I installed Windows 7 Beta 1 last night.  Before I tell you all about it, let me explain a few things for those of you who are not familiar with the term Beta.

Microsoft, like many others, puts its products through several phases during its release cycle before they can be called “ready” to be released.

The first phase of a product’s release cycle is called the Alpha phase.  This is the phase in which new features are being added to the product.  For instance, if Microsoft decided to put a print button on the Windows Calculator to enable users the ability to print out your calculations, that feature could added during the Alpha phase.  Sometimes, Microsoft will release an Alpha to give their customers some insight of what will be in available in the new product or product version.  Alpha releases are generally devoid of many features and are bug ridden.

The next phase is called the Beta phase.  For a product to qualify for beta phase, all major features must be complete.  This is not to say that they all work.  Beta phases are means in which a company gets the masses to test their software.  Many times private betas precede public betas.  Betas vary in quality, and usually their are multiple betas, aptly named beta 1, beta 2, etc.

Once the betas are at a point where the bugs are fixed or otherwise mitigated, the product graduates to the Release Candidate or RC phase.  The release candidate phase is the phase in which the company thinks it has a version of the product that can be promoted to the final phase.  All the features promised, are complete and generally bug-free.  The only thing that keeps a release candidate from moving to the next phase is the presence of “show stopper” bugs – or bugs so impactful, either by size or importance, that the product cannot possibly be released with it.  Show stopper bugs will be fixed and a new release candidate will be published.  Like betas, they are named in order RC-1, RC-2, etc.

The final phase of the release cycle is called Released to Manufacturing or RTM.  When a product has been RTM’d it is considered released.  Any new bugs will be fixed in minor subsequent releases called hot fixes, or patches.

Microsoft promoted its new version of their operating system, Windows 7, to Beta 1 on Friday, January 9th.

I am what people refer to as an early adopter.  I like to get products when they are very new and test them out.  I have been an early adopter of Windows for about 10 years.

When the Vista operating system was made public in beta form, I installed it and tested it out.  Much like I did last night.  In the case of Vista, I was unable to do many things.  Internet Explorer 7 was problematic, there were many applications I had that would not install, and many that did install, did not work correctly.  It was such a miserable beta, that I uninstalled it after a few days.  Then Vista’s beta 2 was released.  Most of the problems from beta 1 were resolved.  The second beta was stable enough that I installed it on my main machine and used it as my dedicated operating system, until Vista went into release candidacy.

Alternatively, installing Windows 7 was painless.  You only have to click on a few next buttons to get through to completion.  You could probably make it through the installation while asleep at the keyboard, as long as you were leaning on the enter key.  I give the installation an A+.

Despite having a somewhat older machine, Windows 7 successfully found all of the drivers needed for my hardware.  I did not have to chase down websites for various manufacturers trying to get the latest driver updates to ensure compatibility.  Instead, my experience was very pleasant.

When it came time to install software on my newly adorned machine, I found only a few hiccups.  I normally use a program called Daemon Tools which allows you to use CD/DVD ROM image files like they were actual disks in the drive, but it would not install.  Instead, I used a different program called Virtual Clone Drive.  So far, I like the replacement program better, and it installed without error.  The only other trouble I found was with my Cisco VPN application.  However, it turned out that I wasn’t installing the latest version.  Once I acquired the correct version, it installed and worked just fine.

I worked from home today.  I did my normal job, using Microsoft Office products, Visual Studio, and several other programs on Windows 7.  I did so without hitch, delay, or incident.  At no time did I have to revert to using a pre-Windows 7 machine to get something done.  The transition from Vista to Windows 7 was seamless and delightful.

I will post again on Windows 7 exploring its new features, but for now know that it is very stable and usable.

And there you have it.

Joe.

Addendum

I was reminded that I haven’t posted the link to download Windows 7 Beta. 

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx