Microsoft Corp. plans to hand the first beta of next-generation Windows 7 operating system to the attendees of its MSDN professional developer conference in January, 2009. It is a good news that Microsoft will release Windows 7 beta 1 in several weeks, but since the operating system is scheduled to be launched sometime in the second half of 2009, the release of Beta 1 seems to be somewhat late.

“All attendees will receive a Windows 7 Beta 1 DVD. Attendees at events scheduled for December will have DVDs mailed to them when they become available,” a statement by Microsoft reads.

Windows Vista operating system in beta 1 incarnation was released on July 27, 2007, around one and a half year before the release-to-manufacturing (RTM). In addition to beta 1, Microsoft also released community preview versions, beta 2, release candidates as well as pre-RTM versions.

Perhaps, since Windows 7 is an evolution of Windows Vista and does not differ much, Microsoft will not release too many versions of the OS before launching it in the second half of 2009. But if Microsoft will have to release many different versions of Windows 7 ahead of the commercial introduction, then the company may not meet expectations of some observers and industry executives who expect the next-gen Windows to hit the market sometimes in mid-2009.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows