Windows 7? So which versions since 3.11 didn't count?

4 -> NT4?
5 -> 95?
6 -> 98?
7 -> ME?
8 -> XP?
9 -> Vista?

Maybe they should call it MS OS X.

Personally I think thats silly. The more I look at Vista, the more I see that NOTHING was changed under the hood.
Hell, Office 2007 is the same way. they tacked this fancy Ribbon on the top and claimed it's all new, but if you look all of the old screens are there just this stupid PITA Ribbon tacked on the top.

Tired of a "new version" that is just crap on the top of crap.

Oh come on Microsoft, be brave!

In three years time, you won't be able to buy a 32-bit processor. Can you even buy one now (excluding ebay?). It's also unlikely that this new OS would run to any acceptable level on any 32-bit system that is still around by then.

So given all that, why are you even offering a 32/64-bit choice here? You realise that there is zero real incentive for people to develop 64-bit drivers at the moment for the desktop. This essentially means that you are developing a 64-bit version that no one will use on the desktop.

If you were to instead force people to use 64-bit drivers by getting rid of the 32-bit option, you'd find that people did it without even thinking about it.

OK, so I know that some Joe or Jane will want their 10 year old webcam to just work, but I can handle that just fine :-)

It will happen. MS has learned its lesson with Vista. They will pull the same BS as Apple.

Apple releases a new version of OS X every 2-3 years that has bug fixes and some updates to it.......and charges $150 for it.

MS releases a new version Windows every 4-5 years...gives you 2-4 service packs for free that have bug fixes and updates to it.

MS waits so long they feel they have to do some major update.

Now they will be like apple....Windows versions every 2-3 years...no service packs but just patches for bug critcal bug fixes and charge you less for the new version.

Just today to stiffle the "Vista SP1 beta" that was supposed to be released this week they said it was a typo...and that everyone needs to stop thinking "Service Packs" because Vista will give you updates.....just like Apple. If you get people to stop thinking service packs, and give them incremental updates via "new versions" they will buy it when it rolls out....no more wait until the first SP before moving to the new OS.

I don't think I'd wanna "subscribe" to an OS, so I will have to migrate for sure this time around if they go too far with that.

I've nuked a number of posts for potty-mouth. If the offending users keep it up, they'll be banned, too.

....but to be honest the only thing I would like to see XP have from Vista is the sandbox isolation mode for IE that UAC provides.

XP has that.

Mods, I thought this was supposed to be a family friendly site? I am more and more not wanting to read it because of some of the language I see here.

I don't understand why everyone freaks out about "no service packs" in the first place...it's not like a service pack is any more than security updates anymore.

It may be called Windows 7 internally but to consumers it will be known as Vista ME.

just moved to XP from 98SE only last week.

- figure XP will be good enough for the next 9 yrs.

Vista Smista....you can keep it.

wake up people, when is "good enough" "Good enough"

a. when it is actually "good enough"

b. when you are told you must fix something that ain't broke, buy something that you already have, get the latest and greatest that does the same thing the early version did......................

.............

its not rocket science - just common sense.

Mac OS X for PC.

That is all.

Not to beat a dead horse, but Windows 7 will essentially be Vista SP3.

They can call it Windows 7. I prefer Windows 2012.

That's amusing. If they pull it off, I might happen to skip Vista altogether! (Though, along with many others here, my skepticism remains firmly in place.)

If they actually do manage that, odds are better than even that I'll never use Vista--not out of any inherent hate for it, just for lack of a reason to upgrade before the next three years is up.

I dont see why they cant manage this. It will be a massage of the vista code, so that should speed thigns up.....and despite the fact it took them so long sine XP to relase, they did effectively restart vista from scratch in 2004, meaning they completed it in under 3 years.

Windows Media Player 7

I'll believe it when I see it in retail package. Until then, they can spew whatever crap they want - it ain't happening.

I'm going to confidently predict that 32-bit Windows 7 workstation will be nearly impossible to get unless you live in a 3rd-world country or have an MSDN subscription (and will really essentially be the last service pack for 32-bit Vista with the Windows 7 UI tacked on). 32-bit Windows 7 server just won't exist.

Will 32bit OSes even exist in 3 years...

The next version would be Windows 7 (7.0, Build 7000).

Lucky 7's. :)

I'm not sure I would hold my breath on that.

"Windows 7"...? that just doesn't sound right. I would be surprised. But then again, I thought "Vista" sounded a little fruity.