So the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) build (7100) has leaked to the torrents. People scramble. Downloading ensues.
Sadly, there's nothing new to see in this build. If you've been following along with my coverage of all the post-Beta builds over the past few months, you've already seen everything there is to see in the RC. That said, many haven't looked at Windows 7 since the Beta, and certainly the improvements since that milestone are tremendous. But this leaves me in a bit of a quandary: How do I cover something that hasn't changed?
Well.
Once I get the OK from Microsoft, I'll post an exhaustive review. This will focus on what's changed since the beta, not what's changed since, say, build 7077, because, well, nothing's changed. Windows 7 RC is a very-close-to-final look at what Microsoft plans for the final release (barring any UI coming change, of course), so it's important and interesting regardless. But for those, like myself, that have been plying over interim builds ... geesh. This thing is just done from what I can see.
Rafael and I do have some secrets to share, but again, we need to wait. There is more coming.
Regarding availability, I don't have any info that I can relay on when the RC build will be made available through official channels, but everyone who wants it should be able to get it in the coming weeks.
Note: These shots represent the x64 version of the Windows 7 Release Candidate, which is available from all the major torrent sites if you're a risk-taker. --Paul
