Microsoft’s plan was simple: Steve Ballmer takes the CES keynote from Bill Gates, and all the guests receive a copy of Windows 7 Beta 1, followed by on-line distribution on Monday after CES (Jan 12, 2009). However, the moment Windows 7 B1 went into reproduction – ISO image was leaked online. And yes, it is quite a hit in the world of torrents.
Most popular sites like The Pirate Bay, isoHunt and ArenaBG are peaking with requests from users that are dying to see what Windows 7 is all about. Colleagues at ZDnet also didn’t stay astray; they downloaded the latest version (6.1.7000.0.081212-1400) as well, and posted a very detailed preview. Judging by their feedback, this beta is so stable that Microsoft does not need to work on W7 anymore. Given by sour taste left by Vista, I could not agree more. C’mon Microsoft, release this baby as soon as possible.
When it comes to release date, it seems that my sources were dead right and that this operating system is on track with release in August 2009, in time for Back to School. Will we see 22 and 24″ touch screens from Dell, HP and others in tandem with W7? That remains to be seen.
Oh right, if you want to download the beta version of Windows 7, you have to have bit-torrent client installed. Personally, I prefer to use µTorrent (microtorrent). Be warned, as with all beta software, I am not responsible if you mess up your computer in any way. But if you don’t have at least two partitions (dedicated one for the OS, other for data and apps), chances are that you are not the best candidate to evaluate beta software. 😉
