Windows 7 generates record feedback

 

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By Benny Har-Even

Posted on 26 Feb 2009 at 18:11

Microsoft says it has received more feedback for Windows 7 than for any previous version of the OS.

That's the good news, showing its feedback mechanism is clearly working. The not-so-great news - at least until issues are ironed out - is the fact that Microsoft also claims to be working on more bug fixes than ever before.

At the peak of the feedback frenzy - back in January - Microsoft reckons it was getting opinion on the new OS every 15 seconds for an entire week.

"To date we've received well over 500,000 of these reports," revealed Steven Sinofsky on a blog dedicated to Windows 7.

"That averages to over 500 reports for each and every developer to look through! And we're only through six weeks of using the Windows 7 beta, even though for many, Windows 7 already seems like an old friend."

He added: "While many Beta customers have said they are very happy with the quality of Windows 7, we are working to make it even better by making sure we are fixing the issues experienced by such broad and significant usage."

The blog also revealed that the percentage of reported bugs being fixed was higher than for any previous versions. And, in the first few weeks of the Windows 7 beta programme, more than one million people installed the operating system.

Microsoft's figures also reveal that the OS has been installed on a staggering 10 million different devices and that 75 per cent of these had drivers available 'out of the box' while the rest were made available via download from Microsoft's Windows Update service.

The blog also goes into depth on the decision making process behind implementing feedback, stating: "Everything we do is a judgment call as ultimately product development is about deciding what to get done from an infinite set of possibilities...

"Data is not a substitute for good judgment or an excuse to make a decision one way or another, but it most definitely informs the decision."