Whoops, it seems that someone at Microsoft flipped the Windows 7 Release Candidate switch a little too early and gave us pretty good indication of when the RC will hit testers.
Posted inexplicably on TechNet was the download page for Windows 7 Release Candidate, which carried with it a “Published: May 2009” note. Given that it’s still March, it’s a clear sign that Microsoft’s preparing itself for a May launch of RC1.
The notes on the mistakenly posted site read as if many of the details surrounding the RC have already been set in stone. For example, the page already gives the dates of the RC’s eligibility.
“The RC release will be available at least through June 2009 and we're not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time.”
“Watch the calendar. Windows 7 RC will expire on June 1, 2010. So if you install the RC release you'll either need to upgrade to the final version of Windows 7 before that date, or install a prior version of Windows.”
Check out Ars Technica for a screenshot of the now-taken down page.
For those of you running one of the current beta versions, it’ll be a no brainer to upgrade to the RC when it’s out. But are any of you holding out for the RC before checking out what all the fuss is about?
