Hardware

Windows 7 RC Useful for 13 Months.

Get the RC and use it for more than a year, if you want. Microsoft has officially made available the Release Candidate for Windows 7 to all MSDN and TechNet subscribers. The rest of the public will be getting their chance to download the disc image next week on May 5. Like all pre-release software, itò€™s free. Itò€™s a mutually beneficial relationship between developer and user. The user gets to use the software for free in exchange for providing the developer with valuable test data and feedback. Windows 7 Release Candidate is a little bit different from previous Microsoft pre-release software in its validity period, stretching past one year long. Documentation for the Windows 7 RC says that the OS wonò€™t expire until June 1, 2010 ò€“ giving users 13 months of licensed use from software. Itò€™s a particularly lengthy testing period allowance, given that the Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 expires on August 1, 2009 with bi-hourly shutdowns beginning July 1, 2009. The longest testing period for a Windows Vista RC was nine months, stretching from September 2006 to June 2007. Microsoft doesnò€™t need to give the Windows 7 RC such a long testing allowance. After all, Microsoft has said that the final version of Windows 7 will hit three years after Vista, making it January 2010. A nine month window would have been fine for real testing and feedback purposes. Given the enthusiast response and reception to Windows 7, however, Microsoftò€™s motive for giving the new RC such a long testing period could be to get users hooked on using the new OS. The longer the testing window, the longer users will continue using it ò€“ and by the time the final version hits retail, thatò€™ll in turn give testers more chances to pony up the cash for the license. Furthermore, unlike the public beta, Microsoft wonò€™t be restricting the number of downloads of the RC. Is this a case of Microsoft being charitable, or simply just the companyò€™s way of wiping the bad memories of Vista off as many computers as possible? Let us know what you think.


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