Ars Technica reported Saturday that, as is happening suspiciously often lately, Microsoft accidently posted a page early over the weekend with information about an upcoming release. This time the page indicated that the Release Candidate (RC) for Windows 7 would be available to the public on May 5, and even sooner to TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network subscribers.
Surveys show that most businesses aren't planning to move to Windows 7 right away, but the OS has proven to be very popular—ever since the beta came out it seems like new interim builds of Windows 7 attract attention every week. Even if your shop isn't migrating, you're going to be asked about Windows 7 by family members and CFOs. So here are a few points to make sure you know about as the OS's launch approaches.
- Know what it looks like. How embarrassing would it be if a corporate higher-up shows up with a brand new laptop, asking about some feature, and you can't even find basic functions because you've never seen Windows 7? If you didn't try the Windows 7 beta and aren't going to mess with the RC, you should at least watch the video tour of Windows 7.
- Know what's new. Check out this list of new features in Windows 7. Also, remember Vista added a few features that will be new to users still on Windows XP, such as the Start menu search bar.
- Know your editions.There are going to be lots of editions of Windows 7, like Vista, but they're going to be different from Vista's editions. Check out this article for some advice on which edition you need or this one for in-depth analysis of the editions.
- Know everything about Windows 7. OK, maybe not everything, but Windows IT Pro has extensive coverage of the OS, from high-level overviews to in-depth technical questions, in its Windows 7 archive. And Paul Thurrott has covered many aspects of Windows 7 on his Windows 7 site.
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