Windows 7 - Build 6801 Already Leaks

I won't give out any information on where you can get the file, but, suffice it to say, it appears at least one attendee of PDC couldn't keep their software to themselves, and decided to put build 6801, or Windows 7's M3 build (the 32-bit version only at the time of this post), out into the open.

This should come as no shock to anyone really, considering some that attended PDC had certainly no allegiance to Microsoft, and no reason to hold back on letting everyone else join in the fun. Build 6933, which some feel could be the Beta 1 version Microsoft releases either later in '08, or in early '09, will be a tougher find on torrent sites and elsewhere. This build has only been released for internal testing, and those that actually do have a copy certainly have a vested interest in making sure it doesn't go out.

Build 6933 screenshots, taken from PDC itself and posted on Teknobites, show an all new taskbar, a simplified interface for syncing external devices, and a cool graphical feature that entirely glasses open windows so that gadgets and other desktop items can be seen.

Windows 7 It Is

When it all comes down to it, I guess I agree with vice president of Windows product management Mike Nash, it "just makes sense." Windows 7 will be just that in production, "Windows 7," according to multiple sources, including Gregg Keizer over at Computerworld.

I am a bit surprised at the sudden decision to go with the build number as the final name of the OS, but there are some interesting customizations that could be had with such a name. One such customization could come in the form of turning the "v" in "Seven" into the number "7." As shown by this wallpaper, the "7" in Se7en sort of looks like a sideways "v," and could certainly make a pretty cool product package.

I would also imagine the change is coming simply due to Microsoft running out of ideas for arbitrary names (i.e., XP and Vista). Going to the build number makes more sense, but will it result in future name decimals such as Windows 3.1?

Windows Cloud: Bad Timing?

With all the hype surrounding Windows 7's Pre-Beta 1 being debuted at PDC, Microsoft definitely wouldn't do anything to steal the thunder from under the next version of their flagship product . . . or would they? Well, Steve Ballmer actually seems to have done just that by, likely prematurely, mentioning that Windows Cloud, a cloud-computing based OS, will also surface at PDC.

Despite mentioning the product, not a whole heck of a lot was mentioned about Windows Cloud by Ballmer, but it does appear as if it will compete directly with Google App Engine and Amazon EC2. Microsoft wants to go beyond just web-based application use within browser windows, and move onto integrating these apps with Windows Cloud.

So, what the heck does this all mean? As John Brandon mentions over at Computerworld, a "cloud" OS isn't really a tangible thing, but more of an idea. From what I understand, it would include an incredibly light infrastructure from the OS itself, and then have straight web-based apps that ran so that the system resources wouldn't be bogged down.

It almost sounds like Ballmer wants to turn Windows into a web-based form of Linux: a quick, stripped down OS where open source apps rule the world. I'm getting ahead of myself, thinking Microsoft would open up Windows Cloud to programmers galore . . . but I can dream, can't I?

Back to the timing of all this. Why would Ballmer drop this ball when Windows 7 is slated to be the focal point of the PDC? He dropped the news at a Microsoft-sponsored conference in London, and apparently went on to bash Google's web-based offering, saying that wants "software more powerful than software that runs in a browser."

Oh snap Steve! They're reeling at the Google HQ now. I'm a Microsoft guy, but he's gotta get past the jealousy, and recognize that Google has gotten to the "cloud" realm first, and is doing a pretty good job laying the foundation for web-based apps to come.