Windows 7: Heading for Early Release?
Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 30, 2009
As someone who has closely watched every major Windows development process since Windows 95 and seen them all slip further and further behind schedule, Windows 7 has been a happy surprise. Microsoft originally hinted that it would ship in early 2010, then told computer manufacturers it would be available in the fall. Now with the public beta getting a very positive reception it looks like Windows 7 might make it out the door before the end of summer.
The hint is contained in a long and rather dense post on the official Windows 7 Engineering Blog by the head of Widnows development, Microsoft Senior vice-President Steven Sinofsky.In it, he notes the success of the beta, says Microsoft sees no need for a second beta, and reveals that the next version of Windows 7 to go out to testers will be Release Candidate 1. If no serious problems turn up in a release candidate, it is typically followed by a release to manudfacturing within a few weeks.
So the odds are that we are going to see Windows 7 sooner rather than later.
