Why is it Windows *7*?

Hi --

The only Windows 7 ng I can find is an Italian one, so I guess I'll post
this here ...

I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this, but I can't find an
answer anywhere. Maybe someone here can enlighten me:

Why is the new Windows OS named Windows 7? It's not the seventh version of
the Windows desktop family:

Windows 3
Windows 95 = Windows 4
Windows 98 = Windows 5
Windows Me = Windows 6 (or maybe 5.5, or maybe 0 ... but still ...)
Windows 2000 desktop = Windows 7
Windows XP = Windows 8
Windows Vista = Windows 9 (or maybe another 0 ... but still ...)

That would make Windows 7 the 10th desktop version of Windows.

Even eliminating Windows Me and Windows Vista from the list would make
Windows 7 the 8th desktop version of Windows ...

So what's the reason for this name?

"Charles Lavin" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi --
>
> The only Windows 7 ng I can find is an Italian one, so I guess I'll post
> this here ...
>
> I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this, but I can't find an
> answer anywhere. Maybe someone here can enlighten me:
>
> Why is the new Windows OS named Windows 7? It's not the seventh version of
> the Windows desktop family:

Because the marketing WEENIES at Microsoft decided that Windows 7 would look
cool on the box.

>
> Windows 3
> Windows 95 = Windows 4
> Windows 98 = Windows 5
> Windows Me = Windows 6 (or maybe 5.5, or maybe 0 ... but still ...)
> Windows 2000 desktop = Windows 7
> Windows XP = Windows 8
> Windows Vista = Windows 9 (or maybe another 0 ... but still ...)
>
> That would make Windows 7 the 10th desktop version of Windows.
>
> Even eliminating Windows Me and Windows Vista from the list would make
> Windows 7 the 8th desktop version of Windows ...
>
> So what's the reason for this name?
>
Because the marketing WEENIES at Microsoft decided that Windows 7 would look
cool on the box.

Any questions?

WRONG!

WINDOWS 95/WINDOWS 98/WINDOWS ME = W4.XX

WINDOWS 2000 = WINDOWS 5.0

WINDOWS XP = WINDOWS 5.1

WINDOWS SERVER 2003 = WINDOWS 5.2

WINDOWS VISTA/WINDOWS SERVER 2008 = WINDOWS 6.0

WINDOWS 7/WINDOWS SERVER 2008 R2 = WINDOWS 6.1.7600!

IMHO:

It was the code name. Windows Vista had the 6.0 of the kernel version. I
guess they originally planned a number 7 kernel. But it turned out to be
version 6.1. Anyway, the beta version was codenamed "7". Usually they would
later change it to something else, but the feedback on the name "Windows 7"
during beta was so positive that they just stuck with it.

Saucy



"Charles Lavin" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi --
>
> The only Windows 7 ng I can find is an Italian one, so I guess I'll post
> this here ...
>
> I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this, but I can't find an
> answer anywhere. Maybe someone here can enlighten me:
>
> Why is the new Windows OS named Windows 7? It's not the seventh version of
> the Windows desktop family:
>
> Windows 3
> Windows 95 = Windows 4
> Windows 98 = Windows 5
> Windows Me = Windows 6 (or maybe 5.5, or maybe 0 ... but still ...)
> Windows 2000 desktop = Windows 7
> Windows XP = Windows 8
> Windows Vista = Windows 9 (or maybe another 0 ... but still ...)
>
> That would make Windows 7 the 10th desktop version of Windows.
>
> Even eliminating Windows Me and Windows Vista from the list would make
> Windows 7 the 8th desktop version of Windows ...
>
> So what's the reason for this name?
>
>
>

Rather simple reason - it's the seventh version of windows beginning with
3.0.

It is the seventh version of Windows NT.
Windows 1, 2, 3, 95, 98, and ME are not based on Windows NT. Hence,
whatever their internal name may be, they don't count.

NT 1, 2, 3, and 4 were never available to the general public for use on a
PC.
Windows NT5 was called Windows 2000
Windows NT5.1 was called Windows XP
Windows NT6 is called Windows Vista
Windows NT7 is called Windows 7.
Jim
"Charles Lavin" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi --
>
> The only Windows 7 ng I can find is an Italian one, so I guess I'll post
> this here ...
>
> I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this, but I can't find an
> answer anywhere. Maybe someone here can enlighten me:
>
> Why is the new Windows OS named Windows 7? It's not the seventh version of
> the Windows desktop family:
>
> Windows 3
> Windows 95 = Windows 4
> Windows 98 = Windows 5
> Windows Me = Windows 6 (or maybe 5.5, or maybe 0 ... but still ...)
> Windows 2000 desktop = Windows 7
> Windows XP = Windows 8
> Windows Vista = Windows 9 (or maybe another 0 ... but still ...)
>
> That would make Windows 7 the 10th desktop version of Windows.
>
> Even eliminating Windows Me and Windows Vista from the list would make
> Windows 7 the 8th desktop version of Windows ...
>
> So what's the reason for this name?
>
>
>

Actually, it all started with version 1.0.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_1.0


"Al" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Rather simple reason - it's the seventh version of windows beginning with 3.0.

I think you may be revising history a bit.

The first version of Windows NT was 3.1. See this link for details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.1

For the full list of Windows versions, see this link:

List of Microsoft Windows versions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_versions


"Jim" <> wrote in message
news:Ory%...
> It is the seventh version of Windows NT.
> Windows 1, 2, 3, 95, 98, and ME are not based on Windows NT. Hence, whatever
> their internal name may be, they don't count.
>
> NT 1, 2, 3, and 4 were never available to the general public for use on a PC.
> Windows NT5 was called Windows 2000
> Windows NT5.1 was called Windows XP
> Windows NT6 is called Windows Vista
> Windows NT7 is called Windows 7.
> Jim
> "Charles Lavin" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Hi --
>>
>> The only Windows 7 ng I can find is an Italian one, so I guess I'll post this
>> here ...
>>
>> I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this, but I can't find an
>> answer anywhere. Maybe someone here can enlighten me:
>>
>> Why is the new Windows OS named Windows 7? It's not the seventh version of
>> the Windows desktop family:
>>
>> Windows 3
>> Windows 95 = Windows 4
>> Windows 98 = Windows 5
>> Windows Me = Windows 6 (or maybe 5.5, or maybe 0 ... but still ...)
>> Windows 2000 desktop = Windows 7
>> Windows XP = Windows 8
>> Windows Vista = Windows 9 (or maybe another 0 ... but still ...)
>>
>> That would make Windows 7 the 10th desktop version of Windows.
>>
>> Even eliminating Windows Me and Windows Vista from the list would make
>> Windows 7 the 8th desktop version of Windows ...
>>
>> So what's the reason for this name?
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:07:13 -0400, Charles Lavin wrote:

> Hi --
>
> The only Windows 7 ng I can find is an Italian one, so I guess I'll post
> this here ...
>
> I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this, but I can't find an
> answer anywhere. Maybe someone here can enlighten me:
>
> Why is the new Windows OS named Windows 7? It's not the seventh version of
> the Windows desktop family:
>
> Windows 3
> Windows 95 = Windows 4
> Windows 98 = Windows 5
> Windows Me = Windows 6 (or maybe 5.5, or maybe 0 ... but still ...)
> Windows 2000 desktop = Windows 7
> Windows XP = Windows 8
> Windows Vista = Windows 9 (or maybe another 0 ... but still ...)
>
> That would make Windows 7 the 10th desktop version of Windows.
>
> Even eliminating Windows Me and Windows Vista from the list would make
> Windows 7 the 8th desktop version of Windows ...
>
> So what's the reason for this name?

All those other replies are wrong. The real reason is that "7" is
hexadecimal for 10.

Seriousness aside, maybe they just did it because 7 is a lucky number.

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom

Why beginning with version 3.0? The first version of Windows was Windows
1.01.


"Al" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Rather simple reason - it's the seventh version of windows beginning with
> 3.0.