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Windows Internet Explorer Operating Systems Software The Internet

Post-Beta Windows 7 Build Leaked With New IE8 332

Posted by timothy from the seekret-leaks-from-nowhere-in-particular dept.
CWmike writes "A post-beta version of Windows 7, Build 7022, leaked to Internet file-sharing sites also includes an updated version of IE8, according to searches at several BitTorrent trackers. With Microsoft halting new Windows 7 beta downloads on Tuesday, and blocking all downloads as of noon (EST) today, users are again turning to illegal sources to get the new operating system."
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Post-Beta Windows 7 Build Leaked With New IE8 More

Post-Beta Windows 7 Build Leaked With New IE8

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  • My suspicion about any P2P downloads... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Eto_Demerzel79 ( 1011949 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:04PM (#26836611)
    ...has always been that they contained malicious software that will slow down my computer and drain my bank account...this simply proved it!

  • Post Beta? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WarJolt ( 990309 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:05PM (#26836631)

    Post-beta is really relative. I consider all windows OSes beta until 2 years after the initial release.

  • There have been a lot of leaks of Windows 7 (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Fungii ( 153063 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:05PM (#26836637)

    Who's leaking the builds?

    Either way, Microsoft are getting a lot of good free press from them so far, I don't think they'll really have to worry about piracy cutting into their profits too much.

    • Re:There have been a lot of leaks of Windows 7 (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:23PM (#26836889)

      Most likely intentional. It gets people using it if they think they're doing something to stick it to Microsoft, while MSoft is in control the whole time.

    • Re:There have been a lot of leaks of Windows 7 (Score:5, Funny)

      by SpaceLifeForm ( 228190 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:30PM (#26836975)
      Could be Steve, could be Bill.
      • Likely someone expendable in case stock holders deem it a bad thing and someone needs to be fired over it. Sure it's easier to beg forgiveness than ask for permission, but it's even easier to fire a scapegoat and pay him to shut up than either.

        "Huh. That's funny, this guy has a really unimpressive salary but a huge severance package."

    • "Leak 2.0" the new e-marketing campaign package! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by quibbler ( 175041 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @08:28PM (#26837617)

      Get a fscking clue here people, This "leak" is a marketing project from the word go.

      Step 1: Build a virtually-nonfunctional but highly stable show-off OS with all of the important (and wildly unstable) compatibility turned off.

      Step 2: Leak said software as your next great release and bemoan the loss of your great surprise unveiling.

      Step 3: Pay lots of reviewers to fill comment sites about how terrific the fantastic OS is before most have ever seen it.

      Step 4: Enjoy a *positive* rollout on the heals of your abomination of a release called 'Vista' and that horseshit "not vista" campaign that followed.

      Step 5: Profit

      • So you're saying Vista was "New Coke"?

        I heard plenty of theories that New Coke was a gimmick to get people excited about Coke Classic and still pulling people from Pepsi. In other words, a few people actually like Vista and maybe MS are banking on Windows 7 to win back the flock that Vista drove off. I can guarantee I will never switch back to Microsoft, but a lot of people might if Windows 7 sucks a lot less than "Visturd".

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dave562 ( 969951 )
          I avoided Vista, in part because of all the negativity surrounding it here, and in part because of actual experience with it running on what should have been lightning fast hardware (dual core CPUs, 4gigs of RAM but integrated, onboard video). I've used the Windows 7 beta, and now I'm not too concerned about moving off of XP when the time comes. That isn't to say that I'm leaving XP anytime soon (much like I didn't leave Win2000 until long after XP SP2 was out.) However Windows 7 is to Vista what Win98SE

          • However Windows 7 is to Vista what Win98SE was to WinME. In other words, they got it right, after a serious misstep.

            Sorry, are you saying that 98SE was the dog and ME got it right??? (ME was the successor to 98SE)

            I think most people would say it's the other way around

      • It's new coke all over again. When will we learn!

  • Does it include the "Versions"? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Doug52392 ( 1094585 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:11PM (#26836735)

    I'd be pretty surprised if this latest leaked build ends up giving us a sneak peak at what Microsoft's plans to butcher up Windows 7 into 5+ "versions" is. I'd like to try to use my computer with a 2-process limit, just to see how stupid that would be!

    But, I suppose that would be BAD press...

    • Re:Does it include the "Versions"? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Vu1turEMaN ( 1270774 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:35PM (#26837047)

      A 3 app limit, excluding microsoft programs, startup programs, and firewall/antivirus actually wouldn't be that bad for most people

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by zonky ( 1153039 )
        Could you launch a startup program that can launch/wrap other executables as a way around it?

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward

          I was wondering the same thing, but if you're willing to go to that extent just to get around the ridiculous limitations, you honestly might as well just pirate the damn thing.

      • Re:Does it include the "Versions"? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Darkness404 ( 1287218 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @08:26PM (#26837589)
        But the thing is, it is completely hard-coded in. For example, I won't complain if the largest file I can have on my hard drive is 300 GB because that is the limitations on the filesystem, however, if I could only have a 2 GB file unless I paid $50 for the "improved edition" I would complain loudly.

        Secondly, this is a major lock in for MS. If by using Firefox, VLC, and a third-party game you can exceede your app limit, but if you use IE, Windows Media Player and some built-in Windows game, you don't. This is especially worrying in the developing countries where this will be sold.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Shados ( 741919 )

          Starter Edition is to be sold in all countries, unlike Vista's Starter. The basic edition, geared to developing countries, do not have that limitation.

        • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

          by Vu1turEMaN ( 1270774 )

          Actually the limiting version would be for OEMs, and the one for developing countries would be different.

          A 2gb file size limit is one thing (I've never even heard of that rumor yet), but an app limit is quite another. If you have dual monitors running where you can look at a firefox window while playing a game and some music running on vlc, then obviously the starter edition isn't for you. You probably want the equivalent of the Home one.

          And I don't predict OEMs offering the Starter Edition as the base OS e

        • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

          by EvanED ( 569694 )

          Secondly, this is a major lock in for MS. If by using Firefox, VLC, and a third-party game you can exceede your app limit, but if you use IE, Windows Media Player and some built-in Windows game, you don't.

          This is a major [citation needed]. Both show up as separate processes, and since Vista, have little coupling with the rest of Windows components, except the help system which uses the HTML renderer from IE. (Unlike XP and before, when Windows Explorer and IE were very tied together.)

          • But the parent I was posting to said that Antiviruses, Firewalls, Windows components and Microsoft Software was exempt from the rule.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Artraze ( 600366 )

              While the poster did say that, if it were the case, MS would need some _serious_ cahonnes. They've already been slapped be a couple governments for simply _including_ IE. It would be positively suicidal to so blatantly restrict competition like that. On the other hand, their target markets for this don't really seem to be in the jurisdiction of those that care.

              Still, expect the usual MS anti-competitive games. Suddenly MS Office will appear as one app, but you won't be able to have more than a couple OO

              • It doesn't matter what the target market is, if the rumours here are true and this version is sold in the EU, then Microsoft is going to have a new lawsuit on their hands that will probably end up dwarfing the fine they got last time.
                Hint, Microsoft: you can't avoid being a monopoly by having more options in your own products!

      • Want to bet how quickly someone releases patched files to unlock this 3 app limit?

      • I wonder if IE will be counted in the number of running applications? If so, I can imagine other browsers will have a hard time competing with IE.

      • Does that include multiple instances of the same application? Many applications have moved away from the "multiple document" interface to the "multiple instance" interface, meaning that you run an instance of Word for every Word document you have open. So would I be limited to two Word documents and Firefox, or could I have six Word documents open, counting as one "application"?

        I'm honestly getting tired of Microsoft's versioning shenanigans.

      • I don't imagine anyone on /. falls into the range of "most people". I know that I normally have about 7 apps running on my linux system, while I have multiple remote desktop and PuTTY sessions running on my XP laptop at the same time. Yes, I keep both machines busy all day long.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      1. You probably live in a western country - NO PROCESS LIMIT FOR YOU.

      2. It's two versions for normal users. Basic and Premium! Power users could probably use professional. Ultimate is just for the extravagant.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Lennie ( 16154 )

        I thought they were targeting netbooks ?

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by EvanED ( 569694 )

        You probably live in a western country - NO PROCESS LIMIT FOR YOU.

        As I was corrected yesterday, I'll pass on the favor to you: this is wrong. Unlike XP and Vista, the "starter edition" of Win7 is not the "developing nations" version of Windows. Instead, the starter edition is available worldwide, and is the discounted version intended for Netbooks and similar systems, and it is this version that will have the process limitation. In other words, to run Win7 on a Netbook you either have to put up with the pro

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Zarel ( 900479 )

      I'd be pretty surprised if this latest leaked build ends up giving us a sneak peak at what Microsoft's plans to butcher up Windows 7 into 5+ "versions" is. I'd like to try to use my computer with a 2-process limit, just to see how stupid that would be!

      So would I, considering every non-final build of Vista and 7 so far have been "Ultimate". There's not really all that much point in artificially limiting versions of your software that aren't meant to be public in the first place.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by d3ac0n ( 715594 )

      I snagged the 7022 build off Bit torrent today.

      It's the "Ultimate" version.

      One interesting item of note: The old reg hack to move the IE menu bar back up on top where it belongs no longer works. Oh, the reg key is there, and you can change it, but simply changing it to 0 or 1 no longer works. The default setting is decimal 21, and I haven't been able to figure out the correct decimal number to fix it. So I installed FF3 on it instead.

      Otherwise it seems fine I suppose. I'm running it in VMware off of a

  • MS Marketing Droids working at 150% Capacity (Score:5, Interesting)

    by owlnation ( 858981 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:54PM (#26837283)
    So do we really need to have a Windows 7 article every day? It's in beta, it changes -- and it's not exactly eagerly awaited anyway.

    So, other than MS promoting this as much as the possibly can -- is there any need to have any articles on it at all, unless there's a major change?

  • After all these years, (Score:5, Interesting)

    by christoofar ( 451967 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @07:57PM (#26837307)

    I still cannot fathom why people scramble to get the latest copy of a Windows OS way before it's really even declared "ready."

    It's not like your development software is really going to work on the thing; and for that matter--we all know once it finally gets pressed to a DVD the first Service Pack is already on its way out the door, so QA-testing is moot.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Koiu Lpoi ( 632570 )
      Call me EXTREMELY OPTIMISTIC if you want, but we can hope that all these leaked betas with the little "send feedback" button would lead to less shittiness at launch.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I still cannot fathom why people scramble to get the latest copy of a Windows OS way after it's really even declared "ready."

      There, fixed that for you.

    • here's why (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Joe U ( 443617 ) on Thursday February 12, 2009 @08:30PM (#26837631) Homepage Journal

      I still cannot fathom why people scramble to get the latest copy of a Windows OS way before it's really even declared "ready."

      Mostly because it's going to be the dominant OS for the next 5+ years and maybe, just maybe, they want to get familiar with it as soon as possible.

      Windows still has about 88% of the market. That means, on average, out of 100 people, 1 uses linux, 9 use MacOS, 2 use another OS and 88 use Windows.

      Think about that for a moment, 88% vs 1%. The question should be, why do we care about the latest build of anything else?

      • That means, on average, out of 100 people, 1 uses linux, 9 use MacOS, 2 use another OS and 88 use Windows.

        Ok, explain to me the 2% that other desktop OSes have. Out of all the alternative OSes, Plan 9, BSD, etc. all of them combined do not equal 2%. Now, you could be comparing device OSes but that kinda skews the data a bit because the person who uses the iPhone OS is going to use a different OS for computing needs.

        Secondly, where did you get these figures from? Websites usually have a certain slant to them, for example, Distro Watch is going to be visited by a higher proportion of Linux users than who us

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by fl1ckmasterflex ( 1457805 )

          Secondly, where did you get these figures from?

          Thats a good question. But do you also ask yourself how statisticians can poll 1000 odd people and get a very accurate reading on 300 million? :) (I'm talking about the pre US elections polling)

          Statistics can get fairly complicated and each poll can be model accurately with a low enough margin of error. As a simple example you can give different weights to statistics of browsers from different websites and them compile a grand total. So while given _ANY_ statistic you can find something wrong with it, you c

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by JorDan Clock ( 664877 )
      Yeah, it's like all those people using beta versions of Ubuntu. You know in 6 months they're just going to release another one.

    • I still cannot fathom why people scramble to get the latest copy of a Windows OS way before it's really even declared "ready."

      Well, I don't know about everyone else, but my reason is simple. I was avoiding Vista like the plague, until just recently I finally decided to install it for compatibility with some games. In order to minimize the performance hit, I used vLite to rip everything out of it that I possibly could, but I'm still seeing some issues that I don't like. Since Windows 7 is essentially a be

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Shimmer ( 3036 )

      It's not like your development software is really going to work on the thing

      You are wrong. I have the 64-bit version of Windows 7 running on a laptop and my entire development toolchain works flawlessly. VS.NET 2008 WinForms + SQL Server 2008.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bit01 ( 644603 )

      I still cannot fathom why people scramble to get the latest copy of a Windows OS way before it's really even declared "ready."

      Most of them are probably astroturfers [wikipedia.org] and sock puppets [wikipedia.org] trying to drum up buzz.

      People buy based on perception not reality and M$ wants people to perceive M$Win7 as a must have, even if in reality for the vast majority of people it's pointless.

      ---

      Adopt an astroturfer [wikipedia.org]. Make their life hell.

    • Especially when it seems like the majority of people really detest Vista.
      The original posts here on /. when the first rumors of Windows 7 surfaced were true: all Microsoft had to do was to generate positive bullshit hype for Windows 7 the same way negative bullshit hype for Vista was generated before Vista. Just that as all the common joe-blow users that I run into swooning just as hard over Windows 7 as they were moaning about Vista without ever running it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jlp2097 ( 223651 )

      Is is it really that hard to understand? As a high school student and a nerd I had way too much time. I always tried to get the latest stuff. It was fun, it didn't matter whether it destroyed the computer and it was awesome to have the new beta of Windows 98 when nobody else had it.

  • ZZZZZZZZZZZ it's so interesting ZZZZZZ it's so l33+ zzzzzzzzzzzzz
  • More likely - Microsoft is "leaking" the new build to create a buzz of anticipation in the user community.

  • 32 Bit (Score:5, Informative)

    by ady1 ( 873490 ) * on Thursday February 12, 2009 @08:50PM (#26837863)

    The leaked beta is 32bit only.

  • well i knew internet explorer was bloated, but i didn't realise that it was so overfilled with crap that an entire operating system got leaked with it!

    oh wait, maybe i read that wrong...

  • Microsoft should release Windows for free. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by master_p ( 608214 ) on Friday February 13, 2009 @05:36AM (#26841061)

    They have so much money coming from their other products...

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