Windows 7: what a name!

by Eli Altman

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, but I’ve been tied up.

Let’s get down to it. Why is the new Microsoft OS called Windows 7? If you look at the number of operating systems they’ve released, it should be Windows 12 or so. Maybe it’s named for the seven days of the week. Or maybe it’s called 7 because Windows doesn’t take seven minutes to boot up anymore.

In any case, here’s an abridged history of the Windows OS: In the beginning, Windows 1, 2 and 3 came in order—that makes enough sense. Then they went to Windows 95 before coming back to NT 4. Then comes Windows 98 and 2000. Next, Windows Me represents the first time they didn’t include any numbers. (I guess that’s what you have to do when you release two operating systems in the same year.) After Windows Me came XP, then everyone’s favorite Vista, and finally (drum roll please) Windows 7!

I never saw it coming! You figure they’re all into aspirational Spanish words like Vista, and then they go surprise everyone by kicking it old school with a name like Windows 7. Maybe, since Vista was the only OS that was actually named, and it fizzled a bit, they figured people would be weary of another OS with a real name. Then again, it’s not like Vista was the first Windows release with issues.

I guess when you get down to it, everyone knows when Microsoft releases a new operating system. It’s not like they’re new to the game and need a catchy name to help spread the word.  What Microsoft needed this time was a smooth OS release, and so far, Windows 7 has delivered on that.