Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Windows 7 was released to manufacturing (RTM) on July 22, 2009, with a retail availability set for October 22, 2009.

Unlike its predecessor, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 is intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows product line, with the goal of being fully compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible.

A few of us here at Patech have been running Windows 7 since the first beta’s were made available, right from the outset it was a solid, stable and reliable OS. Microsoft have gone to great lengths to try and forget Vista, an operating which by Microsoft standards was one of it’s weakest ever.

The mood at Microsoft seems (understandably) high about this release. It’s clear that lots of folks see this as the big, shiny band-aid for many of the Vista woes that people have been experiencing — and in many ways, that’s exactly what it is. If you’re at all curious about what Microsoft has been up to, you should absolutely grab this install and take it for a spin (when you can); there is a metric ton going on here, and it’s certainly worth taking a second look at.

“As for performance, I think Microsoft is going to surprise people. And if you’re working for an enterprise that hasn’t upgraded to Vista because it won’t run acceptably on your existing PCs, you’ll want to look again at Windows 7.”

Paul Thurrott, Supersite for Windows