According to information Microsoft provided its OEM partners with, the RTM of Windows 7 is planned to take a full 101 days. The Redmond giant revealed that it would release the next iteration of the Windows client in no less than eight stages stretching over a period of three months. However, the software company is only detailing Windows 7 RTM waves, and it continues not to offer any official deadline for the signing off of the code of Windows Vista's successor. 

The first wave of Windows 7 RTM will involve five languages, namely English, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, revealed TechARP. Italian, Dutch, Russian, Simplified Chinese will follow in Wave 1 (RTM + 14 days). At RTM + 28 Days Microsoft will deliver Wave 2, namely the Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Korean language versions of Windows 7. The next RTM release of Windows 7 will come in Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), Czech, Portuguese, Hungarian (Wave 3 at RTM + 45 Days).

In addition, the Redmond company will offer Wave 4 (RTM + 59 days) Danish, Norwegian (Bokmal), Finnish; Wave 5 (RTM + 73 days) Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Ukrainian; Wave 6 (RTM + 87 days) Thai, Romanian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Bulgarian; Wave 7 (RTM + 101 days) Estonian, Croatian, Serbian Latin, Latvian, Slovenian.

RTM marks the moment in which Microsoft's developers will sign off the Windows 7 bits as complete. Reports indicate mid-2009 for RTM but Microsoft has not confirmed anything officially. Once the code goes gold, Windows 7 will be packaged, as well as shipped, to original equipment manufacturers in order to be pre-loaded on new machines.

Microsoft failed to reveal when it would debut the RTM of the 34 language versions of Windows 7, but the Redmond company is expected to announce the SKU information for the operating system by the end of this month, after the feedback harvesting program will end. Windows 7 availability is reportedly slated ahead of the 2009 holiday season.