Steve Ballmer announces Windows 7 Beta

"I'm excited to announced we're releasing the beta of Windows 7 -- you can get it right now." "And we'll make it available worldwide."

Steve Ballmer has just announced the official public beta for Windows 7 at CES 2009.

It will be available January 9th at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7

[Matix]

Not sure what Ballmer meat when he said "You can get it right now", because technically we still have to wait a couple days. Oh well.

[Neoraf]

"You can get it right now" = speaking to the audience and tech media.

"We'll make it available worldwide on Friday." = Everyone else.

[Saint Sony]

...

[Shadow Man]

I love this company!

[Blasphemy]

That's nice have they ever done this before?

I am using XP would I be able to use Vista beta then switch back to XP if I wanted to?

[Lumbo]

Yes, with WindowsXP and Windows2000. Both had broad public beta releases (you had to register though)

[Dawn_Of_Ashes]

Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers

[Lumbo]

I guess i'll abstain. I have low interest in using Alpha-level software on my PC. Though release seems to be not so far off with a public beta already on the way. Maybe summer 09 ?

[dragunrising]

I don't think a beta can be an alpha at the same time...otherwise "we" the public probably wouldn't be previewing it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the software is beta.

[Lumbo]

Considering that the retail version of every windows so far only reached the quality of a beta version from any other developer i call a windows beta, alpha grade software from the normal software standards. No other company could dare to release a software with that many critical errors and lable it "beta" with a straight face ...

[dragunrising]

Lumbo...opinion doesn't count for fact. Regardless of your opinion of Windows, for all purposes of nomenclature, it is a beta. Judging from your comments its doesn't appear you would be interested in any Windows product anyway. Why bother?

On topic: 1 day before public beta

[thereapersson]

Maybe when I get my other HDD I'll install this on it and see what it's all about. Does anyone know the RAM requirements for Windows 7?

[Lumbo]

Less than vista if you can believe the PR

[paul-p1988]

WOH, WOH, WOH!! is M$ giving something away for free??? as in, not asking for money?? is satan on skis this morning as he gets to the office???

im actually shocked, they charge to play online with the 360, charge you to absolutly ruin your computer (or 'upgrade to Windows Vista' as they call it), but now they are giving it away for free!!

Has Balmer finally realised that people only buy stuff worth buying then...

[militant07]

what is the system requirment could anyone tell me please ?

[paul-p1988]

apparently, dont quote me on this, its somewhere between vista and XP, as its less memory hungry than Vista, but slightly more powerful than XP, so im having an educated guess at saying u can probably run it on a 2mhz single core processor, 1gb RAM computer, 256mb graphics card, that sort of thing

[Blasphemy]

Minimum Requirements:

1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
1GB of main memory
16GB of available disk space
Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface)