14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft makes it a point of not sharing all of interim Builds of next generation product available to all testers, and this is also the case for Windows 8, the successor of Windows 7. But although there isn’t much information available on Windows vNext, the company is hard at work building the operating system, and also dogfooding it.
Dogfooding is a term synonymous with internal testing, and Microsoft traditionally has its employees running next version of its products, Windows included, even at the very early stages of the development process. Think pre-Alpha and Alpha.
Or in the case of Windows 8, Milestone releases, just as for Windows 7. Third-party reports indicate that Windows 8 has reached Milestone 2, and that it’s on its way to M3.
Some users might remember that Windows 7 went through a total of three Milestone Builds before it graduated to Beta. And it appears that the same will be the case with Windows 8. (via Mary-Jo Foley)
Windows 8 is expected to hit M3 sometime in the first quarter of 2011, most probably in late February 2011.
Some sources indicate that the successor of Windows 7 might be available for testing to a wider audience in the second half of 2011, when it’s planned to reach the Beta development milestone.
In addition, leaked information related to the evolution of interim builds of Windows 8 mention a variety of releases.
Microsoft has reportedly wrapped up Builds such as 6.1.7764.0.100615-1748 and 6.2.7901, both post-Windows 7 Builds, and both connected with the Windows 8 project.
Of course, Microsoft is yet to offer any official confirmation on its plans for Windows 8, on some occasions insisting on calling it Windows vNext instead of the more popular moniker that was already used to refer to Windows 7’s successor.
Windows 8 is expected to drop some three years after Windows 7, with speculation pointing to 2012 for the launch, while some voices note that a 2013 release might also be possible.