Sources: Windows 7 moving toward 2009 release
Microsoft is moving forward with plans to launch Windows 7 this year, although the company still refuses to publicly commit to that goal.
PC industry sources in Asia and the U.S. tell CNET News that they have heard things are on track to launch by this year's holiday shopping season, which has been Microsoft's internal target for some time.
Microsoft is also putting the finishing touches on a program to offer Vista buyers a free or low-cost update to Windows 7. That program could kick off as early as July, sources said.
The company has run such "technology guarantee" programs in the past, typically allowing each PC maker to set the exact rules, but essentially offering buyers after a certain time to get a free upgrade to the next version. (TechArp has a post with even more details on Microsoft's planned Windows 7 Upgrade Program.)
In an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Microsoft senior VP Bill Veghte cautioned that the release still could be pushed into 2010, depending on customer feedback.
"I'm telling them that it could go either way," Veghte said in that January interview. "We will ship it when the quality is right, and earlier is always better, but not at the cost of ecosystem support and not at the cost of quality."
That remains the company's official position, although the wheels are spinning toward a release in time for Windows 7 machines to be sold this holiday season, PC industry sources tell CNET News.
The response to test versions of Windows 7 has been in stark contrast with the issues that dogged Windows Vista, which was a much more fundamental update to the operating system. Although Windows 7 adds things like an improved taskbar and snappier performance, the operating system shares most of the same underpinnings as Windows Vista. (Click on the video at right to hear me talk Windows 7 on CNET Editors' Office Hours.)
Microsoft has reiterated that it plans just a single beta for Windows 7. That beta launched in January and Microsoft this week stopped offering downloads of the test version. The company has said it will have a near-final "release candidate" version, but has not said when that will come.
Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to sell at least six distinct versions of Windows 7, although it also said it will focus its efforts around two editions--Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional. (By way of comparison, Microsoft announced the different versions of Vista in February 2006 before ultimately making the code available to business customers in November 2006).
For those that can read Chinese, here is ZDNet Taiwan's earlier report on the subject.
ZDNet Taiwan's Agnes Kuang contributed to this report.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Your a smart man there. I did the same thing since 98 was bad but I was on 2000 already when ME was released since it was out like 7 months after 2000 was released. Windows 2000 SP1 was released 3 months after ME was released so you pretty much got on when everyone else did there.
Best thing for Microsoft to do? Put the Windows GUI on top of Linux.
If your goal is to appear as a childish indvidual whose presence and comments only serve to mock Apple Macintosh fans by associating your comments with them, then you have been successful.
Personally, I just think you simply need to grow up.
There are many offerings available from various sources.
Nobody is 'stuck in Windows'. That would be like saying "people are stuck believing AppleRocks1963." Of course people have a choice. They can use whatever OS they wish, just like they can choose to believe your comments or treat them as gibberish. It's a free choice.
People can use whatever OS they wish. They can use OpenOffice as well to open up those 'proprietary' formats.
I'm afraid your information is mistaken and might confuse readers.
If a buy a new car that turns out to be buggy, not completely done, not what I was promised, I expect to be able to take it back and get my money back at the very least. I don't care that a new model car comes out the next year, I just care that the model I bought actually does what was promised.
The same goes for burgers (get my money back if it's horrible, not cooked all the way, not in any way close to what was promised).
You asked if there was still personal accountability. There is, it also should apply to businesses.
If the way you treat customers is to blame them when your work is sub-par then I would certainly not want to frequent your establishment.
that's right - buy the car, drive it for two years and THEN expect a brand new one for free.
c'mon! did you just purchase vista yesterday?? if you were THAT unsatisfied, why didn't you return the product earlier?
if I ran a restaurant and someone came in and said "I ate here one year ago and the food was terrible - give me a free meal" i'd chuck them out.
use some sensibility here please!
i agree that vista doesn't perform as well as it should, but chasing this down a "buggy, unstable" trail is old shtick that nobody buys anymore. don't join the band wagon that nobody is listening to any more.
vista users should get a discounted upgrade but i wouldn't expect anything more.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2341007,00.asp
The biggest mistake made with Vista versions was not making Ultimate more "Ultimate".. It seemed to be a poor bargin for the marginal benefits.
There are a few versions for Companies that are different from the standard Home Premium and Pro, but that doesn't matter to normal users either.
Also, from what i understand, Ultimate wont even be available via a normal CD, you will need to buy a different version, then buy an upgrade to ultimate from there.
granted they have a home basic (or something similar) that is going to be released on the really low-end laptops, but still not really a version you would consider buying for a normal computer anyway.
So yeah, ultimately your decision for what version to get is limited to Home Premium and Professional (Home / Pro XP?) they just tweaked the way they will work with companies and what will be offered.
The lesson here is that Windows is actually used by completely different segments of the market. Hence there are different versions of Windows. This isn't hard if someone know whether they're at home or at work. Guess for some that soft of thing is hard hence your brand of confusion!
XP PROFESSSIONAL XP HOME EDITION XP TABLET PC XP MEDIA CENTER XP PROFESSIONAL X64
XP PROFESSIONAL FOR ITANIUM
and as a bonus one, there were 2 media center versions, and u had to pay for the upgrade V. 2004, V. 2005
It gets me laughing like a mad man to see such repressed anger and angst over people who buy substandard equipment and try to toot their horns about how cool they are...Bullshirt!
I have had macs for years alongside microsoft and linux machines, and except for video editing they are useless to my business concerns.
And I can still use linux to do the jobs better.
Windows 7's smaller footprint and adaptability will make for an even more satisfying os choice than xp was. Even better than the Intrepid ibex version of Linux, which I love.....
hahahahahahhahahahahahaha LOL, You are soooooooooooooo wrong, You are talking about windows machines (not all, of course) but apple nooooooooooooo. What good is it that you use macs if don't know anything about them, but than again, thats why you say what you say!!! You don't know anything, stay with windows if that makes you happy, but stop saying bullcrap about Macs. By the way I have a laptop with XP, and will keep it 'til MS decides to make a good OS, or until I trash my old Mac and this laptop, so I can get a new Mac Pro.
Don't get so worked up over it. If you don't like Windows and don't think it will threaten Apple, then you have nothing to worry about and can just sit back and relax. No need to get so upset.
And as far as this PC vs. Mac thing going on this thread, there will always be people who hate both, for whatever reasons. I got burned by Windows too many times and switched to Mac. Not anti PC, or anti-Windows. Just anti-"computer crashing all the time." To each their own.
There are some major problems that have to be solved. If they are not, then Win 7
will end up being detested just like Vista.
#1 software backwards compatibility - At least get programs designed for WinXP to run, If
Win7 doesn't, then people will not switch.
#2 Hardware backwards compatibility. If it ran on XP it should run on Win7.
#3 UAC nagware must improve.
#4 Less bloat/DRM etc...
#5 Allow users to use the XP interface, make it an option! I don't want to go learning a completely new interface. I DETEST the Vista interface and if Win7 is just like Vista then I know I won't switch (unless it is to a mac!).
Im not buying into the hype that Win7 is the best thing Microsoft has ever done. It sounds like it is just Vista SP3 with a new name to get rid of the bad 'vista' taste.
When you ask if the hardware from 2000 could run on Windows 7, did u really think about what you're saying?
1. The amount of hardware released from 2000 - 2009 is well.. massive = a heck of a lot of drivers that will need to be written for.
2. Features like BITLOCKER & BITLOCKER TO GO wont be fully used, as well.. a 2001 machine won't have the necessary TPM 1.2 Chip
3. When it comes to the XP interface, kiss it goodbye, besides it looks like a 5 year old with used crayons wrote it
4. Software compatibility: Again, it would bloat windows if MS were to still support software from the beginning of the decade (Think MS OFFICE 2000), and then people would complain wa wa wa its too bloated, this is the exact reason why brother.
5. MAC OSX is a fine operating system, hey they even offer a nice Office suite, or so i hear, if you're really that fed up with windows go to mac, heres the math
MAC MINI BASE MODEL $599.00
APPLECARE $149.00
IWORKS 2009 $ 49.00
__________________________
$ 788.00
I am sure Microsoft wont miss one less customer, just like the big 3 oems wont miss me for building my own boxes.
Sincerely
Techworkz
#1 Im not asking for ancient hardware, I am asking for stuff designed to run under XP, not 95 or Win2k
#2 UAC is broken, most people shut it off anyway.
#3 Most people are used to the XP interface, it really wasn't all that different from the previous versions.
by forcing users to learn a newer 'prettier' interface that fails at being a mac clone productivity will drop.
#4 Again, I am not talking about apps written for 95 or Win2k, I am asking for backwards compatibility for
XP. Try to get AutoCad Lite 2006 to work under Vista. It is a $1200 program that isn't exactly ancient.
#5 I plan to switch to my first mac. I have been using microsoft products since Dos 5.0 and have always
disliked Macs. Vista/Win7 is the first OS I have completely HATED. Does Microsoft care? sure they do, they
are losing customers and no matter how large a company is, if they start losing market share they are concerned.
I am not alone either. Microsoft has become arrogant and it is losing market share because of it.
BTW, I have used them in business and found them to be less than impressive. As a result, I go by both performance and PRICE! Apple loses this comparison by a long shot.
BUT--when the Biggest IDENTICAL proposal, that I had ever been paid to submit, took me 2.5 times to complete compared to my "MAC" friend's proposal--Identical, mind you, he got the job--netting him $45,000.00!!
AND--I finally did research and tested my New super-loaded PC against a MAC-AV {at that point in time}--I have been a MAC owner & user ever since! I have to use Photography S.W. & I do a LOT of Publishing and A.I. work, and I would not take a free-PC's-weight-in-GOLD, If the tradeoff was using a comparable MAC!
Hey, I am just trying to help you all, out there!
can produce, in 35% less time! I do this all the time, on the go, with my "17 inch, 2.5 GHz Mac Book Pro" & my Nikon D300 DSLR! My clients frequently ask me how I submit "Perfect" Commercial photos {their words}. I'd tell you which Photography S.W. I use, but I don't want to be accused of trying to "sell" and/or "promote" products.
- by ggarndt February 14, 2009 9:34 AM PST
- This update is interesting - for a couple reasons:
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- by OFC_Rocco February 15, 2009 9:36 AM PST
- That is exactly my point, Linux is the way to go...!
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- by Jonathan February 15, 2009 10:00 AM PST
- Bull ****. I'm typing this on a Windows 7 tablet with a 1.2Ghz ULV Core 2, 1GB of memory, and it flies. If you have something lower then that please go ahead and run Linux because the rest of the known world doesn't give a **** about hardware from 2003. The Linux FUD spreaders are just as bad as the Apple ones.
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- by Inconnux February 15, 2009 1:41 PM PST
- LOL @ Johnathan,
- Like this
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- by OFC_Rocco February 16, 2009 12:11 PM PST
- OMG Jonathan are you a sore butt or what, most obviously a microsoft shill.
- Like this
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (99 Comments)- - Windows 7 looks a lot like the Linux "KDE 4" desktop. Most casual PC users would be able to tell the difference. a couple guys in Australia did a prank by having a laptop installed with Linux KDE, and it was at one of the doorway areas at Sydney airport - then they told people it was the new Windows 7 . . . that video is still on utube
- - BUT, the most interesting comments in this Cnet video had to do with older PC's & memory. It will still take a pretty new machine with a couple gigs to run Windows 7 "well" . . . so, what happens to the perfectly good older PC's?? (especially with this re-de-pression going on?). Well, either run XP, . . . . OR if you're need a secure PC not in danger of Virus's & Trojens, - - you can run the free (as in "speech" and as in "beer") Ubuntu Linux desktop. This comment is being entered on an older PC - an HP A250N with only 512 meg of ram, and basic 3d Nvidia graphics built into the mother board (vs a better setup such as a graphics "card"). Anyway, it's run Ubuntu versions from Dapper Drake to the current Hardy Heron . . . and not a single crash, no annoying DRM, spam, virus's - and the combined cost of the Ubuntu plus the several hundred applications on it are $0.00 . . . which is really nice these days. So, in short, people with older PC's still have a choice & don't need to part with money they might not have.
Boss bought a brand new Toshiba w/Vista Business, Nvidia Video, 4gb ram etc... a really nice laptop and my 4yr old crappy 512mb ram XP machine felt faster, under Linux it flies. its amazing what people think Fast is when they only use microsoft OS's.
If you had read all my comments you would realize I use all 3 major types of os's in business, personally, and I think windows 7 will be a great os.
But, If i could get my games to run reliably under linux without 30.000 hacks to do it I would migrate all my machines to it
The cost vs. benefit analysis would make a pretty picture for my wallet....