Windows 7 Available October 22, 2009

As confirmation for my long-standing claims that Windows 7 will most definitely be released in time for the 2009 xmas holiday season, Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will be released on October 22, 2009.

The retail channel was *pissed* that Microsoft released Vista in January of 2007, totally missing the retail silly season. End users were *pissed* that Vista was released both so late (XP was released on October 25, 2001 - in time for the 2001 silly season) and so early (as far as stability and usability went). In hindsight, Microsoft did the retail channel a great favor - it saved them having massive return queues from about 26 December 2006 to mid January 2007 filled with people complaining about the difference between the promised performance of that new computer they were sold and its actual performance.

Windows 7 will definitely be a different story to ther launch of Windows Vista. Windows Vista R2 (aka Windows 7) is a usable, stable, fast operating system - on my Toshiba M200 tablet (Pentium-M 1.60 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 5400 rpm PATA HDD and a lowly GeForce FX 5200Go graphics processor) it runs about the same speed as XP Tablet Edition does - without timing software, I'm hard put telling a difference. Vista was slow. Really slow. For example, I open the lid and the system is available from Hibernation in well under 10 seconds now. That was a couple of minutes under Vista. Outlook 2007 is very usable whereas under Vista, it was just bearable.

Would I move clients who are running Vista now to Windows 7 the day it is released? Bet your life, mate! Would I install the current Windows 7 Release Candidate onto a new desktop PC I was selling now that comes with Windows Vista and Software Assurance (or the upgrade assurance that will be release RSN thanks to the announcement of the Windows 7 release date)? Bet your life, mate! (Obviously, I'd explain to the client that whether I installed Vista or Windows 7 RC now, once Windows 7 was released, I'd be insisting on a full reinstall of their PC anyway, so they may as well get used to Windows 7 now and not endure the pain and suffering of Windows Vista.)

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie