Microsoft: This is the last Windows 7 beta
- TAGS:release candidate, Windows 7
- IT TOPICS:Development, Windows
Here's more evidence you'll see Windows 7 faster than Microsoft has been saying: The company now says that the just-released beta is the last one, and the next released version will be a Release Candidate (RC.)
Windows honcho Steven Sinofsky, in the Engineering Windows 7 blog, puts it plainly:" The next milestone for the development of Windows 7 is the Release Candidate or 'RC.'"
Microsoft remains mum on the actual ship date of Windows 7, although in the past it has said that it would ship three years after Vista was generally available, which was late January, 2007. That would mean a Windows 7 ship date of about a year from now. I've tested the beta, and it's very solid, so it's hard for me to imagine that there's still a year of development left.
As Microsoft's recent spate of layoffs show, the company is in a bit of trouble. One big reason for its recent revenue drop is the growth of netbook sales, and the slowing of all other PC sales. An estimated 30% of netbooks ship with Linux. Microsoft is hoping that because Vista will run on netbooks, it will dramatically cut into Linux sales. That's one more reason --- in addition to the stability of Windows 7 --- that you'll likely see the new operating system ship well before a year from now.
Free Insider Guide