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Why 7?

There's been a lot of lively discussion since I confirmed yesterday that the official name for the next version of the Window client operating system will be "Windows 7" about how we got to the number "7."

I'll say up front, that there are many ways to count the releases of Windows and it's been both a trip down memory lane and quite amusing to read all the different theories about how we got to the number "7."

Anyway, the numbering we used is quite simple.  The very first release of Windows was Windows 1.0, the second was Windows 2.0, the third Windows 3.0.

Here's where things get a little more complicated.  Following Windows 3.0 was Windows NT which was code versioned as Windows 3.1. Then came Windows 95, which was code versioned as Windows 4.0.  Then, Windows 98, 98 SE and Windows Millennium each shipped as 4.0.1998, 4.10.2222, and 4.90.3000, respectively. So we're counting all 9x versions as being 4.0.

Windows 2000 code was 5.0 and then we shipped Windows XP as 5.1, even though it was a major release we didn't' want to change code version numbers to maximize application compatibility.

That brings us to Windows Vista, which is 6.0.  So we see Windows 7 as our next logical significant release and 7th in the family of Windows releases.

We learned a lot about using 5.1 for XP and how that helped developers with version checking for API compatibility.  We also had the lesson reinforced when we applied the version number in the Windows Vista code as Windows 6.0-- that changing basic version numbers can cause application compatibility issues. 

So we decided to ship the Windows 7 code as Windows 6.1 - which is what you will see in the actual version of the product in cmd.exe or computer properties.

There's been some fodder about whether using 6.1 in the code is an indicator of the relevance of Windows 7.  It is not.

Windows 7 is a significant and evolutionary advancement of the client operating system.  It is in every way a major effort in design, engineering and innovation.  The only thing to read into the code versioning is that we are absolutely committed to making sure application compatibility is optimized for our customers.

We're just over a week away from showing off Windows 7 at PDC and WinHEC.  I look forward to sharing more soon!

Mike

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Comments

  1. Shresht
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:06PM  

    I dont know but personally I feel to make it easier and more convenient either the version number should be made 7.0 or the name shouldn't be 7.

    7 signifies neither that its the 7th release of windows nor its version number, since both will be untrue. Therefore please make the version as 7.0 or else give a different name

  2. edeawillrule
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:12PM  

    I still think it should be named Windows Vista SE. Most of the improvements and changes are things that were supposed to be in Vista in the first place and also visually it looks almost the same (judging from screenshots although there could be more visual changes than i witnessed). Now don't get me wrong I have a laptop with Windows Vista and I LOVE IT! Yes there were some issues but sp1 fixed most of them and sp2 will fix the few remainders. The people that complain about Vista are the ones that buy crappy pcs with unbalanced configurations and expect it to run Aero with ease. That's obviously not going to happen with an operating system as rich as Vista. Windows 7 will probably be a noticeable improvement but 1. Windows 7? Come on you gotta do better than that. 2. Unless there's a major overhaul I'd rather stick to Vista.

  3. pat.grady
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:14PM  

    "So we decided to ship the Windows 7 code as Windows 6.1 - which is what you will see in the actual version of the product in cmd.exe or computer properties."

    wow, this post is hilarious.

  4. krammazda
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:22PM  

    Why did Mike even have to add this extra blog entry? It's just a name.  Microsoft could have called the new version, Windows Bob, and people with nothing better to do would still have a whinge.

    Go and have a cry now.

  5. dovella
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:25PM  

    I love this Name !!

    Great Microsoft.

    Pls. Mr Mike

    it's possible video streaming for Consumer Enthusiast of PDC session Steven Sinofsky?

  6. joemaruschek
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:32PM  

    Wow.  That makes total sense.

    Not.

    We'll just count all 9X versions as one, and Windows 3.0 and NT count as one release, too.    

    And I just love how you learned your lesson by keeping XP at 5.1, yet forgot it again when you called Vista 6.0.

    So let me get this straight, you counted all the changed in the major version numbers, except 6.1.  Yikes.  

  7. Bryant
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:40PM  

    Updated accordingly. Sorry for the hassle, Mike.

  8. El-Mike-O
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 5:49PM  

    Hey, I was thinking about it and from your previous post, it looks like you’re going for using the aspirations of what Vista has established as a base for the next foreseeable operating systems, right?

    Because of that, deciding to not use a new aspiration-like name makes a lot of sense; plus, using a numbering convention does make things more straightforward and sequential, which is a really good thing. The simplicity factor is really a strong point.

    At the same time, not having the word “Vista” in there kind of seems like a disconnection of the “sub-brand” of Windows if you get what I mean. So, what I was thinking is:

    -brand (Windows)

    -sub-brand (Vista)

    -specific iteration name

    How about linking it into the idea of a vista and focus each time on specific ideas of vistas like “Sunset” or “Island”? So, for example, one after the other you could release:

    Windows Vista: Sunset

    Windows Vista: Mountain Range

    Windows Vista: Ocean Verge

    Windows Vista: Forest

    That way you have the umbrella of Vista, and then you can keep that base idea while evolving a distinct branch-off. You could have colour and themes and stuff relating to a specific “vista” on the packaging, the default UI, the marketing campaign and such like.

    Probably it’d be too late to change it now anyways, but just I thought it might be some good feedback for you guys.

    Keep up the good work : )

  9. MacG467
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 6:46PM  

    You say:

    Following Windows 3.0 was Windows NT which was code versioned as Windows 3.1.

    I'd like an explanation where Windows NT 4.0 comes into play, then.

    And I thought Microsoft was not using version numbers mainly because the public didn't like the idea of using "Windows 14" in the future because it sounds so antiquated, so you went to year numbers.  After that failed ("OMG, you're using Windows 2000?!!?!  That's SO OLD"), MS decided to switch to naming the operating systems.  And now you're going BACK to version numbers?

  10. adir1
    Posted on: October 14, 2008 at 6:49PM  

    I like simplicity of Windows 7 name.

    However, I hate the complexity of 6.1 versioning. With all due respect to application compatibility, it should be very simple to add an OS feature to "override" version number reported to application if it is known to act up when it sees 7.0, but we need to start teaching developers how to develop, not giving in to their mistakes and numbering entire operating system as 6.1 just because few developers out there are clueless about how to properly check for version compatibility.

Trackbacks

  1. Posted by: Robert Hensing's Blog on October 14, 2008 at 5:06PM

    I actually for once - LOVE that we are keeping the name of the OS simple and leaving it at Win7. I will

  2. Posted by: TheUndeadable entwickelt on October 14, 2008 at 5:44PM

    .Net 1.0 wird in C# 1 programmiert. .Net 1.1 wird in C# 1 programmiert. .Net 2.0 wird in C# 2 programmiert. .Net 3.0 wird in C# 2 programmiert. .Net 3.5 wird in C# 3 programmiert.   Windows 2000 besaß die Versionsnummer 5.0. Windows XP be

  3. Posted by: John Coyne's Embedded Blog on October 14, 2008 at 6:11PM

    if anyone saw the formal announcement yesterday from Mike Nash regarding the name for the next version

  4. Posted by: El blog de Eduardo Arredondo en Geeks.ms on October 14, 2008 at 11:06PM

    Como es sabido la próxima versión de Windows se denominará Windows 7, Microsoft ha estado soltando algunos

  5. Posted by: [ michael's infrastructure talk ] on October 15, 2008 at 6:15AM

    Die nächste Betriebssystem-Generation von Microsoft wird den Namen " Windows 7 " tragen. Dies

  6. Posted by: TechBlog on October 15, 2008 at 6:58AM

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  7. Posted by: ◆かっぺちゃんの航海日誌Ⅱ◆ Epsode2 on October 15, 2008 at 8:42AM

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  8. Posted by: Teamzille.de on October 16, 2008 at 1:52AM

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  9. Posted by: 潮流科技 on October 16, 2008 at 7:53AM

    分类: 膝上电脑 , 桌面产品 套一句老外爱用的网络语：WTF？ Windows Vista Blog 的 Mike Nash 解释为什么 Windows 7 要取这个名字 ，前半段和我们大家都知道的一样

  10. Posted by: ucel.net on October 16, 2008 at 9:59AM

    Ty m razem nie będzie o .NET. Tym razem będzie o polityce nazewniczej firmy Microsoft . Jeśli dawno temu

  11. Posted by: Compyblog on October 16, 2008 at 1:35PM

    Die nächste Version von Windows soll ja "Windows 7" heißen. Eine Begründung dafür kann man sich im 'Windows Vista Team Blog' durchlesen. Besonders faszinierend: Intern wird das OS die Versionsnummer 6.1 tragen. Damit ist es dann wohl eherWind

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