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Could we see a summer release of Windows 7?

by Steven Hodson on January 8, 2009 · Comments

windows-xp-hibernate-ceiling-cat Well it’s that time folks – Windows 7 has been released as an open beta for all to enjoy. That is if you happen to have a TechNet or MSDN subscription (I don’t), or happen to have pull in Microsoft (I don’t) the rest of us will have to wait until January 9th and hope to hell we make it in under the 2.5 million limit of downloads allowed (fingers crossed).

Already the pundits are waxing long on what is what with the new operating system from Microsoft while the rest of us just want to get our hands on the damn thing. Here’s the interesting thing though. This is only a beta release and as with all major beta releases from Microsoft it is a time bombed beta.

This means that at some point the beta will no longer work and you will need to actually install the real thing. Now according to what I read on Steve Clayton’s blog this morning the Windows 7 beta is only good until August 1st 2009. So by that date you will need to either revert to Vista or XP, or you will need to install/upgrade to the RTM version. Now given that there will be 2.5 million copies of the beta installed (at a minimum) with a large portion of those installs being on production machines because not everyone will have the luxury of having more than one computer.

This begs the question then – will we see an RTM of Windows 7 by the end of July?

I know this is something that I have to very seriously consider as I line-up to grab a copy of the beta because like most people I only have one machine.

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Tagged as: Windows 7

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  • I was thinking about this too and came to the same conclusion. With Balmer saying 7 is almost complete I think he's setting a stage for an early release. And what better way to begin the Vista healing process than to surprise and hopefully delight your customer than with an early release and stable product? I don't think MS can let this baby slide into 2010.
  • I've been saying; and writing here, that W7 would ship before the end of the year. After yesterday though I think it might be sooner.
  • Pierre
    It's now a race between Windows 7 and Vista SP2 (which can also be downloaded as a beta from MSDN and Technet). In addition, MS has announced that XP availability for sale is extended to when Windows 7 goes RTM. Given the fact that they must be pretty anxious to stop selling XP, and because Vista has such a poor sales record, I'd say the chances are pretty good that we'll see W7 RTM before Summer, and that W7 will not be much more than Vista SP2' – except where pricing is concerned, of course.

    People who currently have Vista will update to SP2 for free, and people who currently hold on tight to XP because of Vista's poor reputation will hop on directly to W7.

    It's funny how people forget: when XP went RTM, people held back and gave it as poor a reputation as Vista now has, and XP really caught on only when SP1 was released. Now that Vista's SP1 has been out for some time, many of its original drawbacks have been corrected, exactly the same way XP SP1 corrected XP's original failings. There was a dearth of XP drivers just as there's been one of Vista drivers, and unless W7 has the same system architecture as Vista, there will be one of W7 drivers for several months just the same way, and for just the same reasons: hardware manufacturers' cold feet.
  • I'm pretty confident it will be released sometime in the summer.
  • I read somewhere (can't find it now) that you need Vista in order to upgrade to the W7 Beta. Upgrading from XP won't work. Is there truth to that?

    Not that I'm in any hurry. I can wait for the official full install release. :)
  • Busby SEO Test!!!
    yep, it would be realease asap i guess
  • I think my installation of Windows XP is wonderful and I don-t expect to install windows7.
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