Hot on the heels of the leaked Windows 7 Milestone 3 Build 6780 details, Microsoft confirmed that the first public taste of Windows 7 is approximately a month away. Situated between the M3 Build 6780 and the first fully fledged Beta of the next iteration of the Windows client, the pre-Beta development milestone of Windows 7 will be made available starting with late October 2008. With Microsoft gearing up to broaden access to the early builds of Windows 7, the Redmond company is also signaling the beginning of the end for Windows Vista.

“I wanted to take a moment to take a look at what everyone's been talking about today: PDC, WinHEC and Windows 7,” revealed Christopher Flores, Director Windows Communications. “The Professional Developer Conference (PDC) , taking place in Los Angeles Oct. 27th - 30th, is an event designed for leading-edge developers and software architects that are interested in the future of the Microsoft platform. If you're responsible for the technical strategy in your organization, or you're a highly skilled developer who likes to delve deep into the heart of the platform, then PDC is for you!”

Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, has already been confirmed among the keynoters at PDC2008. But Sinofsky will not only keynote at this year's PDC on October 28, the chief of the Windows 7 project is also scheduled to talk at WinHEC 2008 on November 5. At WinHEC, Sinofsky will be joined by the other Windows top dog, namely Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President, Windows Core Operating System Division.

“The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), taking place in Los Angeles Nov. 5th - 7th, focuses on designing PCs, servers, and devices that run and interface with Microsoft Windows with a focus on Windows 7. WinHEC brings together engineers, developers and testers, and product planners giving them an opportunity to stay aligned with Microsoft technology roadmaps and new product opportunities,” Flores added.

Even though the pre-Beta version of Windows 7 is literally just around the corner, Microsoft continues to keep a tight lid on the operating system. The Redmond giant has managed to mute all details related to the Milestone 3 Build 6780 of the client. At the same time, while labeling the first Windows 7 quasi-public release as “pre-Beta”, Microsoft is signaling not only that the operating system is moving past the “Milestone” development stages, but also that Beta 1 is near. The software company has failed to offer any official confirmation on Windows 7 Beta 1, but the build is reportedly planned for availability in mid-December 2008.