Windows 7 Details Trickle Out

By Greg McNevin

May 29, 2008: After the hefty build and spectacular belly-flop by Vista, it appears that Microsoft is taking a more cautious approach to its next major operating system release, Windows 7, now expected around January, 2010.

The company has seemingly put strict controls on all Windows 7 talk, with development chief Steven Sinofsky letting few details free in a recent interview with CNET outside of the release date.

Other than saying that Windows 7 will be out “about three years after the general availability of Windows Vista,” Sinofsky did make one revelation though, which was the news that the new OS will be built on top of the Windows Server 2008 kernel (an evolution of Vista’s) and not the ruthlessly stripped-back MinWin kernel as previously reported.

Beyond this Sinofsky was tight-lipped, however, coincidentally the Windows 7 news has been followed by the ‘leaking’ of 17 desktop screenshots of the upcoming OS.

Aside from the pretty and very Vista-like screenshots, there are a few other tidbits around. Chris Flores, a Director of Microsoft’s Windows Client Communications Team, for example has posted on Microsoft’s Vista team blog that Windows 7 will be completely compatible with the same software and hardware Vista is.

Not only this, it will be aimed at the same level of system specifications. Ambitious perhaps, but if Apple can do it with its operating systems then there is no reason Microsoft can’t.

Comment on this story