No more betas for Windows 7

 

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Posted on 2 Feb 2009 at 08:41

Microsoft has announced that there will be no more beta versions of Windows 7, as the operating system skips straight to Release Candidate status.

The operating system has shown remarkable stability since even the pre-beta code, and Microsoft claims the beta feedback it's received has given it the confidence to push on to the next stage of development.

"There's been such an incredible response, with many folks even blogging about how they have moved to using Windows 7 Beta on all their machines and have been super happy," Windows supremo, Steven Sinofsky, claims on the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

"The question we get most often is 'if the Beta expires in August what will I do - I don't want to return to my old operating system.' For a Beta release, that is quite a compliment and we're very appreciative of such a kind response."

Sinofksy hasn't announced when the Release Candidate will appear, but says "the answer is forthcoming".

Microsoft announced last month that the deadline for downloading the Windows 7 beta had been extended to 10 February, so it seems unlikely that a Release Candidate will appear before the end of this month.

Sinofsky says the company will "provide the Release Candidate as a refresh for the Beta", which presumably means that it will install in place over an existing Windows 7 installation.

He says the company expects to make very few changes to the Windows 7 code between now and the Release Candidate, anyway. "We often 'joke' that this is the point of lowest productivity for the development team because we all come to work focused on the product but we write almost no code," Sinofksy adds.

"That's the way it has to be - the ship is on the launch pad and all the tools are put away in the toolbox to be used only in case of the most critical issues."

Road to release

Following the Release Candidate, Windows 7 will be released to manufacturing, before finally achieving general availability. The swift move to Release Candidate is the clearest indication yet that Microsoft plans to launch Windows 7 in 2009.

Sinofksy, however, insists the move to RC is in no way "an announcement of a ship date" or a "change in plans", but it's highly unusual for Microsoft to be so bullish about the readiness of an operating system.

"We're on a good path and we're making progress," Sinofsky insists. "We are taking a quality-based approach to completing the product and won't be driven by imposed deadlines.

"We have internal metrics and milestones and our partners continue to get builds routinely so even when we reach RC, we are doing so together as partners."

Author: Barry Collins