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Template:Future software

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb, then Vienna) is a future version of Microsoft Windows. It is expected to be the successor to Windows Vista. Microsoft has confirmed that the planned development time frame is at least three years, putting the release date around 2010. On July 20, 2007, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 7 is "the internal name for the next version of the Windows Client OS".

Microsoft has refrained from discussing the details about Windows 7 publicly as they focus on the release and marketing of Windows Vista, though some early details of various core operating system features have emerged.

History

The codename Blackcomb was originally assigned to a version of Windows that was planned to follow Whistler (the codename for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, which along with Blackcomb were codenamed after the Whistler-Blackcomb resort).

A feature mentioned by Bill Gates for Blackcomb was "a pervasive typing line that will recognize the sentence that typing in."

In late 2001 the release of Blackcomb was being scheduled for 2005 and in August it was announced that a minor intermediate release, codenamed Longhorn (after a bar in the Whistler-Blackcomb Resort), would ship before Blackcomb. Over the following years Longhorn morphed in fits, starts, and delays to incorporate many of the features promised for Blackcomb. In early 2006, Blackcomb's codename was changed to Vienna and was later changed to Windows 7.

Editions

While it was originally not specified if Blackcomb would be a client or server release, Microsoft later clarified that Blackcomb would still be the successor to Windows Server 2003, when asked if there would be a server version of Longhorn. However, Microsoft later did create a server version of Longhorn, Windows Server 2008. Microsoft has stated that Windows 7 is the working name for the next client version of Windows, but has made no explicit mention of a server version by the name Windows 7.

Focus

On February 9 2007, Microsoft's Ben Fathi claimed that the focus on the operating system was still being worked out, and could merely hint at some possibilities:

We're going to look at a fundamental piece of enabling technology. Maybe it's hypervisors. I don't know what it is" "Maybe it's a new user interface paradigm for consumers.

Bill Gates, in an interview with Newsweek, also suggested that the next version of Windows would "be more user-centric." When asked to clarify what he meant, Gates said:

That means that right now when you move from one PC to another, you've got to install apps on each one, do upgrades on each one. Moving information between them is very painful. We can use Live Services to know what you're interested in. So even if you drop by a kiosk or somebody else's PC, we can bring down your home page, your files, your fonts, your favorites and those things. So that's kind of the user-centric thing that Live Services can enable. in Vista, things got a lot better with ink and speech, but by the next release there will be a much bigger bet. Students won't need textbooks; they can just use these tablet devices. Parallel computing is pretty important for the next release. We'll make it so that a lot of the high-level graphics will be just built into the operating system. So we've got a pretty good outline.

Features

Microsoft is maintaining a policy of silence concerning plans and aspirations for Windows 7. As a result, very little is known about the feature set. However, from interviews and speeches of company executives certain features have been known.

MinWin

A minimalistic variation of the Windows kernel, known as MinWin, is being developed for use in Windows 7. The MinWin development goals are aimed towards componentizing the Windows kernel and reducing the dependencies with a view to carving out the minimal set of components that is required to build a self-contained kernel as well as reducing the disk footprint and memory usage.

MinWin vs. Server Core

Incidentally, the name MinWin was also used earlier to refer to what is currently known as Server Core in Windows Server 2008. However, the two are quite different. While both efforts are to consolidate and componentize the core of Windows, with server core, the functionality of the OS is constrained according to server roles, and unneeded components (which will never be used as the role isn't supported) are removed from the binary image. However, the dependencies still exist in code, and the code cannot compile without the components. In contrast, with MinWin, the dependencies are consolidated into MinWin and what is not needed is removed at the code level itself. As a result, the code compiles even without any extraneous components and builds a stripped-down self-contained OS kernel image.

Touch features

On December 11 2007, Hilton Locke, who worked on the Tablet PC team at Microsoft reported that Windows 7 will have new touch features.

I will say that if you are impressed by the "touch features" in the iPhone, you'll be blown away by what's coming in Windows 7. Now if only we could convince more OEMs that Windows Touch Technology is going to drive their sales.

Availability

The client versions of Windows 7 will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Successors to Windows Server 2008, however, will be exclusively 64-bit.

External resources

• Windows Vienna News
• Windows 7 FAQ

References

1. ^ Foley, Mary J (2007-07-20). "Windows Seven: Think 2010". ZDNet. Retrieved 2007-09-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
2. Kevin Kutz (February 13, 2007). "Microsoft Statement in Response to Speculation on Next Version of Windows".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
3. Bill Gates (July 12, 2000). "Professional Developers Conference Remarks".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
4. ^ Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (February 9, 2007). "Microsoft: Vista follow-up likely in 2009".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
5. Paul Thurrott (February 14, 2007). "Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows 7 FAQ". Retrieved 2008-01-05.
6. ^ Steven Levy (February 3, 2007). "Bill Gates on Vista and Apple's 'Lying' Ads".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
7. ^ "Mark Russinovich: On Working at Microsoft, Windows Server 2008 Kernel, MinWin vs ServerCore, HyperV, Application Virtualization". Retrieved 2007-12-23.
8. ^ "Inside Windows 7 MinWin". Retrieved 2007-12-23.
9. "Dell Latitude XT Tablet on the website!".
10. David Flynn (May 17, 2007). "Vista will be the last version of Windows for Pentium 4 and Core Duo owners".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)

• Microsoft Windows
• Near future technology