Microsoft has un-officially announced a date for the “Release Candidate” version of Windows 7. Apparently the behemoth slipped when uploading new content to their partner program website which revealed the date. Microsoft has since amended the site to remove any mention of the release date.
The Register reported, last month, that someone at Microsoft made another, similar, gaff which revealed May as the time to expect the RC. The leak also contained the expected system requirements, information that the expiry date is June 2010 one year after the download ceases to be available and that there is apparently no limit on the number of RC product keys available.
While Windows 7 isn’t out of the door yet, The Register is also reporting that Microsoft is hiring developers for the Windows 8 test cycle.
And finally, MSN messenger users which don’t have access to the full desktop client (such as at a Linux-based Internet Café) can finally access the network directly from their browser as an embedded component of Windows Live Hotmail. The system is being rolled out in phases, and should be available to everyone fairly soon.