- Related Stories
-
The dawn of Vista
January 26, 2007 -
Vista debut hits a delay
March 21, 2006
The company discussed Windows 7 on Thursday at a conference for its field sales force in Orlando, Fla., according to sources close to the company.
While the company provided few details, Windows 7, the next client version of the operating system, will be among the steps taken by Microsoft to establish a more predictable release schedule, according to sources. The company plans a more "iterative" process of information disclosure to business customers and partners, sources said.
Windows Vista, the oft-delayed most recent release of Windows, shipped to businesses in November and to consumers in January after more than five years of development. Vista's gestation period was marked by shifting product details as internal priorities changed and problems arose with development.
Like Vista, Windows 7 will ship in consumer and business versions, and in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The company also confirmed that it is considering a subscription model to complement Windows, but did not provide specifics or a time frame.
Next up on Microsoft's agenda is Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, which is expected before year's end.
The discussion of Windows' future isn't surprising, given that Microsoft has been criticized by business customers for delays related to Vista. Many business customers pay for Microsoft's software under a license agreement called Software Assurance.
Windows 7 was previously known by the code name Vienna. A Microsoft representative confirmed that Windows 7 is the internal code name for the next client release of Windows. The details were released "as part of our ongoing outreach to enterprise customers and partners, Microsoft has begun sharing plans for how they will continue to deliver value to businesses in the future?Software Assurance customers in particular," a representative said in a statement via e-mail.
"Microsoft is scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame, and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar," according to the representative.
See more CNET content tagged:
business customer, Windows 7, representative, development, Microsoft Windows Vista
Win 95 = 4.0
Win 98 = 5.0
Win ME = ?
Win XP = 6.0
I guess like all of us, MS wants to forget it ever happened.
Windows ME was 4.9
After that the NT/9x lines converged into XP as V.5
16 bit: Windows 3.0, 3.1, wfw 3.11, 95 (version 4), 98 (4.x), ME (4.y). (ME doesn't really count as a new version. It was essentially Win98 with a new WMP, Windows Movie Maker, and some other minor updates).
32 bit: roots in OS/2, NT 3.5, NT 3.51, NT 4, Windows 2000 (version 5), Windows 2003 [server only], Windows XP (5.1), Vista (version 6)
The 16 bit lineage was thankfully retired after WinME. XP represented a single business/consumer OS.
64 bit started with XP I believe. Windows 7 will probably be 64 bit only.
Windows NT 3.1
~
Windows NT 4.0
Windows 2000 (NT 5.0)
Windows XP (NT 5.1)
Windows Vista (NT 6.0)
"Vienna" (NT 7.0)
Win 3.0
Win 3.1
Win 3.11
Win 95
Win 95 SE
Win 98
Win 98 SE
Win 98 lite professional(ok so this one wasn't issued by microsoft but I still used it.)
Win NT 4
Win ME (if you can call it an OS)
Win 2000
Win XP Home
Win XP Pro
Win XP Media Center
Win XP lite Professional (again not an official release but it ran pretty good)
and if if im not much mistaken there are 5 flavors of vista.
That would make this new windows version 21
Official Windows Versions:
Version 1: 1.01, 1.03,& 1.04
Version 2: 2.03, 2.10,& 2.11
Version 3: 3.0, 3.00a, 3.10, 3.11, Win. 95,& Win. 98
Version 4: Win. NT, Win. ME,& Win. 2k
Version 5: XP
Version 6: Vista
Version 7: Win. 7
The versions are separated by the kernel used to make it.
If you don't believe me about the early versions look at this site: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/32905
Win 3.11 = 1
Win 95 = 2
Win 98 = 3
Win ME = 4
Win XP = 5
Win Vista = 6
....
NT 4 = 4
Win2K = 5
XP = 6
Vista = 7
Next up = 8
Or if you follow the 3.1 line, you'd get:
Win 3.1 = 3
Win 95 = 4
Win 98 = 5
Win ME = 6
XP = 7
Vista = 8
Next up = 9
The NT line:
Windows NT 3.1-3.51 = 3
Windows NT 4.x = 4
Windows 2000 = 5.0
Windows XP = 5.1
Windows Server 2003 = 5.2
Vista = 6
Next up = 7
The Windows line:
Windows 1.x = 1
Windows 2.x = 2
Windows 3.x = 3 (this was the first usable and popular version)
Windows 95 = 4
Windows 98 = 4.1
Windows ME = 4.9
Windows XP = 5.1 (converging with the NT line)
Vista = 6
Next up = 7
(Note that I don't include Win 2003 here, since it's not a
consumer OS).
It may surprise you that I'm writing this from a Mac OS X 10.4.9
(Tiger), and that I really have no interest in going back to
Windows!
Win 3.1 => WinNT 3.1 => WinNT4 => Win2000 (NT 5.0) => WinXP (NT 5.1 NOT 6.0) => Vista (NT6) and finally Windows 7.
They made no mistake with the number.
Windows 3.1 = 3
Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4 = 4.x
Windows 2000 and XP = 5.x
Vista = 6.x
New Windows = 7.x
If you have Windows XP, Press the Windows Key + R, type CMD and Press Enter... In the Command Prompt window type VER and hit Enter and you'll see Windows XP belongs to the 5.x category
I read an article this week about some guy who's AIO printer doesn't work under Vista. I'm in the same boat. I bought my printer just before upgrading to Vista and it still doesn't work right. Microsoft says that "2 million" printers now work with Vista... well, I *know* there isn't 2 million printers models on the market, so they MUST mean 2 million of the ONE printer model that does work on Vista (whichever the heck model that is...)
Windows 7 eh? Maybe they'll have a driver for my printer by then. Maybe by then printers will be obsolete and whatever you want printed, you click a button in Windows 7 and it magically appears after the Keebler elves finish making it. I don't hold out hope.
But then again, I'm a realist. I know that no O/S is 'perfect' but Vista is so far from perfect... I really need to 'upgrade' back to XP...
Apples are too overpriced and for daily computing a waste and Windows is getting just as bad, even if I have the money just won't buy them, building my own machines, and running Linux that gets better and better every day. I guess I will save, paying for Windows, Nero, Antivirus, and all the extras needed to make Windows function. Consumers have created these mounsters with their " I have to have it " mentality, you guys deserve it don't cry now.
If your printer doesn't work go to the manufacturer of the Printer. It is not Microsoft's resposibility to write the drivers for other vendor's hardware. You could have the same issue with a Mac or any other OS.
..The fact that it takes you three years to save up for a Mac only proves why Mac's have never overtaken the market.
Also there have been more then 2 million printers that have been engineered in the last 25 years that Microsoft actively tries to include support for. Can't expect MS to have all those printer drivers. It really isn't their job to tell you the truth.
There are still some people using 25-year-old ribbon and heat printers. The body shop I get work done on my car at for example uses them to print receipts because the printer is just that reliable. Why get a spanky fresh looking new printer when the old one works just fine?
Since Apple doesn?t have to support so many devices/gadgets and only has about 10% of the market. It would seem they have a little extra time to devote to printers when producing an OS or updates. This is of course for only the printers that its customers use.
Does this make apple better, not by a long shot. But, if it works for you then power to you. Just don?t flame what 90% of computer users think is superior. I don?t think I?ve ever seen a business using a 30 year old apple I as a register (or workstation) as many times as I?ve seen them use IBM terminals from the late 1970s (with Motorola/Intel 86 /w Ancient Dos lol).
3.1 = 3
95 = 4
98 = 5
2000/ME = 6
XP = 7
Vista = 8.
While the math is a little askewed, I wonder if vista will have the new WINFS or will it be installed in "7" or later in some other windows?
But, as an item for the wishlist....Please change the security of vista so that an administrator IS viewed as an administrator?? Please??? The security popups are worse than anything!!!
I'm always a fan of people who bag on things that they don't understand and don't even bother to Google. It would have taken you less time to figure out this solution than to type your post.
Helpful tip: if you don't like the default colors and background images, you can change them too. ;)
-Mister Winky
If Microsoft does what they've always done...you will never see this or other new features promised for Vista...Longhorn or whatever they call it. Their ability to overshoot features in their products is legendary. Prime example is multitasking with DOS. Many more examples are available in their literature of the past.
Releasing 64bit only prevents over 60% of the current install base from upgrading. There goes billions of revenue dollars.
How about that device you have now that does not have a 64 bit driver? Chuck it and buy a new one.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Oh, wait... That would leave a lot of "Legacy" PCs out there being converted into Linux boxes, wouldn't it? They wouldn't want that, now, would they...? ;-D
On 64 bit computers I cannot run cmd, ping, tracert, or ipconfig!!!
Some 32bit programs will not work properly
Adobe has stated publically that a 64-bit version of Photoshop is 5 to 10 years away because they will have to write Photoshop 64-bit from the ground up. You can't do a simple port, too many things need to be changed, calibrated, adjusted and designed for the 64-bit platform and that is not something that can be done simply by making a few changes to the program.
Memory management and scratch disk management alone is going to require a complete re-write.
While other applications maybe easier it isn't going to be fast. Companies want to make sure that there is enough market and that that is really where computing in business and in the consumer market is going before they make sure a large investment. This is very similar to putting out Linux versions of products.
Robert
Transistions like that need to be done slowly. The stupid move would be to do what you suggest and force it upon everyone.
windows resemble leopard or will it be even smarter than that.
Well 3 years or more will show where does microsoft stand for its
PC consumers. Or will in these 3 years more people will switch to
Mac.
Does that "Microsoft ripped off Apple" argument ever work? Does it ever convince anyone to switch to a Mac? If some newbie walking into a computer store and spoke to a saleman do you really thing a "Apple Innovated first" argument is actually going to sell them? It hasn't worked in the last 25 years, why would it work now?
Vista Home Starter - If you can't meet the demands of Vista, then you should stick with using XP or get a new computer.
Vista Business and Vista Enterprise - Is there really necessary to have two different versions? It's just about the same userbase that would want either of these.
So that leaves us with 3 versions: a Business/Enterprize version, Home Premium, and Ultimate. I say give everyone Vista Ultimate. Some users may not ever use some of the features in Ultimate, but the few features that are not in the lower versions doesn't warrant the big price difference. Allow business users to optionally load Media Center during installation, if you don't want your employees running Media Center.
Otherwise, I think Apple has it right. There should only be ONE.
Plus, that goes for 32 and 64 bit versions. It should run as a 64 bit OS that can run 32 bit programs.
complicated. (Plus, it may save MS some cash, since it's less
SKUs to manage.)
If they MUST release two versions, then it should only be
Windows 7 Business and Windows 7 (for home users). I won't
give them crap for making a super basic version for developing
countries, though, since that's kinds of cool.
And for Pete's sake, don't lower your standards to 32-bit.
It should include more options to install/remove components to service our needs - does it really matter home or business? As long as, it support all components from min to max.
Bah... who needs consistency? Make up more arguments!
.... MS is not Apple. "They have NO CLASS".
5 x 2 (32 and 64 versions) amount to confusion, sales, and
gravity.
It makes the CIO look VERY SMART to the CEO... more geeky.
Remember, MSCE's by the tonload.
Apple, they want to do away with the 'admin'. They of course
have not gotten there yet, but are quite closer than anyone else.
It's all about what you believe. MS believes in SALES and MONEY.
Are MS doing that great in Xbox sales, or keyboard and mice? I
doubt the numbers. Are they doing good in MS Office Upgrades?
Yes. OS upgrades ? maybe not.
JOE CLUELESS CONSUMER buys new laptop at Staples ? yes, they
are doing good.
Remember Apple Copeland, it was supposed to take Mac OS 9 and add in true preemptive multitasking, crash protection, better security, faster performance, etc like AmigaDOS/AmigaOS had in 1985. Even the Amiga series outran a Mac OS 9 system, because OS 9 was bloated and couldn't adapt to changes in the marketplace.
Apple bought out Next and got Steve Jobs back and went the Unix route with the Mach Kernel and using *BSD Unix source code to write Darwin and OSX with. Without Unix, Mac OS would have been a joke because even heavy duty Java programs tended to lock it up and it couldn't support multiple threads like a modern OS could. Mac OSX is Unix based and so it has the advantages of Unix.
If you don't want to run Mac apps, and don't care for the Aqua eye candy, Linux or OpenBSD will work just fine on your PC, provided you have drivers for your hardware devices. You might have to buy a new modem or wireless card, but that is cheaper than even buying a Mac Mini.
Most releases of Linux and OS X are updated every 12-18 months.
-Mister Winky
So here is what they do. Fortune 500 corporations and Early Adopter High Tech Junkies have the most money, so they sell Enterprise and Ultimate for the most. The only extra features in Enterprise relate to giant managed networks and ultra high security and encryption needs. Most small business owners are probably glad to pay less than Citibank or Exxon pay for the OS. The only way to exclude Citibank and Exxon from just buying Business Edition is to exclude a feature they need. Now for a basic home user, you have Home Basic Edition, which excludes some features medium/small businesses need. Home Premium Edition is more of a price issue than a need issue. If people will pay more for some bells and whistles, why shouldn't they? People getting a fancy computer more designed for multimedia can pay an extra $30 for that computer and Microsoft can afford to charge less to others. Ultimate provides a further level of this. Now, why shouldn't Microsoft just 'give' all home users Premium or Ultimate. Why? Because some dont need it and some will pay extra for it. So, it is the same reason they dont bundle Office Professional with every computer. Seperating products allows people to save by buying only what they need. The people who need everything might pay a higher price, but they dont deserve to get a discount due to making everyone else buy what they dont need.
Also, there may be a licensing issue. Technologies in Windows Enterprise and Ultimate may be licensed from other companies. If Microsoft put those technologies in every copy of windows, they might need to pay those license costs for every copy, thus excluding the possibility of licensing certain technologies for the customers that need them.
I think Home Starter Edition is mainly a third world product. Microsoft wants its OS to be an option in some very poor countries where Linux and pirating have dominated and cheap hardware is common, but it does not want this nearly free option to be used by people who could afford more, like wealthy people and high tech businesses in those countries, so it sets many limits on the OS making it work best on low end computers and simple home use.
It would not be good to just stick with XP as the default for low end computers. Microsoft does not want to support XP forever and deal with 2 different worlds of security issues.
Apple can stick with one OS because Apple's users are much less diverse: Middle to Upper Class Home Users and the Graphics Business. These people have similar needs. Graphics pros are much like home users because they are not likely to need coroporate databases and massive shared file servers etc. If you are poor, you probably dont buy Macs. If you are a big business and network a bunch of computers, those computers are probably not Macs. If you are a third world country, you dont use many Macs. And Mac computers are not marketed on price and not in direct competion with other Macs from different manufacturers, so $30 here or there in the price point is not important.
So, if you want Vista to have just one edition, you want to pay the same for Vista as Citibank and Exxon due, you want bloated Encryption software that may have cost you $20 in licensing fees, and you want the Citibank employee to be able to connect a usb tv tuner to their workstation and watch HDTV at work so they can get distracted and let a hacker get your SSN.
More likely they will add 1) all sorts of virtualization, and 2)all sorts of off-desktop functionality (more MS Groove-like and Sharepoint-like functions).
Check out my Tech Biz blog: Boldinvestors!
http://www.boldinvestors.com/
Well to get some jist of how long the development will take you have to look developments.
First Graphics
For now the new maths potential shoulden't that much an issue and therefore adoptable into the system without to much hassle.
Also the manufacturers aren't having to great a problem with all the standard medi application enhancements.
Next the kernel.
Although some improvments will be needed for this model a lot of the ground work for making a system into a multi-core environment.
There will however be considerable developing issues with virtuilisation which may cause some delay.
Ok now for newer areas like memory drives.
This ideed will take some time and could cause some delay but not to bad.
thid is so for the small business and consumers editions but for the cloud systems there it will take time for that to absorbe it's way into the market but should make for a great benefit to the world of technilogical development potential and collaberation aswell as eventually helping people to work and play more perficiently.
Although for version 7 vertualisation issues may cause a small delay after that we could be looking at some major development and hence bigger delays most lightly for a good few years.
So the bottom line is that although you may get a slight delay your probablly looking at A more perfected system in a lot of areas.
I would advise microsoft to work on issues relating to backwards compatibility with this one in relation to all the wide range of perifiral companies for essential equippment and large consumer equippment.
Some solutions might invlvolve 3rd party driver emulation technology and even special arrangements for returning old models in preperation for better electronic waste management.
However for the consumer and small businness i reckon this one should be a good moment.
Remember also it's not always a failing to move forward even if it does require more collaberation and more effective collaberation.
For more effective collaberation more 3rd party people getting involved in keeping everything working and microsoft would be wise to discount people who really help the process more effectivly to ensure wide involvement as opposed to the more highlighting elleitist approach that exsist more today. Istead a more ********* and pratical elite model to ensure that alongside a great effort to get everything looking good the essence is more functional too.
Everything working fine, just thinking about adding a another gb of ram all though for a little faster performance. But I will not be going to windows 7 or what ever it will be called if it's released in 3 yrs. If it takes longer like Vista did, perhaps I'll rethink it and decide. Til then, I am not giving Microsoft another $200 for a new oversize if it's released in 3 yrs as I happy with Vista for now.
Could use some tweaks, and I tweaked it with different suggestions around. But I hope the service pack 1 or even if two should come out, will help it making it as good as xp. Which I kind of miss because of the speed I get with it.
Still not going back to xp, I paid good money for vista and I'm happy with it, just want it a little bit more powerful and faster.
BTW, I hope MS sticks with numeric numbers instead of strange names - anyone see value out of those names. Windows 7 sounds great than Windows Vista+. Office 2007?? come on, doesn't it version 12 better?
At least, I agree I will skip one.
Companies are in business to sell products or services. That means finding ways to get people to upgrade and buy new product. They don't make money standing still and progress is not going to stop just because you don't want to pay for it.
Heck the dock and sidebar were part of IBM OS/2 Warp as far back as 1995. Apple decided to copy it.
Just look at what Ubuntu, Red Hat Fedora, Linspire, and Xandros are putting out and some of those features will appear in the next release of OSX.
exist the same way in Windows. Fast User Switching did appear
in Windows first. Time Machine doesn't exist in any other OS
anywhere-- it's completely new. (Yes, other OSes have file
backup, but no one has the information *retrieval* that Time
Machine has. The ability to use an application's own UI to
search back through time for records and restore individual
records to the present... that's new.)
Everyone builds on each other, but Apple is certainly more
innovative than most, and more innovative than Microsoft in
particular.
for them. And the implementations usually pale in comparison
due to the fact that they emulate the Windows lowest common
denominator approach to interface and app. design. And that's
not "design" as in "pretty", it's design as in _Engineering_.
The things Apple has "copied" from Windows are??? Why the
heck would they want to?! It's horrible!
You are misinformed and you don't use a Mac so your opinion is
worthless bigotry.
Win 2000 - 5
XP - 6
Vista - 7
??? - 8
1. Click Start
2. Click Run...
3. Type "winver", and hit OK
You would see that XP is Version 5.1 *******.
2.0
3.0
3.1
3.11
Windows NT 3.1
NT 3.51
NT 4.0
Windows 2000 = 5.0
XP = 5.1
Vista = 6.0
- Subscription Model
- by SiXiam July 20, 2007 11:10 PM PDT
- Now that made me laugh...
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 3 pages (203 Comments)I will switch totally to Ubuntu, before I pay for a windows subscription...
Though I do have an x-box live subscription... I know I'm a hypocrite!!!