In one of the posts on the MSDN Blogs ,the product manager working along with the Windows Update team discussed about what’s coming in the next version of Windows.The post was quickly removed by Microsoft, though we were able to get the catched file of the page. He stated that the next version of Windows,would be completely different from the previous operating system released by Microsoft.

Here is what the page read-

One of the great (or maybe not so great) things of being at Microsoft is that every other person wants to ask you why Windows works the way it does. Since I’m part of the Windows update team I get asked even more why does my machnie reboot everytime there is an update and why are there so many updates. So naturally once Windows 7 shipped, my friends, neighbours, relatives, and whoever else you can imagine started asking me So whats next?

Folks started asking me whats in Windows 8 – and the first thing I have to say is that I resonate Steven Sinofsky’s interview on who said we’re calling it Windows 8? I agree with Steven that till things are baked there is no point floating ideas since it leaves people frustrated when things don’t turn out the way they expected. The Windows team promised to deliver a smarter, faster and more user friendly OS with Windows 7 and they delivered just that – the latest quaterly results of Microsoft are a clear indication that Windows 7 has been a success and customers got what Microsoft had promised them! The plan is to use a similar approach for the next version of Windows and till things are finalized you’re not going to get a "marketing" name from us:)

So how am I referring to the next version of Windows without saying that many words – well simple – Windows.next:) This is definitely not the official version but a version that is becoming common along my circle. So what are our plans for this next version…

The minimum that folks can take for granted is that the next version will be something completly different from what folks usually expect of Windows – I am simply impressed with the process that Steven has setup to listen to our customers needs and wants and get a team together than can make it happen. To actually bring together dozens and dozens of teams across Microsoft to come up with a vision for Windows.next is a process that is surreal! The themes that have been floated truly reflect what people have been looking for years and it will change the way people think about PCs and the way they use them. It is the future of PCs…

Thats about it for this post for the time being – I know I’m not sharing much at this point but right now I can’t as we work towards finalizing that vision. Feel free to post your comments on what you think Windows.net should be like!

Wzor has once again published a couple of screenshots for post Windows 7 build,build 7700,which may mark the beginning of Windows 8.As some of you might be unfamiliar, Microsoft usually start with the current version of Windows and the changes are reflected just in the build numbers.

The site further adds that Microsoft has compiled the following builds in January

7691.0.100106-1825
7692.0.100107-1735
7693.0.100111-1820
7694.0.100113-1753
7695.0.100114-1855
7696.0.100115-1725
7700.0.100122-1900

Here are the details of the build 7700

MICROSOFT WINDOWS SERVER 2008 R2 POST RTM Build 7700
FILE: 7700.0.100122-1900_x64fre_server_en-us_VL-GRMSXVOL_EN_DVD.iso
SIZE: 3,064,651,776 byte
SHA1: 587076ADBA10F47DB5E59597CBEBB10AB0236741
MD5: 6E9EBB5615CA0E80B1199A12F929178D
CRC: 319B2D13

MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 POST RTM BUILD 7700
FILE: 7700.0.100122-1900_x64fre_client_en-us-GRMCXFRE_EN_DVD.iso
SIZE: 3,231,166,464 byte
SHA1: C0CB719B781D49B39D8CC93A27F990A366B8E4C7
MD5: EBEB8AEC73339536564D26DB584A9474
CRC: B3F323D6

Here are the screenshots of Build 7700

Chris Green , a product manager at Microsoft,has published a roadmap,estimating the  Product Support Life Cycles for various product. He has not just published the life cycle of various released products but have even mentioned about the Windows8,Windows Server 2012 and several other upcoming products.

Some important dates which was published in the roadmap are

Windows 8

• Support normal: 1st July 2011 to 1st July 2016
• Extended Support: 1 July 2016 to 1 July 2021

Windows Server 2012

• Support normal: July 2, 2012 to June 30, 2017
• Extended support: July 3, 2017 to 1 July 2022

So,if going by these dates,the RTM version of Windows 8 would be available by July 2011. Windows 8 being a major release, a radical change is expected and it seems bit impossible that Windows 8 would be RTMed by July 2011.

Chris has clearly posted below the pdf file that This information is provided as a guide only and is likely to contain errors so we may hope some changes in the roadmap.

Download the Roadmap Here

via PC Inpact and Ma-config.com

In one of the posts on the Microsoft official facebook page for students,Microsoft is asking the students about their opinions and suggestions for the next generation OS codenamed Windows 8. The post reads as

You’ve all seen the ads, "Windows 7 was my idea". On that premise, what is your opinion on what should be included in the next release of Windows?

The link added their redirects to the Microsoft Student lounge page  which reads as follow:

What’s your opinion? What features do you think need to be in Windows 8?

You’ve all seen the ads, "Windows 7 was my idea".

On that premise, what is your opininon on what should be included in the next release of Windows?

Sky is the limit … thinking about the development platform, the usability, the visual aspects.  What do you think Microsoft needs to include in Windows 8?

Can’t wait to see your comments!

Some innovative comments have been posted by the students, so if want any feature to be included in Windows 8,be sure to leave a comment here.

According to the recent job post on the Microsoft career site, the next generation of Windows User Interface and User experience is coming to Windows 8.It would be pretty interesting to see what Microsoft includes in the next version of Windows.

Software Development Engineer in Test – Windows

Job Category: Software Engineering: Test
Location: United States, WA, Redmond
Job ID: 706665 11055
Product: Windows 
Division: Windows Division

Do you want to play an integral part in building the next generation User Experience for Windows? Do you want to work on cutting edge user interface technologies which will be used on screens across the world? Are you passionate about testing? If so, we want you to be on the Windows User Experience Test Team!
Your opening awaits to work alongside a strong team of talented SDETs to develop robust automated and manual test collateral, define and refine test tools and methodologies, and work closely with dev and pm counterparts to shape features that will be used by millions of customers. You will be responsible for ensuring quality on a high-impact feature set, responding to internal customer feedback, and helping to expand the depth and scope of testing within the User Experience team. Opportunities to work with both internal and external windows partners to build and deliver on the next-generation UI are significant.
Beyond the above, you’ll have abundant opportunities to grow and expand your personal technical abilities and leadership skills. Successful candidates will have expertise with C++ or C#, working knowledge of .Net Framework, HTTP, and other related technologies, strong coding/debugging skills, understanding of the software development process and demonstrated success working in a fast paced environment. Applicants must have 3+ years of experience in an SDET role and a passion for developing end-user experiences.

Thanks to Codename Windows for the info.

The guys over at Geeksmack have posted some of the build strings ahead of the Windows 7 RTM.

The build strings are:

7650.0.090917-1843 17.09.2009 18:43
7651.0.090924-1802 24.09.2009 18:02
7656.0.091015-0833 15.10.2009 08:33
7658.0.091019-1850 19.10.2009 18:50
7659.0.091020-1830 20.10.2009 18:30
7660.0.091021-1736 21.10.2009 17:36
7661.0.091022-1755 22.10.2009 17:55
7662.0.091023-1645 23.10.2009 16:45
7664.0.091027-1825 27.10.2009 18:25

Geeksmack reads that they have got the builds via very credible source within Microsoft but anything shouldn’t be taken for granted.We know that Windows 7 has been released just couple of months back and their were rumors regarding Windows 7 SP1 so these builds may pertain to SP1.

We would post more information regarding the same as and when available.

As already some news have started coming regarding Windows 8,so today we thought of publishing some of the unofficial wallpapers available on net,and collecting them at one place..

To download the wallpapers just click on each of the thumbnails

The credit goes to the creators of these wallpapers