Windows 7
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This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future software. The content may change as the software release approaches and more information becomes available. |
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| Windows 7 | |
| (Part of the Microsoft Windows family) | |
| Screenshot | |
 Screenshot of Windows 7 Milestone 1 Build 6519 |
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| Developer | |
| Microsoft | |
| Release information | |
| Release date: | Late 2009/Early 2010 (expected) info |
| Preview version: | Milestone 1 (6.1.6574.1) (April 20, 2008) info |
| Source model: | Closed source |
| License: | Microsoft EULA |
| Kernel type: | Hybrid Kernel |
Windows 7 (formerly known as Blackcomb and Vienna) is the working name for the next major version of Microsoft Windows as the successor to Windows Vista.[1] Microsoft has announced that it is "scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year timeframe", and that "the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar."[2] Windows 7 is expected to be released sometime in 2010.[3] The client versions of Windows 7 will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.[2] A server variant, codenamed Windows Server 7, is also under development.
Microsoft is maintaining a policy of silence concerning discussion of plans and aspirations for Windows 7 as they focus on the release and marketing of Windows Vista,[4] though some early details of various core operating system features have emerged. As a result, little is known about the feature set, though public presentations from company officials have disseminated information about some features. Leaked information from people to whom Milestone 1 (M1) of Windows 7 was shipped also provides some insight into the feature set.
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[edit] Development
[edit] History
In 2000, Microsoft started the planning to follow up Windows XP and its server counterpart Windows Server 2003 (both codenamed Whistler) with a major new release of Windows that was codenamed Blackcomb (both codenames refer to the Whistler-Blackcomb resort). This new version was at that time scheduled for a 2005 release.[citation needed]
Major features were planned for Blackcomb, including an emphasis on searching and querying data and an advanced storage system named WinFS to enable such scenarios. In this context, a feature mentioned by Bill Gates for Blackcomb was "a pervasive typing line that will recognize the sentence that [the user is] typing in."[5]
Later Blackcomb was delayed and an interim minor release, codenamed "Longhorn", was announced for a 2003 release.[6] By the middle of 2003, however, Longhorn had acquired some of the features originally intended for Blackcomb, including WinFS, the Desktop Window Manager, and new versions of system components built on the .NET Framework. After the 2003 "Summer of Worms", where three major viruses -- Blaster, Sobig, and Welchia -- exploited flaws in Windows operating systems within a short time period, Microsoft changed their development priorities, putting some of Longhorn's major development work on hold in order to develop new service packs for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that included a number of new security and safety features. Development of Longhorn was also "reset" in September 2004[citation needed] as a result of concerns about the quality of code that was being introduced to the operating system. The eventual result of this was that WinFS, the Next Generation Secure Computing Base, and other features seen in Longhorn builds were deemed "not ready" for wide release, and as such did not appear in Longhorn, when it was released as Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
As major feature work on Windows Vista wound down in early 2006, Blackcomb was renamed Vienna.[7] However, following the release of Windows Vista, it was confirmed by Microsoft on July 20, 2007 that "the internal name for the next version of the Windows Client OS"[2] is Windows 7, a name that had been reported by some sources months before.[7]
[edit] Focus
Microsoft's Ben Fathi claimed on February 9, 2007 that the focus on the operating system was still being worked out, and could merely hint at some possibilities:[8]
| “ | 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, suggested that the next version of Windows would "be more user-centric."[9] 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 [public] 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. [Also,] in Vista, things got a lot better with [digital] 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. | ” |
Later Gates also said that Windows 7 will also focus on performance improvements:[10]
| “ | We're hard at work, I would say, on the next version, which we call Windows 7. I'm very excited about the work being done there. The ability to be lower power, take less memory, be more efficient, and have lots more connections up to the mobile phone, so those scenarios connect up well to make it a great platform for the best gaming that can be done, to connect up to the thing being done out on the Internet, so that, for example, if you have two personal computers, that your files automatically are synchronized between them, and so you don't have a lot of work to move that data back and forth. | ” |
[edit] Milestone 1
The first known build of Windows 7 was identified as a "Milestone 1 (M1) code drop" according to TG Daily with a version number of 6.1.6519.1. It was sent to key Microsoft partners by January 2008 in both x86 and x86-64 versions.[11][12] Though not yet commented on by Microsoft, reviews and screenshots have been published by various sources.[13][14] The M1 code drop installation requires Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, and creates a dual-boot system with Windows Vista.[15] This version of M1 appeared on the internet on June 11th; leaked by a group called MSBP.
On April 20, 2008, screenshots and videos of a second build of M1 were leaked with a version number of 6.1.6574.1. This build included changes to Windows Explorer as well as a new Windows Health Center.[16]
[edit] Later builds
According to TG Daily article of January 16, 2008, the Milestone 2 (M2) code drop was at that time scheduled for April or May of 2008.[11] User interface appearance changes are expected to appear in later builds of Windows 7.[17]
Milestone 3 (M3) is listed as coming in the third quarter, with the release to manufacturing in the second half of 2009.[11] The release dates of a beta version and a release candidate are "to be determined".
Bill Gates commented in a press conference in April 2008 that a new version [of windows] would come "in the next year or so".[18] According to additional clarification by Microsoft, he was only referring to availability of alpha or beta versions of Windows 7.[19]
[edit] Unveiling
The Windows 7 user interface was demonstrated for the first time at the All Things Digital Conference on May 27, 2008.[20] During which Steve Ballmer acknowledged a projected release date of late 2009.[21]
[edit] Features
Windows 7 has reached the Milestone 1 (M1) stage and has been made available to key partners.[11] According to reports sent to TG Daily, the build adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards and a new version of Windows Media Center.[11] New features in Milestone 1 also reportedly include Gadgets being integrated into Windows Explorer, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, the ability to visually pin and unpin items from the Start Menu and Recycle Bin, improved media features, a new XPS Viewer, and the Calculator accessory is multi-line featuring Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion.
Reports indicate that a feedback tool included in Milestone 1 lists some coming features: the ability to store Internet Explorer settings on a Windows Live account, updated versions of Paint and WordPad, and a 10 minute install process.[22] In addition, improved network connection tools might be included.
A new feature in build 6574, Windows Health Center, allows the user to monitor all of their PC's health problems, and concerns in one place. It allows turning User Account Control on and off, and monitoring 3rd party anti-virus programs, firewalls, etc.[citation needed]
In the demonstration of Windows 7 at D6, the operating system featured multi-touch, including a virtual piano program, a directions program and a more advanced paint program.
[edit] Kernel
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The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.(June 2008) |
A minimalistic variation of the Windows kernel, known as MinWin, was being developed for use in Windows 7. The MinWin development efforts were aimed towards componentizing the Windows kernel and reducing the dependencies with a view to carving out the minimal set of components required to build a self-contained kernel as well as reducing the disk footprint and memory usage.[23] MinWin takes up about 25 MB on disk and has a working set (memory usage) of 40 MB.[24] It lacks a graphical user interface and is interfaced using a full-screen command line interface.[25][24] It includes the I/O and networking subsystems.[23][25] MinWin was first publicly demonstrated on October 13, 2007 by Eric Traut. The demo system included an OS image, made up of about 100 files, on which a basic HTTP server was running.[24][26]
Incidentally, the name MinWin was also used earlier to refer to what is currently known as Server Core in Windows Server 2008.[23][25] Both efforts are intended to consolidate and modularize the core of Windows; however, the two are quite different in implementation. 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.[25][23]
In an interview with Ina Fried of Cnet's News.com, Steven Sinofsky described the Windows 7 kernel as a further evolution of the Windows Server 2008 kernel, itself an evolution of the Windows Vista kernel.[27]
[edit] Methods of input
On December 11, 2007, Hilton Locke, who worked on the Tablet PC team at Microsoft reported that Windows 7 will have new touch features. An overview of the touch capabilities was demonstrated at the All Things Digital Conference on May 27, 2008. A video demonstrating the multi-touch capabilities was later made available on the web on the same day.[28]
Also, Bill Gates has said that Windows 7 is also "a big step forward" for speech technology and handwriting recognition.[29]
[edit] Virtual hard disk
On May 21, 2008, Microsoft posted a job opening for Windows 7 regarding work to implement VHD support, i.e. support for single-file containers that represent an entire hard drive including partitions, and transparently performing I/O operations on this as a typical hard drive, including boot support. [30]
| “ |
In Windows 7, our team will be responsible for creating, mounting, performing I/O on, and dismounting VHDs (virtual hard disks) natively. Imagine being able to mount a VHD on any Windows machine, do some offline servicing and then boot from that same VHD. Or perhaps, taking an existing VHD you currently use within Virtual Server and boost performance by booting natively from it. |
” |
[edit] Antitrust regulatory attention
The development of Windows 7 has already attracted the attention of the antitrust regulators who oversee Microsoft's operations following the 2001 United States Microsoft antitrust case settlement. According to status reports filed, the three-member panel began assessing the prototypes of the new operating system in February 2008.[31]
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research said that, "[Microsoft's] challenge for Windows 7 will be how can they continue to add features that consumers will want that also don't run afoul of regulators."[31]
[edit] References
- ^ Cnet: Next version of Windows: Call it 7
- ^ a b c Foley, Mary J. "Windows Seven: Think 2010", ZDNet, 2007-07-20. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Microsoft finally confirms Windows 7 for 2010 launch. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ Kevin Kutz (February 13, 2007). Microsoft Statement in Response to Speculation on Next Version of Windows.
- ^ Gates, Bill (2000-07-12). Professional Developers Conference Remarks. microsoft.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ Lettice, John (2001-10-24). Gates confirms Windows Longhorn for 2003. The Register. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ a b Thurrott, Paul (February 14, 2007). Windows "7" FAQ. Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (February 9, 2007). Microsoft: Vista follow-up likely in 2009.
- ^ Steven Levy (February 3, 2007). Bill Gates on Vista and Apple's 'Lying' Ads.
- ^ Bill Gates (May 12, 2007). Bill Gates: Japan—Windows Digital Lifestyle Consortium.
- ^ a b c d e Gruener, Wolfgang (2008-01-16). TG Daily - Windows Vista successor scheduled for a H2 2009 release?. TG Daily. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ Dan Graham (2008-01-18). Windows 7 set for late 2009 release. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ More Windows 7 screenshots surfacing. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ ThinkNext.net: Screenshots from a blogger with Windows 7 M1
- ^ TG Daily: Windows 7 M1: Nothing to get excited about
- ^ Leaked Details of Windows 7 M1 March 2008 Edition Version 6.1 Build 6574.1. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
- ^ 'Insider' confirms anonymous Windows 7 M1 review, writes thesis on Windows 7 development. Long Zheng (2008-01-23). Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
- ^ Gates sees next Windows "sometime" in next year. Reuters (2008-04-04). Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ Microsoft Clears Gates-Induced Confusion about Windows 7. eFluxMedia (2008-04-06). Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
- ^ Gates and Ballmer debut Windows 7. engadget (2008-05-27). Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ Windows 7: Now a late 2009 deliverable (again). ZDNet (2008-05-28). Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ Long Zheng (2008-01-22). Neowin.net forum member posts first review Windows 7 Milestone 1 Build 6.1.6519.1. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ a b c d Mark Russinovich: On Working at Microsoft, Windows Server 2008 Kernel, MinWin vs ServerCore, HyperV, Application Virtualization. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b c Video presentation about MinWin
- ^ a b c d Inside Windows 7 MinWin. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Long Zheng (October 19, 2007). Eric Traut talks (and demos) Windows 7 and MinWin. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
- ^ Fried, Ina (2008-05-27). Windows chief talks '7'. news.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ Windows Vista Team Blog. Microsoft demonstrates Multi-touch. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ Fried, Ina (2008-02-20). Windows 7 goes beyond keyboard and mouse. ZDNet Australia. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Job Details - Software Development Engineer in Test. Microsoft (2008-05-21). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ a b Keizer, Gregg F. (March 2008). Windows 7 eyed by antitrust regulators. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
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