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Windows 7: How to Get the Release Candidate

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

On Tuesday, Microsoft will post Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) for the general public.

The milestone is important, since it’s the one-and-only release candidate Microsoft will issue for Windows 7, making it the last public stop on the operating system’s brief tour before it ships.

And when will that be? Microsoft’s not saying, though at least one executive recently broke with past practice and admitted it’s possible that Windows 7 would be out in time for the holidays. We’re betting it shows up sometime between Aug. 28 and Sept. 20, dates based on the past pace from RC to final for Windows XP and Vista.

Windows 7 RC is also an important-to-get preview, because –while it’s not final code — you’ll be able to use it until June 2010, more than a year away. Microsoft’s largess has never been larger.

Nor, apparently, have its ambitions been greater, since Windows 7 must simultaneously pry people away from Windows XP while masking the odor left behind by Vista.

Has Microsoft pulled it off? Our reviewer said “RC1 is stable enough and fast enough that it’s well worth the download,” which, though not a ringing endorsement, is encouraging.

So you’ll want to grab a copy and try it out, decide whether you’ll — finally — ditch XP or give up on Vista. But where can you get it, how do you install it, what do you need to run it and can you upgrade from the beta or from Vista or from XP?

Thank you to PCWorld

Apple-Twitter Deal: Just a Rumor?

Ian Paul

What happens when two super-hyped tech companies collide in the rumor mill? You get a Tweetintosh. That’s right folks, the rumor mongers are saying that Apple is in late stage talks to acquire Twitter for as much as $700 million. The Mac maker is reportedly hoping to have a deal in place with Twitter by June 8 in time for Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.

Apple + Twitter = ????

While an Apple acquisition of Twitter may sound interesting, it doesn’t make sense to me. It’s true that Apple has a habit of snapping up smaller, successful companies; however, Apple also has a habit of buying companies that compliment its strengths. Last summer, for example, Apple bought computer chip maker P.A. Semi and has been recently hiring chip-making talent from other companies. The reasoning behind the computer chip push is for Apple to achieve greater control over all aspects of its product line, and to ramp up the gaming abilities of the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Chip making and gaming may be a daring move for Apple, but these ideas still make sense since they enhance Apple’s core businesses: Mac computers, iPods and the iTunes Store, and the iPhone. Twitter, on the other hand, is a Web-based business that does not fall within any of Apple’s three main businesses, and Twitter has no known business plan to make money.

Grasping at Straws

Some are suggesting that Apple wants to acquire Twitter so that it can learn about Web development from the hottest Web property du jour. But have you looked at Twitter’s Web site lately? I’ve seen WordPress blogs with more innovative designs. Of course, Twitter’s appeal is its real-time search engine and instantaneous communications, but reliability has often been a problem for Twitter, and Apple has already mastered its own version of the fail whale with last year’s Mobile Me debacle.

Sorry folks, but Twitter has rejected offers from Facebook and possibly Google. Those two companies were in a position to use Twitter to enhance their businesses and even make some money off of the micro-blogging company. Apple, by comparison, has no clear motive to buy Twitter, and no possible use for Twitter under Apple’s current business plan.

Like any other Apple rumor, the company’s acquisitions have a tendency to venture into the ridiculous. Take, for example, another rumor out today that Apple might buy videogame maker Electronic Arts. I don’t believe this rumor either, but considering Apple’s recent interest in computer chips and gaming, an EA acquisition makes far more sense than a Twitter purchase.

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Microsoft’s Windows 7 Release Candidate Goes Public

Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

The near-final version of Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 7, became available late Monday to the general public.

Microsoft will collect feedback on the Windows 7 release candidate over the next few months, fixing small issues. The company allowed developers and other testers to begin downloading the release candidate last week.

Windows 7 comes nearly three years after Windows Vista, which took five years for Microsoft to engineer but was regarded by some as underwhelming. Microsoft hasn’t said when the final Windows 7 version will be released, although it’s rumored to be out before year’s end.

Microsoft warned it is not offering technical support for the Windows 7 release candidate, so those who install it are on their own. Users should be familiar with installing an operating system from scratch, formatting a hard drive and backing up data, among other skills, Microsoft advised.

In the Windows 7 release notes, Microsoft warns of several problems that haven’t been resolved, including issues with its latest Web browser, Internet Explorer 8 (IE8).

Debugging JavaScript with the developer tools in IE8 could throw up a warning that a Web site is not responding, but that warning can be ignored. Also, some Web pages may have misaligned text or missing images. Microsoft recommends clicking on the “compatibility view” button on the address bar as a fix.

Microsoft released the Windows 7 beta in Arabic and Hindi, but those languages have been replaced with French and Spanish in the release candidate. English is available for both versions.

“We needed to ensure certain features were tested for worldwide functionality, and Hindi and Arabic help us test a number of language-related features,” Microsoft said.

The Windows 7 release candidate will only work for so long. It is due to expire on June 1, 2010. Three months prior, the release candidate will automatically shut down a person’s computer after two hours.

The Window 7 beta expires on Aug. 1, and computers with that version will begin shutting themselves down after two hours beginning July 1.

Microsoft said that Windows Vista users will not need to reinstall their applications after upgrading to the Windows 7 release candidate. The company does, however, recommend backing up data as a precaution. Vista users will have to do a clean install, however, to go from the Windows 7 release candidate to the final version.

Windows XP users should back up their data and do a clean install of the Windows 7 release candidate.

To run the 32-bit version of the release candidate, a computer should have a 1 GHz or faster processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of hard disk space and a DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) 1.0 or higher driver.

For the 64-bit version, Microsoft recommends a 1 GHz or faster processor, 2GB of RAM, 20GB of hard disk space and a DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.

See also:

• “Windows 7: How to Get the Release Candidate“
• “A Tour of Windows 7 Beta” (video)
• “Windows 7 First Look: A Big Fix for Vista“
• “Windows 7 RC Adds Virtual XP Mode“
• “Microsoft Redefines the OS: Azure and Windows 7 Explained“
• “Microsoft Plans a Stripped-Down Windows 7“

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