Gates: Windows 7 may come 'in the next year'.

[Drift3r]

Sucks for VISTA users who bought into that OS.


http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9911470-56.html

Gates: Windows 7 may come 'in the next year'
Posted by Ina Fried | 48 comments

MIAMI--Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Friday indicated that Windows 7, the next major version of Windows, could come within the next year, far ahead of the development schedule previously indicated by the software maker.

In response to a question about Windows Vista, Gates, speaking before the Inter-American Development Bank here, said: "Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version." Referring to Windows 7, the code name for the next full release of Windows client software, Gates said: "I'm super-enthused about what it will do in lots of ways."

Most of Gates' speech was devoted to topics closer to home for the crowd, such as how Latin America can be more competitive.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
(Credit: CNET Networks)

Windows 7 and its intended feature list have been the topic of speculation since Microsoft discussed some details of the new software last summer.

At that time, Microsoft said little except that Windows 7 will ship in consumer and business versions, and in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The company also confirmed that it is considering a subscription model to complement Windows, but did not provide specifics or a time frame.

Less than 24 hours ago, a Microsoft representative told CNET News.com that the company expects to ship the successor to Vista roughly three years from Vista's January 2007 debut.

Unclear is whether Gates was referring to early testing of Windows 7 coming within the year, as opposed to a widespread release or debut. An early test geared toward developers would be conceivable. The company has repeatedly said that it will accelerate the development of new Windows versions, largely as a response to Vista's roughly five year gestation period.

Microsoft on Thursday declined to extend a lifeline for Windows XP, saying that only a limited number of specialized machines will be sold with the operating system after June.

The company said it will continue to allow Windows XP Home edition to be sold for a class of computers it calls "ultra-low-cost PCs."

Vista, the current version of Windows, has sold well, according to Microsoft. But the operating system's debut was marred by repeated delays and shifting feature lists. Last week, Microsoft stepped up efforts to drive adoption of Vista by businesses.

CNET News.com's Mike Ricciuti contributed to this report.'

 

[Griffinhart]

Here is an other opinion on it:
http://community.winsupersite....windows-7-stories.aspx

CNET's Ina Fried picks up a single sentence out of Bill Gates' mouth and turns it into an entire article. Here is the only pertinent bit:

In response to a question about Windows Vista, Gates, speaking before the Inter-American Development Bank here [in Miami], said: "Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version." Referring to Windows 7, the code name for the next full release of Windows client software, Gates said: "I'm super-enthused about what it will do in lots of ways."

And that's it.

Two things. Unless Ina didn't quote the most important part of what he said, Gates never actually said Windows 7 and thus could be referring to Windows Vista SP2 for all we know. I will look around to see if anyone else has this quote or whether the speech is on Microsoft's Web site.

Secondly, assuming Gates was in fact talking about Windows 7, this guy is leaving his day to day job at Microsoft in less than 3 months. My guess is he's not the most knowledgeable source about schedules these days.

Verdict: There's no way we're going to see Windows 7 "in the next" year, no matter what Gates says.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

yeah it seems too soon. i don't think it'll be out untill 2011.

 

[seipheroth]

I don't remember much about Windows OS's before Windows '98, but I'm certain the time period in between OS releases then up until XP was 2-3 years, so if Microsoft went back to that schedule it could be possible to see Windows 7 in some form next year. Maybe not a retail release, perhaps some beta version.

 

[RebateMonger]

Microsoft has really only had five generations of consumer-level OSes:

MS-DOS (1982 to 1987)
Windows 2.x, 3.x (1988 to 1994)
Windows 95, 98, ME (1995 to 1999)
Windows 2000, XP (2000 to 2006)
Vista (2007 to ????)

Roughtly six years per generation.

If this is any indication, if you don't like Vista, you won't like anything that'll be released before 2013. Including "Windows 7".

(And, yeah, I know I've left out Windows 1.0 and NT. Neither were popular home OSes.)

 

[sportage]

Amazing how they can redo dos over and over.
New windows? Couldn?t have anything to do with Gates dropping to # 3 on the billionaire?s list???
Reminds me of STAR WARS. They just keep redoing it too, re release and more $$$.

 

[Aberforth]

I am really looking forward to this. Anyone who is getting a free license raise your hands

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
yeah it seems too soon. i don't think it'll be out untill 2011.

I hope they take their time,I don't want them to rush out Windows 7 with a lot of bugs,longer its delayed the better IMHO.

 

[Davegod]

I think it's a combination of Gates' being unclear and the news.com journo either not thinking about it sensibly or trying too hard for a headline. Vista has been retail I think 14 months. There was what, 63 months between XP and Vista?

On the other hand, similar reporting of gates' comment has been widespread, and I've not seen a major rebuttal - though it coming out on a Friday could have something to do with that. Yahoo's coverage says:

The software giant has been aiming to issue more regular updates of the operating system software that powers the majority of the world's personal computers. Nevertheless, Gates' comments suggested that a successor to the Vista program might be released sooner than was generally expected.

Microsoft has said it expected to release a new version of Windows approximately 3 years after the introduction of Vista in January 2007. A company spokeswoman said Gates' comments are in line with a development cycle that usually releases a test version of the software before its official introduction.

Suddenly it looks more plausable. When you consider the major features that were dropped from Vista because they just weren't going to be done in time, maybe the ones they still wanted will be done in the years since. Maybe OS releases will be more incremental improvements: cheaper, but more frequent - and I reckon 3-yearly would be broadly on par with the mass-market/business PC upgrade cycles.

If this blog's assertion that Win 7 will move to an API framework, perhaps this would better accommodate more frequent, more incremental OS updates in future. But then I'd have thought this would mean that for the switch-over OS, i.e. Windows 7, that OS would take a particularly long time to develop.

Or... maybe the new framework and dumping all that time normally spent on backwards compatibility means it would actually be a lot faster to get to beta point but then take a long time in beta, which seems to line up with Gate's comment and the expected 3 year cycle?

(I mean the above as an musing rather than a suggestion that it is what is going to happen)

 

[Noema]

I really don't think we'll be seeing Windows 7 in any way or form in 2009.

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: Noema
I really don't think we'll be seeing Windows 7 in any way or form in 2009.

a subscription model of an updated vista doesn't sound interesting, honestly. With the possibility of short lifespan & negative consumer opinion, do people compare windows vista to windows me?

 

[Inspector Jihad]

are they ever going to re-do windows from the ground up? cause it seems like they've been putting out a shinier version of windows

 

[EarthwormJim]

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
are they ever going to re-do windows from the ground up? cause it seems like they've been putting out a shinier version of windows

They did, it was called Windows NT

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
are they ever going to re-do windows from the ground up? cause it seems like they've been putting out a shinier version of windows

And break compatibility? MS can't afford such luxury.

 

[kamper]

Originally posted by: Davegod
If this blog's assertion that Win 7 will move to an API framework, perhaps this would better accommodate more frequent, more incremental OS updates in future. But then I'd have thought this would mean that for the switch-over OS, i.e. Windows 7, that OS would take a particularly long time to develop.

I'd like to know where that blogger got his information. It kind of sounded like he was making a lot of stuff up.

 

[nerp]

Blogs shouldn't be taken too seriously.

And why would this suck for Vista buyers? Vista works great for me. I honestly am not worried about a new OS coming out. I'll buy it if I want it when it does, whether it's next year, 2010 or 2011. I'm not one of those consumers that thinks the world needs to grind to a halt just because *I* decided to spend my money. If this sucks for Vista users, I'd hate to be an Apple buyer. 8GB iPod touch, 32gb iPhone, macbook refreshes, etc. They have no problem improving products at the same price point with no warning to the people who just spent their money on the soon-to-be phased out model.

 

[Davegod]

AFAIK he pulled it out of his ass. It's an interesting thought though, making a fresh start to take 100% advantage of the "now" instead of dragging the baggage of all the accumulated problems from the past.

I cant see it happening, at least not unless MS can be quick to show legacy everything can still work no problem under emulation, since business customers carry a lot of sway with MS and their immediate reaction would be that this would cause them too big a problem to make the switch.

 

[George P Burdell]

I'll eat my own hat if Windows 7 comes out before 2011.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: George P Burdell
I'll eat my own hat if Windows 7 comes out before 2011.

And ill eat the hat after you sh!t it out.

It'll never happen.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Microsoft has really only had five generations of consumer-level OSes:

MS-DOS (1982 to 1987)
Windows 2.x, 3.x (1988 to 1994)
Windows 95, 98, ME (1995 to 1999)
Windows 2000, XP (2000 to 2006)
Vista (2007 to ????)

Roughtly six years per generation.

If this is any indication, if you don't like Vista, you won't like anything that'll be released before 2013. Including "Windows 7".

(And, yeah, I know I've left out Windows 1.0 and NT. Neither were popular home OSes.)

Very true.

7 is going to be built around Vista from what i've seen.

I imagine the Vista haters will have fits with 7 if they already don't like Vista :laugh:

I for one would love to see this next year.

The sooner, the better

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: George P Burdell
I'll eat my own hat if Windows 7 comes out before 2011.

And ill eat the hat after you sh!t it out.

It'll never happen.

Given that Windows OSes usually come out every 2-3 years, which would put the next release very likely in 2009 or 2010, I bet all you'll be eating is your words.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I'm not sure which features they could add in that would make me switch from Vista (other than owning the "new, cool OS"). The feature list I've seen doesn't motivate me at all.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Brazen
Given that Windows OSes usually come out every 2-3 years, which would put the next release very likely in 2009 or 2010, I bet all you'll be eating is your words.

The 2-3 years is a minor-release timetable. Like going from Windows 2000 to XP, or from Windows 95 to 98. You don't see any major kernal changes, nor major interface changes. Most of the changes are added features, reliability improvements. and some cosmetic changes. I'm betting Windows 7 will be an "interim release". If you don't like Vista, you likely won't like Windows 7, either.

On REAL issue will be that a too-early release of Windows 7 will damage Vista sales. Full buyer and corporate acceptance of Vista won't happen until later this year. What will happen if companies are told that ANOTHER release of Windows will come in 2009? It won't be good for 2008 or 2009 sales.

Microsoft says that CUSTOMERS want frequent OS and application releases. Some of the pressure comes from Microsoft's wish to sell Software Assurance and subscription software. People hate to pay twice the price for Software Assurance, and then have no upgrades released.

On the other hand, I don't know ANYBODY who likes upgrading software. It's time comsuming and costly. Since PCs ALREADY meet most basic needs, I think the push to release new versions is mostly a money-making thing for hardware and software makers, rather than real customer need.

 

[WTurner]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Microsoft has really only had five generations of consumer-level OSes:

MS-DOS (1982 to 1987)
Windows 2.x, 3.x (1988 to 1994)
Windows 95, 98, ME (1995 to 1999)
Windows 2000, XP (2000 to 2006)
Vista (2007 to ????)

Roughtly six years per generation.

If this is any indication, if you don't like Vista, you won't like anything that'll be released before 2013. Including "Windows 7".

(And, yeah, I know I've left out Windows 1.0 and NT. Neither were popular home OSes.)

Windows 2000 and XP ARE Windows NT (5 and 6). The name change was purely marketing.

 

[Red Squirrel]

This makes sense.

Remember, windows ME, 2k came out about the same time. ME SUCKED, 2k was the completed version of ME, without the win98 back end, and to this day is still the most rock solid windows OS. Then later came XP which was 2k enhanced but bit more bloated for its time. Those 3 OSes all came out after a rather large gap since win98,


Now we had a large gap and vista came out. Vista is now the windows ME of today's operating systems. So this next OS should be something better.


I'm no prophet, but thats how I forsee it.