RSSMicrosoft launches its own blog for 'Windows 7'
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published August 14, 2008, 5:23 PM
The official marketing channel for the next edition of Windows was opened this afternoon, as Microsoft quietly raised the curtains on what it's positioning as an open channel for ideas regarding what the company should add to its next OS.
In their initial post to the "Engineering Windows 7" blog this afternoon, its two hosts -- Windows senior vice presidents Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky -- acknowledged that their company will indeed divulge the first engineering details about Windows 7, as it's still being called, on October 27 at the Professional Developers' Conference in Los Angeles.
Borrowing a metaphor from one or more presidential campaigns this season, Sinofsky and DeVaan promised readers the blog would be used for a "two-way conversation" with the enthusiast community.
"The audience of enthusiasts, bloggers, and those that are the most passionate about Windows represent the folks we are dedicating this blog to," they wrote. "With this blog we're opening up a two-way discussion about how we are making Windows 7... We strongly believe that success for Windows 7 includes an open and honest, and two-way discussion about how we balance all of these interests and deliver software on the scale of Windows. We promise and will deliver such a dialog with this blog."
The inaugural comment for this discussion came from user parithon, who noticed a little something missing: "I look forward to all the upcoming information but...who forgot the RSS feed? This feature is almost required for blogs today. I'm sure you know we're all too busy to refresh our browsers in order to find out if a new post has been published." (UPDATE: Such a feed now exists -- and actually may have existed all along -- at this address.)
Sinofsky was the Microsoft executive brought in from the Office division in March 2006 to help reassemble its Windows strategy. In a reorganization last month, his position was shifted around and redefined, so that he now reports directly to CEO Steve Ballmer rather than to CTO Ray Ozzie. DeVaan, meanwhile, had led some important projects at Microsoft including its IPTV projects.
After former Windows chief Kevin Johnson's departure to become CEO of Juniper Networks, DeVaan was scooted into a parallel position to that of Sinofsky. As the company now describes, Sinofsky is now in charge of engineering both the Windows and Windows Live platforms -- a job once thought to be spearheaded by Ozzie -- while DeVaan maintains responsibility for the "core" of the Windows OS.
Last May, Sinofsky was one of the first to speak publicly on the subject of Windows 7, telling reporters Microsoft still plans to maintain a three-year cadence for its operating systems. The lifespan for Windows Vista, he said at the time, began with its "general availability" as opposed to its release to manufacturing, which led many to conclude that Windows 7 would be scheduled for as soon as the winter of 2009. With that timeframe, serious beta testing and hardware compatibility engineering would have to begin immediately.
Follow the Server 2008 path. Make it modular as hell. As light or as fat as you like her.
Score: 0
|as fat as you like her.
I think we just learned more about you than we ever wanted to know... ;)
Score: 0
|I found more information at: http://www.theinquirer.n...8/08/15/windows-feature
Hehe, regards to the personal computer utensil...
Score: 0
|The inquirer? really? that's just bad form...
Score: 0
|OK, how about an O/S which does not require an anti-virus application, or at the least an anti-virus supplied with the O/S updated each day at no charge to the customer. I am using XP and find it to be a pretty good operating system. If I bought a system today, I would think Vista, with a little tweaking, should be fine enough. Plan on 4GB of RAM and a decent CPU. Will more like skip Vista and go directly to Windows7. This time I may also consider Ubuntu, which is quite user friendly, unlike early Linux. I do a bit of work with digital images, lots of Internet, and some spreadsheets, so really I could live and live well with any of today's O/S. Not doing movies and creating music, which I take it to be a strong part of Mac capabilities.
The more simple it is to find settings for making changes to the O/S the better. Seemed like from Win3.1 to the current software, the hardest thing is finding where to change things. OK, amateurs changing some settings can be hazardous to your system ;-/ Seems like Linux runs software pretty cleanly, and without anti-virus. Perhaps a Windows7 with bells and whistles, and a Windows7 Lean, as in speed and little fluff, which could run without anti-virus apps. is the dream O/S team.
Score: 0
|No OS technically *requires* an AV solution. Though, even OS X and Linux distros all offer AV solutions. Most virus infections could be prevented by users utilizing 'common sense'.
I'm with you about skipping Vista...XP works just fine for me.
Score: 0
|Microsoft did at one time bundle an AntiVirus application...I wouldn't doubt if someone didn't sue it out of them like the rest of their software. The only reason Windows doesn't come with everything you need (And a higher price tag) is because of anti-monopolistic legislation. So in the end, the consumer is left with a less functional OS. As far as an AntiVirus, I do not run one on my personal laptop and never have. Your OS only needs an AntiVirus if it's user doesn't know how to not be careless.
Score: 0
|"OK, how about an O/S which does not require an anti-virus application,"
we had that years ago, it was called IBM OS/2 Warp. the way it was structured, it was impossible for a virus to exist past the single open instance of the application the virus was on. close that window and the virus was eliminated.
"Perhaps a Windows7 with bells and whistles, and a Windows7 Lean, as in speed and little fluff, which could run without anti-virus apps. is the dream O/S team."
I like the idea, a stripped down version of windows 7, just the basics, no pretty fluff, no bloat, and hardware requirements WAY below that of the full blown bloatdows 7.. of course the price would be significantly lower as well... ahhh, lovely dream, wont happen. MS says we need all this crap whether we want it or not and will charge us out the *** for it ... MS knows better than we do what we need.
Score: 0
|Not even close.
They could bundle anything they wanted to, so long as they did it right. This means they cannot install it by default, but simply make it an option. Utilize Windows and Windows Live. The OS would be the basic system by which one would access the greater functionality of their computers, and Windows Live would be the place they would go to download/install the Microsoft tools they wanted to use. Windows Live, for that matter, could be integrated right into "Programs and Features" (The new Add/Remove Programs).
**OR**
They could use the CD as a repository and allow you to install any of their applications you wish post-Windows Install.
Neither of those options would be considered anti-monopolistic. Neither of them locks in the user.
Score: 0
|Wah Wah, I hate Vista, Wah Wah
Score: 0
|For there sake, it better be much improved over than that crap Vista. Hopefully they learned there lessons.
Score: 0
|Now tell me what you didnt like about Vista? And be specific.
Score: 0
|He cant because he has probably never used it or has a task bar filled with additions and wonders why he gets popup ads while he does his online banking.
Score: 0
|Ya fookin Ferret,
Don't ya realise that Vista is thsheets, what's ya name gremlin, ya ever get outa the shadows?
Vista, can be ok on 64 bits, whatever the fook that means, but it does seem to work on many bits, nuthin else but.
an speakin of buts 64 bit pieces of s***e driver's are available.
Sorry ya fookin Ferrent, got caught up an a rant like yours.
Score: 0
|Hey, useless, retarded chimp!
Try this:
Get some razor-wire, a stool, a webcam, and some crazy-clue. Standing on the stool, tie both ends of the wire to the rafters in your garage. Twist the remainder so that it forms a circle and stick your head through it. Now, crazy-glue your hands to your head, have your mom hit 'record', and jump off the stool.
Then, not only would you be the proud poster of the dumbest comments on this site, you'd have been the first person *ever* to "rip their own head off", along with the added bonus of removing your sorry a** from our gene pool.
I see a Darwin award in your future, boy!
Score: 0
|HA lmao
Score: 0
|Is a link to the blog too much to ask, Scott?
Score: 0
|here's some feedback ......i want a stable and FAST OS
firefiox as the default
Score: 0
|I'm seeing it in the first line (http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/), unless that wasn't there when you posted your comment. ;-)
Score: 0
|Ditch your Pentium III for some modern hardware...Vista IS fast and stable!
Score: 0
|Why should we? :P Vista needs modern hardware. no Vista, no need.
Score: 0
|Because the tech sector would like to keep their jobs. Just think how many people Microsoft would have to lay off if they stopped making Windows. Then think how many people Intel, NVidia, Dell, HP, and on and on would have to lay off if you didn't buy a new computer every so often.
Score: 0
|Not Intel. I've seen their television ads. A bunch of computerized assembly lines, with chips that talk to each other, and get happy to be installed in some PC...
Score: 0
|LOL for a minute I thought it was the other paul on here who likes vista.
Score: 0
|Vista is easily over 2x as fast as XP(unless you are running crap hardware) and you can have FF installed in about 2-3 minutes.
Score: 0
|lol, it would be nice if XP or Vista booted as fast as OS X. I've got RedHat and Ubuntu running...both much more stable than any Windows OS, but they still don't boot as fast as OS X.
As for fast, my XP is pretty fast. Not as rich as OS X, but definitely faster than any Linux distro.
And as for FF as the default...you're kidding, right? I mean, I love FireFox. I'm running 3.0 right now as my default browser... But to think that any company, when they already make their own browser, would use a competing company's browser as their DEFAULT? Or even install it? That's just laughable.
Score: 0
|Indeed it is. So many of the complainers haven't actually used Vista or have only used only used it on crap hardware that isn't as Vista "capable" as advertised. It was without a doubt a mistake not to have it scale down better. However, once you meet the requirements it's a solid improvement over XP. Much more stable and plenty of great improvements. Just not enough eye candy for the masses or visible tech goodies for the nerdier ones among us.
As for the A/V comment, it's pretty simple: don't use IE and don't be an idiot with your e-mail.
Score: 0
|My Vista machine boots faster than my iBook, as does an old laptop I have running xp. I am not Mac bashing but lets be realistic, Apple is not like the savior of the computing world or anything, there ARE problems with OSX (Regardless of what the fanboys would have you believe).
Did you expect Vista, a product with far more features than Windows XP to boot as fast? What is this "richness" you speak of? Explain. How to can we be as "Rich" as OSX....I love how people use terms like that when talking about Macs. Its a "stellar" experience....wow
I agree with statement 3.
Score: 0
|You do realize that vista itself is stable out of the box too right? Any OS is stable out of the box, its only when the user is thrown into the mix that things start becoming unstable. I've seen linux have just as many stability problems from unknowledgable users.
Score: 0
|Not there when I posted. :)
Score: 0
|Right.
Who wants to have stable, realiable, fast hardware?
We just want an OS we can run on a 386 with full 3D interface elements that can run everything we throw at it....really fast!
*yawn*
If you don't need something better than a pentium 3, you don't need a computer. :)
Score: 0
|Commodore GeOS.
Score: 0
|I'm with you...Vista is stable right out of the box and a lot better than XP in most instances. The fact is that Vista has so many anti-Microsoft malcontents dogging it right now that it wouldn't matter if MS put out the most perfect OS ever dreamed of...the anti-MS side would still find fault with it.
As far as compatibility issues with hardware and software, let's not forget that many of these problems came about not because of MS, but because software and hardware companies were very slow to the starting gate. Creative is the perfect example of this as it is only just now providing us with certain drivers for Vista! nVidia, on the other hand, was right there with drivers even in the early infancy of Vista's development.
Score: 0
|PC_Tool,
Are you asking for a link?
"Flame Throwers'", the Omniscient One "PC_Tool", has just asked for a link.
Pardon me, I feel so humbled, that he asks for a link when he would in the normal device of things be saying "Georgia, Georgia on Mind", any excuse for "Shock and Awe".
Humble regards to all.
Score: 0
|Boy!
The release of Vista must have moved the Earth for you, somewhat sadly in the minority whatcha gonna do in 12 months when 7 is released, will that shake your earth too baby, and if it does can I quote you spiel for what will be a redundant OS?
The problem with fanbois is their lack of memory beyond the immediacy.
Ah, well no hands, no brains & so is. Self perpetuating.
Score: 0
|Did you just yawn, if so go away!
Score: 0
|What earthshattering things has Ubuntu accomplished with its last 4 releases?
Snow Leopard is going to be mainly tweaking the OS so what you would call a redundant OS...
7 isn't even out yet its just being tossed around for ideas...
Score: 0
|Why do you bother?
Score: 0
|