Windows 7 - More of the same
In light of the widely held negative perceptions regarding the quality of Windows Vista, will Microsoft make radical and innovative architectural changes to the next version of Windows? Nah:
…the long-term architectural investments we introduced in Windows Vista and then refined for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 will carry forward in Windows 7. Windows Vista established a very solid foundation, particularly on subsystems such as graphics, audio, and storage. Windows Server 2008 was built on that foundation and Windows 7 will be as well. Contrary to some speculation, Microsoft is not creating a new kernel for Windows 7. Rather, we are refining the kernel architecture and componentization model introduced in Windows Vista. While these changes will increase our engineering agility, they will not impact the user experience or reduce application or hardware compatibility.
Meanwhile, the popular new class of cheap ultra-small laptops like the Asus EEE won’t even run Vista, and Microsoft is only grudgingly keeping XP available for these devices.
[Via the Windows Vista Blog]
