Windows 7 beta version leaked

A trial version of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 operating system (OS) has been floated on the internet over the weekend, surfacing on numerous peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing networks called torrents.

The beta version of Windows 7, reportedly build 7000, surfaced across torrent sites that typically share pirated content including music and software. Reports had originally said that Microsoft would release the beta version of Windows 7 at its MSDN developers' conference in January, with the final version slated for around early 2010.

Microsoft had first unveiled Windows 7 features at its Los Angeles Professional Developers Conference in October. The company seems keen to release the OS soon, though it has formally pegged the shipping date for early 2010. Reports said that the January release of a beta version could well mean that Windows 7 would launch around late 2009.

Windows 7 will build on core components from Vista, and will have a touch interface that, when used with the appropriate screen would recognise gestures to complete tasks, such as pinching the screen that would close documents or manipulate images.

Windows 7 was also reported to have a version that will support ultraportable netbooks. After a misstep in foreseeing that the market for notebooks would move towards the ultraportable internet connectivity-oriented netbooks that can't run its huge Vista, Microsoft is looking come up with a version of its forthcoming Windows 7 operating system that would be able to work on netbook PCs.

Netbooks are low-power consumption systems that have caught like wildfire specially in educational use and emerging markets. They are also eating into a significant chunk of the home computer or desktop market, which is traditionally where Microsoft's last operating system, the widely disdained Vista, was to work. Since the high power PCs have made way for low power, light systems, Microsoft will have no option but to follow suit.

Reports and blogs ponder that Microsoft may have intentionally gone about this so called "leak" as a marketing tactic. The move is being thought of as "logical" and the timing "perfect" from a marketing perspective, given that the build hit the BitTorrent network sometime around Saturday, just after Christmas. The timing was ideal as Windows geeks would have had nothing better to do at this time, and bloggers and journalists had not much "breaking news" or hot leads to write about. The leaked build is designated "7000," strongly suggesting that the code is identical to the forthcoming Beta 1, or very close to it.

For its part, Microsoft too may not be entirely upset with the leak. The company has started asking its partners to commence work on Windows 7 product development as soon as they possibly can in a bid to avoid the kind of compatibility problems that plagued its launch of the Windows Vista in January 2007.

When Windows Vista launched in January 2007, a number of hardware manufacturers did not have compatibile drivers in place, which eventually resulted in an avalanche of bad media for Vista that turned off businesses and consumers from adopting the OS. Drivers enable hardware components to communicate with a computer's operating system.

However, earlier in December, chip maker Intel announced a pre-production version of Windows 7 drivers for graphics chipsets aimed at "enabling the full Windows 7 experience" that was the result of ongoing collaboration with Microsoft. That announcement is also in line with Microsoft's request for partners and hardware manufacturers to start testing their devices on Windows 7, "as soon as" the first beta version becomes available.