Windows 7 open beta available on Friday

I have been hearing that Microsoft was supposed to release Windows 7 beta to the public in January. Well, just in time for CES, it has been confirmed.

I was just out browsing the interweb, researching the means on how I could become a Windows 7 beta tester when low and behold I came across the official Microsoft Windows 7 blog announcing the public beta release on Friday. This is an exciting time for the tech geek, especially for the Microsoft fanboys out there. What is interesting is that I have found myself excited and anticipating the download.

I don’t normally get this excited about Windows releases. In fact, if you know me, I even prefer not to use Windows at home, if I can help it. I own a MacBook as my primary machine, a Dell netbook with a dual boot of Ubuntu 8.10 as the default and Windows XP for those times when you absolutely have to have Windows, and a Dell XPS gaming tower with a dual boot of Vista and XP – Vista as my DVR using Media Center and XP for my PC gaming.

When I first bought my Dell XPS, I had no choice but to order it with Vista. I tried to get XP with it but it just wasn’t an option at the time. I had an extra copy fo XP lying around that wasn’t being used so I installed it, but, at the same time, decided to try Vista as a dual install. Despite all the gripes of Vista, there are actually some really good things included in Vista. As I mentioned, I record a couple of TV shows in the new Windows Media Center that comes with Vista using a USB TV tuner and it works like a charm. It even connects to my Xbox 360 flawlessly so that I can watch those recorded shows on my TV. Also, there have been huge improvements in the Windows Movie Maker since the XP version. I have used it a few times and have liked the better ease of use compared to the older version. My only complaint, as it seems to be common, is that Vista is a resource hog, even with 4GB of RAM. And, I have found that in such a short lifetime of the build, my boot time has increased astronomically.

With all the good things I have heard about Windows 7, I’ve seemed to have jumped on the bandwagon and have found the desire to try it out. My plan, since it’s time for a rebuild of my XPS tower, is to replace Vista with the Windows 7 beta. I know what you are thinking, I’m insane, right? One does not normally replace a working production OS with a beta. However, in the case of Windows 7 beta, I don’t think I am the only one with that plan. I figure, since I don’t use Vista that often in my daily home computing (remember, my MacBook takes that role) a Windows 7 beta install replacement won’t be that big of a deal. There are no worries here if I miss a few recorded episodes of South Park if Window 7 beta doesn’t satisfy. Besides, I’ll still have my XP install that I will continue to use for my PC gaming to fall back on and a third option of Fedora 10 in the triple boot setup I will be completing.

Don’t worry about me, I’m a professionl. I know what I am doing…I think.

What are your thoughts on Vista and the rumors of Windows 7? Will you be downloading Windows 7 beta? If you do, will you use it in production? Let us know and we will try to get your comments on the next episode of the Technical Difficulties podcast.

Tech Ed. Out!