Windows 7
Development history
Development history
-------------------

Originally, a version of Windows codenamed "**Blackcomb**" was planned as the successor to [Windows XP](/wiki/Windows_XP "Windows XP") and [Windows Server 2003](/wiki/Windows_Server_2003 "Windows Server 2003") in 2000\. Major features were planned for Blackcomb, including an emphasis on searching and querying data and an advanced storage system named [WinFS](/wiki/WinFS "WinFS") to enable such scenarios. However, an interim, minor release, codenamed "Longhorn," was announced for 2003, delaying the development of Blackcomb. By the middle of 2003, however, Longhorn had acquired some of the features originally intended for Blackcomb. After three major malware outbreaks—the [Blaster](/wiki/Blaster_worm "Blaster worm"), [Nachi](/wiki/Nachi_worm "Nachi worm"), and [Sobig](/wiki/Sobig_worm "Sobig worm") worms—exploited flaws in Windows operating systems within a short time period in August 2003, Microsoft changed its development priorities, putting some of Longhorn's major development work on hold while developing new [service packs](/wiki/Service_pack "Service pack") for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003\. [Development of Longhorn (Windows Vista)](/wiki/Development_of_Windows_Vista "Development of Windows Vista") was also restarted, and thus delayed, in August 2004\. A number of features were cut from Longhorn. Blackcomb was renamed **Vienna** in early 2006, and was later canceled in 2007 due to the scope of the project.

When released, [Windows Vista](/wiki/Windows_Vista "Windows Vista") was criticized for its [long development time](/wiki/Development_hell "Development hell"), performance issues, spotty compatibility with existing hardware and software at launch, changes affecting the compatibility of certain PC games, and unclear assurances by Microsoft that certain computers shipping with XP before launch would be "Vista Capable" (which led to a class\-action lawsuit), among other critiques. As such, the adoption of Vista in comparison to XP remained somewhat low. In July 2007, following the shelving of the Vienna project and six months following the public release of Vista, it was reported that the next version of Windows would then be codenamed Windows 7, with plans for a final release within three years. [Bill Gates](/wiki/Bill_Gates "Bill Gates"), in an interview with *[Newsweek](/wiki/Newsweek "Newsweek")*, suggested that Windows 7 would be more "user\-centric". Gates later said that Windows 7 would also focus on performance improvements. [Steven Sinofsky](/wiki/Steven_Sinofsky "Steven Sinofsky") later expanded on this point, explaining in the *Engineering Windows 7* blog that the company was using a variety of new tracing tools to measure the performance of many areas of the operating system on an ongoing basis, to help locate inefficient code paths and to help prevent performance regressions. [Senior Vice President](/wiki/Senior_Vice_President "Senior Vice President") Bill Veghte stated that [Windows Vista](/wiki/Windows_Vista "Windows Vista") users migrating to Windows 7 would not find the kind of device compatibility issues they encountered migrating from [Windows XP](/wiki/Windows_XP "Windows XP"). An estimated 1,000 developers worked on Windows 7\. These were broadly divided into "core operating system" and "Windows client experience", in turn organized into 25 teams of around 40 developers on average.

In October 2008, it was announced that **Windows 7** would also be the official name of the operating system. There had been some confusion over naming the product Windows 7, while versioning it as 6\.1 to indicate its similar build to Windows Vista and increase compatibility with applications that only check major version numbers, similar to [Windows 2000](/wiki/Windows_2000 "Windows 2000") and Windows XP both having 5\.x version numbers. The first external release to select Microsoft partners came in January 2008 with Milestone 1, build 6519\. Speaking about Windows 7 on October 16, 2008, [Microsoft](/wiki/Microsoft "Microsoft") CEO [Steve Ballmer](/wiki/Steve_Ballmer "Steve Ballmer") confirmed compatibility between [Windows Vista](/wiki/Windows_Vista "Windows Vista") and Windows 7, indicating that Windows 7 would be a refined version of Windows Vista.

At [PDC](/wiki/Professional_Developers_Conference "Professional Developers Conference") 2008, Microsoft demonstrated Windows 7 with its reworked [taskbar](/wiki/Taskbar "Taskbar"). On December 27, 2008, the Windows 7 Beta was leaked onto the Internet via [BitTorrent](/wiki/BitTorrent_%28protocol%29 "BitTorrent (protocol)"). According to a performance test by [ZDNet](/wiki/ZDNet "ZDNet"), Windows 7 Beta beat both [Windows XP](/wiki/Windows_XP "Windows XP") and Windows Vista in several key areas, including boot and shutdown time and working with files, such as loading documents. Other areas did not beat XP, including PC Pro benchmarks for typical office activities and video editing, which remain identical to Vista and slower than XP. On January 7, 2009, the [x64](/wiki/X64 "X64") version of the Windows 7 Beta (build 7000\) was leaked onto the web, with some torrents being infected with a [trojan](/wiki/Trojan_horse_%28computing%29 "Trojan horse (computing)"). At [CES](/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Show "Consumer Electronics Show") 2009, Microsoft CEO [Steve Ballmer](/wiki/Steve_Ballmer "Steve Ballmer") announced the Windows 7 Beta, build 7000, had been made available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers in the format of an ISO image. The stock wallpaper of the beta version contained a digital image of the [Betta fish](/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish "Siamese fighting fish").

The release candidate, build 7100, became available for MSDN and TechNet subscribers, and Connect Program participants on April 30, 2009\. On May 5, 2009, it became available to the general public, although it had also been leaked onto the Internet via [BitTorrent](/wiki/BitTorrent_%28protocol%29 "BitTorrent (protocol)"). The release candidate was available in five languages and expired on June 1, 2010, with shutdowns every two hours starting March 1, 2010\. Microsoft stated that Windows 7 would be released to the general public on October 22, 2009, less than three years after the launch of its [predecessor](/wiki/Windows_Vista "Windows Vista"). Microsoft released Windows 7 to MSDN and Technet subscribers on August 6, 2009\. Microsoft announced that Windows 7, along with [Windows Server 2008 R2](/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2 "Windows Server 2008 R2"), was released to manufacturing in the [United States](/wiki/United_States "United States") and [Canada](/wiki/Canada "Canada") on July 22, 2009\. Windows 7 build 7600\.16385\.090713\-1255, which was compiled on July 13, 2009, was declared the final [RTM](/wiki/Release_to_manufacture "Release to manufacture") build after passing all Microsoft's tests internally.


What is a Betta fish?