Windows guru Paul Thurrott claims that Windows 7 will be released to the public on Thursday, October 15. But as he says, this is "according to the current schedule."

I've been using Windows 7 as my primary OS since last year and as my sole production OS since the RC hit. (At which time I upgraded my remaining XP and Vista machines to the Windows 7 RC build.) I have experienced no major hiccups during this time at all. And in treating Windows 7 as final code, I've found that it has risen to the challenge by responding like final code. It is now, in pre-release form, in roughly the same shape as is Windows Vista with SP2. And that OS first shipped over two and a half years ago. This deserves some mention and some accolades.

Looking ahead, there are some discussions to be had about the historical perspective of Windows 7, and how it fits in the Star Trek movie-like good/bad release cycle of Windows versions. There are nits to pick, especially around the non-intuitive new taskbar and Microsoft's decision to hide things in a manic bid to push simplicity about all else. But you know what? This is all academic. I'll do it because I have to. But I can tell you already that this thing is there. Sure, its' "Vista done right" if you're cynical. But let's be fair, Microsoft could never have delivered this OS in 2006. Windows 7 is the sum of Microsoft's experiences from both before and after the release of Vista. And that system's public reception, fair or not, weighs heavily on this release. And we all benefit from it as a result.