Windows 7 still baking in oven, insists Microsoft
Confirms leaked build isn't final version
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Microsoft has denied rumours that suggest the latest leaked build of Windows 7 is the final iteration of the upcoming operating system.
The software giant went to great lengths to stamp out the speculation after Windows 7 build 7600 and Windows Server 2008 R2 build 7600 tipped up on BitTorrent tracker sites.
Many pondered that the build could in fact be the Windows 7 Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone code.
“We are close, but have not yet signed off on Windows 7. When we RTM you will most certainly hear it here,” wrote Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc.
“Just because a single build may have ‘leaked’ it does not signal the completion of a milestone such as RTM. As always, don’t believe everything that you read on the internet - except this post ;-).”
Microsoft added that Windows 7 would RTM “when it’s ready”. The company is pinning down the second half of this month for when it will rock up. The clock is ticking; Redmond has less than three weeks to stick to that schedule.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has revealed more plans about Windows 7 E - the firm’s version of the OS that will ship without Internet Explorer 8 in a move to appease (though not necessarily please) European competition watchdogs.
The vendor said it planned to make Windows 7 E available to European users on 22 October, which is the same day the rest of the world can expect to get their hands on a copy of the operating system.
Microsoft will additionally offer an IE 8 Feature Pack for Windows 7 E, intended for anyone who wants to use the company’s web browser.
But how well does the IE 8-free version of the upcoming OS perform without Microsoft’s browser installed?
Apparently internal testing of the product showed that “the vast majority of applications [including web-based apps] work on Windows 7 E editions without any changes.”
However, there is a caveat: Windows applications using the Web Browser control function could prove somewhat flaky in the compatibility department when certain apps depend directly on a specific browser.
“In particular, if while using the Web Browser control, you allow the application to open new windows that do not respect the user’s default browser choice, you may see some issues,” noted Windows 7 program manger Arik Cohen in a blog post yesterday. ®
COMMENTS
The killer app...
...is the same as it was in Vista. DirectX. Let's be honest, it's the only reason half of us still use Windows. I want to play games, and most of them require DX. Plus, DX11 looks pretty damned cool.
@Jason Barnett
Hmmm, I can't really tell if you are just a troll or monumentally stupid.
You are correct in one area though. MS aren't anti-competitive for bundling IE with Windows. They are anti-competitive because they force OEMs to ship every PC they sell with Windows or suffer crippling sanctions. In other words OEMs are punished if they offer consumers a choice.
As for that retarded comment regarding IE on Linux. Firstly, you CAN run IE on Linux. This is due to the work of open source coders with ZERO help from Microsoft. In fact the IE EULA specifically forbids the installing of IE on anything other than Windows. How that can be the fault of "Linux" is something only a numbnut like you could understand, clearly.
Linux is the culprit?
Can I just say that I don't agree that Microsoft are anti-competitive with respect to browser choice. They pre-install their browser in their Operating System. Big deal.
No one puts a gun to your head to use IE, MS don't stop you installing Firefox, Opera or even Chrome (to be fair they should stop you using Chrome as it's sh*te). And let's be honest, to the average computer use it's far easier to install Opera in Windows XP/Vista/7 than it is to install Opera in Ubuntu.
The bleating needs to stop. Or perhaps Ubuntu and the other 56 flavours of Linux distro should not have a browser pre-installed and give you the option of installing IE without typing endless frustrating commands to install WINE and all that other tosh.
I say Linux is anti-competitive to MS as you can't install IE easily. Let's see the EU go after that then.....
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