Windows 7 ready (to manufacture): 7600.16385 is RTM ID

It’s Windows 7 RTM time; and that means Windows Server 2008 R2, too. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers debate build number 7600.16385, Russian/Chinese leaks, naughty torrents, and what comes next.

By Richi Jennings: your humble blogwatcher, who selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention too fat for Photoshop…

Gavin Clarke releases the news:

Microsoft has signed off on Windows 7, closing a tightly controlled chapter in Microsoft product development. On Wednesday, the company released the Windows 7 bits to manufacturing (RTM) at the same as code for the next update to its Windows Server 2008: Windows Server 2008 R2.

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RTM means the code is considered finished from an engineering perspective and is ready to be pressed on CDs, installed on manufacturers’ PCs, and put on Microsoft’s servers for download. Windows 7 is set for a consumer launch on October 22. Developers, partners, and Microsoft’s volume customers … will get Windows 7 ahead of that.

Leena Rao knows when:

Independent software and hardware vendors will be able to download Windows 7 RTM as early as August 6th. Microsoft will be rolling out Windows 7 to other partners in mid to late August. Enterprise customers and developers will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting on August 7, with additional language functionality for Windows 7 released shortly after.

For the plebes/consumers, Windows 7 will be in retail stores and shipping on new PCs starting October 22nd, which we already knew. After receiving an overwhelming response from beta testers, Microsoft is also offering a “family pack” for Windows 7 that will allow installation on up to 3 PCs.

Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc is a bit giddy:

RTM officially happens only after sign-off occurs. What happens is a build gets designated as a RTM contender after going through significant testing and meeting our quality bar for RTM. Then, it goes though all the validation checks required for RTM including having all languages of that build completed. If all the validation checks have passed – sign-off for RTM can occur. Today after all the validation checks were met, we signed off and declared build 7600 as RTM.

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We continue to be overwhelmed at the community’s response to Windows 7 and it has been an extremely rewarding experience to witness. We hope the enthusiasm will continue to grow even more as our partners build amazing experiences with their products and Windows 7.

And Microsoft’s Oliver Rist doesn’t want you to forget about him:

This latest release of Windows Server 2008 R2 is now blessed by engineering as ready for the manufacturing process. We’re talking final code. Sun shining, birds singing, children dancing in the streets.

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Occurring in lock-step with the release of the Windows 7 RTM, these two platforms are now ready for our partners to start testing and installing on their hardware. And that lock-step isn’t a coincidence, it’s a design goal. Customers using Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 in their enterprises has been Microsoft’s intent from the first day programmers touched fingers to keyboards.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols “shocks the morons”:

With Windows 7, which I first thought would be little more than the Vista pig with lipstick, I was wrong. With Windows 7, Microsoft finally has a new, decent client operating system again.

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Even back in January, the Windows 7 beta was already better than Vista. Vista has been ‘upgraded’ with SP2 since then, and you know what? Windows 7 in beta is still better than Vista.

But David Worthington‘s not that bothered:

It will be interesting to see whether Windows 7 provides a stimulus to global PC sales, which have been slumping in the midst of the worldwide economic downturn. My prediction is that there will be a modest bump in sales– these things happen in cycles.

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My trusty old Windows XP computer accesses the same Web services that someone on a Windows 7 PC uses, and my iPhone keeps me connected when I’m away from my desktop machines. If I buy a new PC I’ll opt for Windows 7, but the functionality that it delivers will not dramatically alter my daily experience with personal technology.

And Marius Oiaga says it’s old news:

Although Microsoft revealed that Build 7600.16385 RTM’d on July 22nd, the fact of the matter is that reports in the wild already pointed out that the development milestone was the gold release of Windows 7.

Furthermore, both the 32-bit and the 64-bit flavors of Windows 7 Build 7600.16385 have already been leaked and made available for download from various third-party sources, all of them illegal, including torrent trackers and warez websites.

Lee Mathews, too:

Strike up the marching bands! Bring in the dancing girls! But hang on just a tick. Isn’t build 7600.16385 already floating around all over the P2P filesharing ether? The previous incremental build 7600.16384 looked pretty real [too].

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It sure looks like the new leak is the real deal. IsoHunt has several results for 7600.16385 and they’ve been happily active for several days. I’ve even seen it installed firsthand – on someone’s Toshiba laptop, though I can’t recall where cough.

So what’s your take?

Get involved: leave a comment.

Previously in IT Blogwatch:

• Apple Q3 concall causes cheering fanbois
• Size is important: Kingston’s huge 256GB USB stick
• NASA phased by ISS toilet-fail, 40 years after Apollo 11 moon landing
• Microhoo or Yahsoft? Microsoft/Yahoo! merger deal bid is on again
• Stupid users respond to spam? Survey said… (ding) 12% do!

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And finally…

• Too Fat For Photoshop

Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 24 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him as @richi on Twitter or richij on FriendFeed, pretend to be Richi’s friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: [email protected].