Somebody cares, but not Rico

ChannelWeb has a blog about Windows:

Speculation is bubbling that Microsoft could be preparing to unveil the public beta of Windows 7 as early as next week. But although purported Windows 7 beta builds have cropped up on BitTorrent sites, Microsoft is shrouding the release date in its customary veil of secrecy. Last week, the Within Windows blog noticed that Microsoft had included, and then removed, the Windows 7 beta in the roster for its Action Pack quarterly update, which is slated for launch on 5 January.
Microsoft has stuck to a timeframe of "early 2009" for the Windows 7 beta launch, and many Microsoft watchers expect CEO Steve Ballmer to make Windows 7 the centerpiece of his keynote speech next month at the Consumer Electronics Show. Several solution providers told ChannelWeb that regardless of when Microsoft launches Windows 7, they expect Microsoft to address the issues that have led to Windows Vista's battered reputation.
"Even though Vista is working pretty well now, Microsoft has to make this leap into Windows 7 because many corporations have decided that Vista doesn't work," said Alex Pearson, president of IS Systems, a San Antonio, Texas-based solution provider.
Steve Bohman, vice president of operations at Columbus Micro, a Columbus, Ohio-based system builder, says the key to Windows 7's success will be whether Microsoft has listened not only to its beta testers, but also to other, non-traditional user groups. That'll be especially important with regard to user interface issues, Bohman added. "They need to get feedback from people who didn't like the Vista interface and adjust from there," he said. "And if Windows 7 still has user interface elements that people aren't comfortable with, then Microsoft had better go back to the drawing board."

Rico says they'll have to go back to the drawing board for a long time before he'll even think about switching... (Just kidding. They couldn't pay him enough to switch.)