Windows 7 RTM Not Out of the Shop Yet
Rumor on the web this month had it that Microsoft will roll out Windows 7 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) on the 13th of July. Sources close to the Redmond-based software giant told geek SMACK that the company will announce the Windows 7 RTM build on the 13th - but on the same day Microsoft representatives came out to announce the opposite (unfortunately).
“Over the past week, there have been many rumors surrounding RTM. We are close, but have not yet signed off on Windows 7. As we’ve said all along, we will RTM Windows 7 when it’s ready. As previously stated, we expect Windows 7 to RTM in the 2nd half of July,” explained Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, Brandon LeBlanc, basically confirming what we knew since the start of June when he announced the official release date of Windows 7 Final.
What is keeping Windows 7 RTM back? It seems that language support. Windows 7 will provide support for a total of 36 languages – 14 languages will be available when Windows 7 becomes generally available on the 22nd of October and the remaining 21 languages will be made available on the 31st of October. This extensive language support requires a lot of work on Microsoft’s part. And since the company does not want to disappoint users from all over the world by rolling out an incomplete Windows 7 RTM, it will hold it back until all the language support-related work is complete.
Brandon LeBlanc again: “Windows 7 will be available in many languages from around the world. For us to consider RTM “done”, it requires that all languages be completely finished. So there is a lot of work that needs to take place for us to finalize all languages of Windows 7. We also need to get to a point of “global readiness” with our partners. Our partners being ready for Windows 7 is extremely important to RTM.”
“Over the past week, there have been many rumors surrounding RTM. We are close, but have not yet signed off on Windows 7. As we’ve said all along, we will RTM Windows 7 when it’s ready. As previously stated, we expect Windows 7 to RTM in the 2nd half of July,” explained Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, Brandon LeBlanc, basically confirming what we knew since the start of June when he announced the official release date of Windows 7 Final.
What is keeping Windows 7 RTM back? It seems that language support. Windows 7 will provide support for a total of 36 languages – 14 languages will be available when Windows 7 becomes generally available on the 22nd of October and the remaining 21 languages will be made available on the 31st of October. This extensive language support requires a lot of work on Microsoft’s part. And since the company does not want to disappoint users from all over the world by rolling out an incomplete Windows 7 RTM, it will hold it back until all the language support-related work is complete.
Brandon LeBlanc again: “Windows 7 will be available in many languages from around the world. For us to consider RTM “done”, it requires that all languages be completely finished. So there is a lot of work that needs to take place for us to finalize all languages of Windows 7. We also need to get to a point of “global readiness” with our partners. Our partners being ready for Windows 7 is extremely important to RTM.”
