March 21, 2007

Blog reveals Microsoft’s plans for life after Vista

Details of next Windows operating system leaked on Internet

By Eric Lai, Computerworld

---

Information about Microsoft’s post-Vista plans for Windows has been released on the Web after a presentation was placed on the company's Web site by a Danish employee.

According to a PowerPoint presentation, which has now been removed from the Web, the software vendor plans to invest in four major areas in the next client version of Windows after Vista.

These include merged local, network and Internet search capabilities, improved wireless connectivity, management and security, extended data protection and management capabilities to peripheral devices and expanding usage monitoring for compliance.

Microsoft has already begun working on its next OS, and one executive indicated last month that the company

hopes to ship the follow-on during 2009 -- although Microsoft later issued a statement saying that it is "not giving official guidance to the public yet about the next version of Windows."

Some details of the PowerPoint presentation are contained on AeroXperience, an independent blog aimed at Windows Vista developers.

The AeroXperience posting says that two slides in the presentation contain information that "more than likely applies to 'Windows Seven,'" the codename that Microsoft is using internally for the successor to Vista.

Cutting PC operating costs will also be a priority, via new features such as simplified provisioning and upgrading of systems, according to the slides.

Last month, AeroXperience was the first to report that Microsoft planned to spend £500m per year on development of the next version of Office, which is referred to by Microsoft employees as Office 14 and is expected to be ready for release in the first half of 2009.

In the Office-related posting, AeroXperience cited a different PowerPoint presentation apparently created by another Microsoft Denmark employee that was also hosted on the download.microsoft.com site. That presentation has since been taken down by Microsoft, although AeroXperience still has copies of some of the slides on its Web site.

Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the various blog postings related to Windows Seven and Windows Media Centre.

Newsletters

Your daily injection of CW news and expert analysis: we’ll bring the news to you.