Windows 7 On The Horizon

Windows 7 is receiving the finishing touches that will allow release to partners in the near future so they can tailor their products to the new operating system according to sources close to Microsoft. Part of this is a feature that will allow the new version of Windows to run in a pre-Vista XP Mode. This capability, however, may be subject to a variety of hardware considerations.

Microsoft release Windows 7 beta about 4 months ago now but there was no hint of this Vista Mode. The inclusion in the upcoming release was confirmed only a couple of weeks ago in a Windows blog. This XP mode will apparently run in virtual mode using technology acquired by Microsoft from Connectix back in 2003.

Virtual mode technology has seemed to cause problems for some legacy database applications in Windows Vista. But there are indications Widows 7 first objective is to deal with the shortcomings of it's predecessor and short sitedness of Microsoft. Techs at The Register released a review earlier today that sounds encouraging. On their test machine, with 3mg ram, they report annoying delays that frustrated may users has been reduced without compromising stringent security restrictions that were the source of Vista performance problems. We can expect a great deal more information regarding Microsoft's success in overcoming Vista's shortcomings as well as the hardware considerations mentioned above as we see the multitude of reviews that are sure to follow this latest release of the new operating system.

Windows 7 versions will mimic Windows Vista Flavors. Virtual XP will only be available with Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. More to follow test results, price and licensing information becomes available.