Microsoft, Operating System | featured news

When Microsoft released Windows XP in October of 2001, the software got upbeat reviews and sold briskly. But I doubt if even XP's biggest boosters would have predicted just how long-running a hit it would be. Nine years later, it's still the the world's favorite operating system.

Devices running Windows Phone 7 Series software won't hit store shelves until later this year, but Microsoft recently offered a peek into the upcoming OS at its MIX10 conference for developers and Web designers.

MWC is a few weeks away - it starts on February 15 - and we're expecting to see a new version of Windows Mobile, version 7, to be launched with hardware soon to follow. We've heard some rumors about potential improvements over the current 6.x codebase, but a developer has told us that this new version is so distant from the old WinMo that it is almost unrecognizable. The worst part?

Microsoft should once again release its next mainstream version of Windows about three years after the last, a roadmap obtained this week reveals. The schedule has the major revision, tentatively titled "Windows 8," launching in 2012 or about three years after Windows 7.

Windows 7 was released on October 22nd, and if early net stats are any indication, users are adopting the new OS at a fast pace.

Microsoft says it is pleased with the demand for Windows 7 as it reports an 18% fall in quarterly profits.

Microsoft Corp. put a new edition of Windows on sale Thursday, hoping for a fresh start after a bad reception for the previous version of the software that runs most of the world's personal computers.

As for gaming, however, Windows 7's release feels almost funereal. Read the reviews and you'll learn all about the streamlined taskbar, the smarter security system that leaves you alone, the slick new touch-based input features, and the friendlier approach to media-hub device management.

Windows 7 is hardly flawless, but here's an in-depth look at how Microsoft has changed its OS — mostly for the better .

Now before all the Apple fan boys take a jab at this. Read this through. Anyone who likes competition and choice should root for Microsoft and Google.