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According to court filings, Microsoft has handed over a test version of the next-generation operating system to a technical committee that is overseeing Microsoft's compliance with its antitrust settlement.

"The TC [technical committee] has begun to review Windows 7 itself. Microsoft recently supplied the TC with a build of Windows 7, and is discussing TC testing going forward," the report states. "The

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TC will conduct middleware-related tests on future builds of Windows 7."

Microsoft has said very little publicly about either the contents or the release date of Windows 7. The new operating system was initially expected to arrive next year, although recent reports have suggested that launch date could be pushed back to 2010 or even 2011.

The fact that the US government has (presumably) a working version of the software indicates that Microsoft might be looking at next year after all. Given the current lack of enthusiasm for Windows Vista, Microsoft will certainly be keen to get Windows 7 into the market as soon as possible, although it certainly can't afford another lacklustre release.

A "wishlist" of Windows 7 features was leaked last year, giving a few potential clues to features that could arrive in the new operating system, including a virtual desktop and a tabbed Windows Explorer.