Windows 7 Announcements Expected at Microsoft Developer Conference
All eyes are on Microsoft this week as the company hosts its annual Professional Developers’ Conference in Los Angeles.
Microsoft traditionally uses the gathering to show off all the new technologies and software releases it has in the pipeline, and the 2008 edition is no exception. The main event will be Tuesday’s debut of Windows 7, Microsoft’s next desktop operating system and successor to Vista that’s expected to be released mid-2009.
The anticipation surrounding Windows 7 is already high. Many are viewing the release as Microsoft’s big chance to improve upon Vista’s many stumbles, both as an operating system and as a business milestone. Vista, which was released to customers a year and a half ago, has been roundly criticized as a buggy and half-baked OS, with many a Microsoft customer choosing to stay with the older, yet more stable and user-friendly Windows XP rather than upgrade.
Indeed, from what we know of Windows 7 so far, it looks like the OS will amount to a revamped and updated “take two” of Vista. We got to see some Windows 7 screenshots last month which look a lot like Vista, yet more refined. Windows 7 will even be based on the same kernel that’s in Vista, though Microsoft has promised enhancements and speed bumps. Microsoft has also chosen to dump some desktop applications like a native e-mail client and photo editing software from Windows 7 in order to concentrate on developing the core OS features, instead directing users to move to web-based Windows Live equivalents.
The company has started a public blog to track the development of the new OS. Earlier this month, Microsoft software engineer Ben Fathi used the blog to break the news that his team will be scaling back Vista’s famously over-protective security features for Windows 7.
Also expected to make a debut at the PDC is Microsoft’s new cloud computing and web services platform, which Redmond will likely position as an alternative to similar platforms like Google’s App Engine and Amazon’s EC2, AWS and SimpleDB.
On Wednesday, before the conference wraps up, we’ll hear from Microsoft Reasearch’s Rick Rashid, who heads up the company’s globally-distributed network of “skunk works” research labs. Rashid will deliver updates on surface computing technologies and other immersive media software currently in development.
Webmonkey will be on site from Monday through Wednesday to bring you all the latest news from the PDC. Check back often, or just subscribe to the feed for our Events category on the Monkey Bites blog.
