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The next-gen operating system has been codenamed Windows 7 since its inception, and now Microsoft has decided to let the name stick.

"I know there have been a few cases at Microsoft when the codename of a product was used for the final release, I am pretty sure that this is a first for Windows," says the corporate VP of Windows management, Mike Nash, on the company's Windows Vista blog.

"The decision to use the name Windows 7 is about

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simplicity," he adds. "Over the years, we have taken different approaches to naming Windows. We've used version numbers like Windows 3.11, or dates like Windows 98, or 'aspirational' monikers like Windows XP or Windows Vista.

"And since we do not ship new versions of Windows every year, using a date did not make sense. Likewise, coming up with an all-new 'aspirational' name does not do justice to what we are trying to achieve, which is to stay firmly rooted in our aspirations for Windows Vista, while evolving and refining the substantial investments in platform technology in Windows Vista into the next generation of Windows."

That rationalé may disappoint many who have been unimpressed with what Vista has to offer, suggesting once again that Windows 7 will be a relatively minor upgrade to Vista rather than a wholesale redesign of the operating system.

Microsoft is due to share pre-beta code of Windows 7 with developers at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC) later this month - PC Pro will have full coverage live from the show.

To find out what to expect from Windows 7, and how to get those features now, buy this month's copy of PC Pro.