It's official: Microsoft's next Windows version, currently being developed under the codename Windows 7 will use that moniker as its official final name when it hits the market in early 2010. The news, delivered as is so often the case these days via a blog, was widely anticipated.
"Since we began development of the next version of the Windows client operating system we have been referring to it by a codename, 'Windows 7,'" Microsoft corporate vice president Mike Nash said. "But now is a good time to announce that we've decided to officially call the next version of Windows, 'Windows 7.'"
As Nash notes in the post, Microsoft has used a variety of naming conventions for its Windows products over the years, including years (Windows 95, 98), version numbers (Windows 3.1), and so-called "aspirational" monikers like Windows XP and Vista. With Windows 7, however, the company felt that the Windows 7 name was simple and appropriate, since this will be the seventh major version of the OS.
Microsoft is promising to show off numerous end user features in Windows 7 for the first time at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2008 event in Los Angeles the week of October 27. I'll be covering that event on a live and continuous basis from the SuperSite for Windows. http://www.winsupersite.com
Reader Comments
Here is the interesting Paul, you said the version number would move from 6.1 to 7.0. But the Windows Team is just using the brand to describe the release. Its not NT 7.0 as your recent PDC-Update FAQ would assume.
Andre Da Costa -October 14, 2008
Isnt 7 meant to be 9? Win95 was v4, W98 was 5, W2k was 6, XP was 7, and Vista makes 8.
Even if you combine W98 and W2k (note I've removed ME completely) this still makes Vista 7 and thus "Windows 7" should be at least Windows 8
snedwardq -October 14, 2008
Actually NT was v4.0, W2K was 5.0, XP was 5.1 and Vista is 6.0.
DonJuan64 -October 14, 2008
Yea It base on the NT line not the 9X line.
and XP home and Pro was 6.1 for some weird thing that only MS know.
ra@ix.net.au -October 15, 2008
¿2010? ¿More than a year from now?
It's clear to me that Microsoft does not learn about their mistakes: deliver early, deliver often. For example, Ubuntu Linux delivers a new release each 6 months. Each new release might not be groundbreaking, but over a 2-year time-span you can see how much things have changed.
felipe.alfaro -October 15, 2008
felipe, Ubuntu does not have to keep hordes of consumers or large corporate customers happy. And anyway, presuming an early 2010 launch, Windows Vista -> Windows 7 will be ~3 years, roughly half of Windows XP (2001)->Windows Vista (2007, though it went gold in late in 2006).
Also, FWIW, the desktop NT releases have been 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 2K, XP, and Vista. So Win7 is actually the 7th release of NT.
drothgery -October 15, 2008
"Ubuntu does not have to keep hordes of consumers or large corporate customers happy."
MS keeps consumers and corporate customers happy? Good joke! And of course there are no consumer and corporate Linux customers! Every "Windows used" knows that. I***t
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