What with one thing and another I hadn't quite gotten around to commenting on the zoo that the Windows 7 public beta release turned into last week. I don't think there's much to be read into the mechanics of the process, unless it's that people are clearly anxious to take a look at Vista's sanctioned replacement.

The fact that the beta was released at all, however, and in such good shape as it is, bodes well for an early release of the product. If this doesn't exactly put lie to the refusal of Microsoft executives to confirm a pre-holiday release of the product, it certainly casts such denials in a skeptical light. Speculation is rampant over a possible summer release, although my own bet is that dev team will take the opportunity afforded it by being this far ahead of schedule to put in some extra polish even if the RC is dubbed adequate by late summer, and release a smoother product in the fall. That gives them the best of both worlds: a more polished product which will receive better reviews, while still beating the projected release date by three months or more.

Either way, Vista has essentially become a sideshow at this point, with Microsoft more and more quiet on the topic and those users who bought into the upgrade hype no doubt feeling slightly soiled at this point. If you're not among them, I congratulate you on your perspicacity and wish you a happy evaluation of the Win7 beta.