In a comment to one of my recent stories, someone said that they could run Windows 7 on an older PC, but not Linux. Yeah. Right. But, how slow can a PC go and still run desktop Linux? Here’s the answer.
CWmike writes “Microsoft will deliver a release candidate of Windows 7 in about two weeks, the company’s Web site revealed Saturday. According to a page posted on Microsoft’s partner program site, Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) may be available to paying subscribers to Microsoft’s developer and IT services before May 5. Partners will be allowed to download the release candidate on that date, the first Tuesday of the month. ‘Partners: If you have a subscription to MSDN or TechNet, you can download Windows 7 RC now,’ the page read Saturday afternoon. ‘Otherwise, you can download Windows 7 RC starting May 5, 2009.’ The link to the download, however, shunted users to the TechNet download page, which did not list Windows 7 RC as one of the available files. This is the second time in just over three weeks that Microsoft’s Web site has leaked information about Windows 7 RC. Accidental, or buzz-builder?”
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CWmike writes “Gregg Keizer reports that federal and state regulators have struck a deal with Microsoft under which any version of Windows released after May 2011 will not be subject to the scrutiny mandated by a 2002 antitrust settlement. As previously promised, however, Windows 7 will be put under the microscope. Yesterday, the DOJ filed documents (PDF) with US District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly asking that she extend her oversight by at least 18 months, until May 12, 2011. Although Microsoft has consented to the extension — and acknowledged that the regulators can later ask for another 18 months — Kollar-Kotelly must approve the request.”
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Survey shows that 84 percent of IT pros don’t plan to upgrade to Windows 7 in the next year, but it pays to take a closer look at the numbers.
Olipro writes “Most enterprises stated they won’t bother with Windows 7 for at least a year as they simply continue to distrust that compatibility issues won’t occur with their mission-critical software… The Million Dollar question will be whether the fact that XP upgrades to Windows 7 requires a clean install will prove to be Microsoft’s undoing.” I suspect that will change before they actually release the OS.
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Anyone buying a PC with Windows 7 pre-installed will be able to swap it for XP or Vista. Microsoft has confirmed that the licence conditions under which the software will be sold will allow people to downgrade.
Barence writes “Microsoft is imploring millions of Windows 7 beta testers to perform a clean install of the forthcoming Release Candidate, rather than upgrade from the beta. ‘The reality is that upgrading from one pre-release build to another is not a scenario we want to focus on because it is not something real-world customers will experience,’ the company claims on the Engineering Windows 7 blog. Those who attempt to install the Release Candidate over the beta will find their path blocked.” I’ve read complaints that reviews of new Linux distros often focus too much on the installation process; Microsoft seems to understand that complications at installation time (dual booting? preserving an existing data partition?) can sour one’s experience pretty thoroughly.
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Despite the fact that Windows 7 is almost cooked, a leaked Microsoft memo suggests that XP may live on past its May 30, 2009 retirement date.
CWmike writes “Gregg Keizer reports that Microsoft acknowledged today it has ‘broadened the options’ for PC makers to continue offering Windows XP as a downgrade from Vista — and potentially even Windows 7. However, the company would not confirm specific reports that HP has been given the green light to sell new PCs with Windows XP Pro pre-installed through the end of April 2010. ‘Windows XP went into semi-retirement in June 2008, when Microsoft stopped selling it at retail and withdrew Windows XP Home from use on all but netbooks, though it allowed XP Professional to be installed as a Vista downgrade. Since then, Microsoft has extended the final date it will sell XP Professional install media to large computer makers and smaller systems builders to July 31, 2009, and May 30, 2009, respectively. Today, Microsoft denied that it had extended the life span of Windows XP, and intimated that those rights were built into the newer operating system — in this case, Vista — and did not expire at some arbitrary date.'”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft today announced that the forthcoming Windows 7 would come in just one single version, despite rumors that there would be five versions of the software. The operating system will simply be called “Windows 7.” The decision was reached after customer surveys revealed that Vista’s multiple versions confused customers.
