Future Windows...

Windows 7: I'm ready

Microsoft is making Windows 7 ready for delivery to PC makers

Microsoft has completed the development of Windows 7 and the software code is ready to be delivered to PC makers. Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communication Manager for Microsoft, mentioned dates for Windows 7 RTM availability for the relevant parties at the Windows Team Blog. The general public availability of Windows 7 is October 22.

LeBlanc said that the Windows 7 Build 7600 is the final Release to Manufacture build and will be available to PC makers in the next two days.


As per a blog post by Larry Osterman, software engineer at Microsoft, the Windows 7 RTM build string is 6.1.7600.16385 which happens to be similar to that of the rumored build.

It won't be long till torrents of Windows 7 RTM builds might start hitting the web; watch out with the ones that might contain malware.

Check out the video of Steven Sinofsky, President of Windows Division for Microsoft, and others declaring Windows 7 'ready to go'!

Future Chrome

Hardware Boost Feature in Chrome

All set to dazzle web-browser gamers

Google is developing an O3D (Open 3D) plug-in integrated in Chrome browser which is meant for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics in the browser window.

Google aims to transform the web by sowing foundation for applications that will make use of system's graphics hardware. The O3D plug-in will also be avalaible for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, along with Chrome, covering compatibility for all three platforms Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Though Google will be using Linux under the covers for developing Chrome, the basic foundation of Chrome OS will be the web standards.

Google has detailed their O3D technology in a blog post at official Google Code blog. Along with the hardware-accelerated 3D graphics support, Google will also introduce a Native Client in the Chrome browser itself that will be able to leverage on system's native processing power. Google's Native Client open-source technology will allow the web developers to access to the native CPU processing power while maintaining browser neutrality and security of the web apps. Google has talked in detail about Native Client in this blog post.

Looks like Google is setting up a standard web applications development that will be useful in development Chrome OS that will come out in late 2010.

Google is slowly narrowing the gap between the desktop applications and web applications. Browser is growing as the strong mediator and a powerful bridge between both sides.

While developments like this will again boost browser wars, eventually, it's the users that will get the best of all worlds.