sectors these days” – Bill Buxton
A chat with Microsoft Principal Researcher Bill Buxton, Part I
Microsoft originally promised that Windows 7 would be released within three years of Vista—which would put the release date in January 2010—but now the folks at Redmond have confirmed that Windows 7 (and Server 2008 R2) will officially be ready for the 2009 holiday season. We’d already heard plenty of rumors regarding the Windows 7 release date, and while almost everyone was positive that the shiny new operating system would be available in 2009, this is the first confirmation from Microsoft. [Ars Technica]
Via LifeHacker
After the guessing games of last week, it has been officially announced that Microsoft will definitely be issuing the final release candidate for Windows 7 next month.
The Windows 7 RC will go out to MSDN and TechNet professionals on 30 April and more widely on 5 May. After that, it’s almost certain that the retail version will appear in the summer, probably in July.
Shares pick up
Although Microsoft announced a 32 per cent drop in quarterly profits this week, its shares rose when it became clear that the much-anticipated operating system would get an early release.
Also, fears about backwards compatibility for older pieces of software look to have been eased after leaks suggest Windows 7 will be able to emulate Windows XP.
Virtual XP tooExperts at SuperSite for Windows say XP Mode will come as a free download for users of the Professional and Ultimate versions of Windows 7.
Reportedly, it will offer a virtual workspace running XP with Service Pack 3 inside a container that remains separate from the rest of the OS.
Windows 7 due in July, will include XP too | News | TechRadar UK
The Windows 7 beta download program may have ended, but that hasn’t stopped leaks of an even newer version of the next Microsoft operating system.
Torrent sites, such as The Pirate Bay, are currently seeding versions of Windows 7 Build 7022, which appears to have been finalised after the previous beta was made public.
IE8 too
The new disk image includes RC1 of Internet Explorer 8, which is new to Windows 7, although it has been made public separately already.
Naturally, the leak isn’t approved by Microsoft and is most likely illegal to own (it depends on your territory), but that hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of downloaders checking it out over the weekend.
Source: Techradar.com
The Windows 7 beta looks likely to be making an appearance soon – with Microsoft updating its official Windows 7 site with a download link.
Although the download link currently goes to a ‘page not found’ page – it seems likely that the changes to the site herald the long-awaited beta version of Vista’s successor.
Windows 7 is a massive event for Microsoft – which is finding itself put under increasing pressure to deliver a knock-out OS.
Windows Vista and its bad press in particular have prompted some to question whether the traditional OS is the future for computing, and even Microsoft is beginning to focus more heavily on the ‘cloud’.
Good drivers?
However, Windows 7 could wrest back some control for Microsoft if it can avoid Vista’s early driver difficulties, work better on low-memory systems and still provide the enhanced security of its predecessor. The pre-beta version of Windows 7, which was distributed at Microsoft’s recent Professional Developers Conference, suggests that these areas have been successfully addressed.
The arrival of Windows 7 is not expected until late 2009, with the majority of pundits betting on an early 2010 arrival.
However, the software has been shown off over the past few months, and the arrival of a public beta will spark massive interest from across the globe.
Source: Techradar.com
Tags: Windows7, Microsoft, Windows Vista
