I guess it will still be a year or two until we have a Windows 7 section so I figured I'd just start a thread in the Vista section.

These two articles are a couple weeks old but just came to my attention:

Windows 7: The Anti-Vista?

Windows 7 debut in 2009? Another reason to skip Vista

Yes i heard about this a little while ago. Pretty funny..i just got Vista a couple weeks ago and there's already going to be another OS out.

Another interesting article:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1285

Gates sees next Windows "sometime" in next year

MIAMI (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp.(NasdaqGS:MSFT - News) co-founder Bill Gates said on Friday he expected the new version of Windows operating software, code-named Windows 7, to be released "sometime in the next year or so."

The software giant has been aiming to issue more regular updates of the operating system software that powers the majority of the world's personal computers. Nevertheless, Gates' comments suggested that a successor to the Vista program might be released sooner than was generally expected.

Microsoft has said it expected to release a new version of Windows approximately 3 years after the introduction of Vista in January 2007. A company spokeswoman said Gates' comments are in line with a development cycle that usually releases a test version of the software before its official introduction.

"I'm superenthused about what it will do in lots of ways," Gates said in a seminar on corporate philanthropy held during an annual meeting in Miami of the Inter-American Development Bank.

"That'll be sometime in the next year or so that we'll have a new version," Gates said in response to a question from the audience.

Gates, who is due to leave his day-to-day functions at Microsoft and dedicate himself to the philanthropic efforts of the Gates Foundation in June, said the company aimed through its $6 billion annual research and development budget to take the products running on its software to "the next level."

He said new versions of Windows would help revolutionize mobile phones and run the desk of the future, which would have a touch surface display allowing users to call up items using their hands.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080404/micro...pf=family-home

Update:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1412

I hope they get it right this time I love Vista and have had no trouble with it so far. This time Microsoft will have to make sure that it is not put onto machines that cannot realisticly support Windows 7 as manufactures did on the released of Vista thus making the public anti the new software.

I think im staying with Vista for a lot longer. Probably until after SP2 or SP3.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9953361-7.html

Windows 7 demo at D6

Thanks for starting this thread jephree - I think it is important to get a head start on this, if nothing else, for rumor control.

Originally Posted by bootneck02

This time Microsoft will have to make sure that it is not put onto machines that cannot realisticly support Windows 7 as manufactures did on the released of Vista thus making the public anti the new software.

I don't see how MS can do that. That was the PC makers fault, not Microsoft's. Sure, Microsoft's minimum requirements have always been too minimal, but the PC makers are the ones that claimed their machines would run Vista just fine.

MS has already said that HW driver requirements will not change with Win7. That's good because we don't need to go through the hassles with driver incompatibility issues we have had with Vista all over again.

In a bitter sweet move, MS has decided they will control release of technical information in a much tighter manner with Win7. I say "bitter" because a lack of information feeds the rumor and speculation mills and that is not good. But "sweet" because then you don't (hopefully) have HW makers trying to get a head start on the competition by putting out products that don't work with the final release of the new Windows and the media jumping on MS because the hardware drivers released prematurely didn't work!

Understand that the vast majority of Vista users are happy. But as always, they are the "silent" majority. Also understand that most of the problems were from folks that upgraded their XP machines. Why is that important? Because XP was designed 8 years ago when 256Mb of RAM, and a 40 Gb hard drive was "more than you will ever need!" Vista was designed to support and take advantage of current HW technologies and the demands of today's graphics intensive software.

Those with complaints scream the loudest and, as usual, the media (like lemmings) follow along and totally blow everything out of proportion.

Here's a perfect example. Note the PCWorld blog by PCW staffer Tom Spring from May 12th this year titled, "XP SP3 Bug Makes Some AMD PCs Crash: Is Your PC at Risk?" Clearly the title blames Microsoft, right?

But 6 paragraphs down they reveal the problem is really with HP's buggy image files!!!! Not Microsoft after all! That's just simply shameless MS bashing and lousy journalism - from a site that is supposedly a reputable IT site.

See the article here and note my comment at the bottom, then see their response. Oh wait! They did not bother to respond.

Sadly, PCW is only one of the many IT media sites that are not interested in responsible journalism. I worry now that C|Net has been bought by CBS, what will happen to them. ZiffDavis, notorious for haphazard, incomplete, and misleading reviews, must also be read with a suspicious mind. Sadly, these 3 companies are 3 of the biggest sources of IT information we have. I read them all and usually, their information is sound - but they are wrong way too often and is it most often because of lazy reporting and short deadlines - and failing to research the facts thoroughly before reporting.

I think it is important to read what these media sites are saying, but I also think it is important to remember that nothing is final until the final release - and that will be some time down the road.

I hear that Windows 7 may have touch screen technology that will make it verrrry expensive and should be out last quarter of 09 first quarter 10. Makes you think that Vista was only a stop gap OS betewn XP and Windows 7.