With Windows 8 in the bag and set to be released to consumers in October, all signs now point to the future version of Windows. Trivial as it may be, I decided to do some research to see if I could find references for the code name of the next version of Windows. In the past, Microsoft was fond of using the names of cities and locales as code names for Windows, but things changed in Windows 7 (also code-named “Windows 7″) with a shift to a numerical code name. That carried through to Windows 8 (also code-named “Windows 8″), and now, it appears it will once again hold true for… (wait for it… wait for it)… Windows 9!
Yes, it appears the code name for the next version of Windows is, indeed, Windows 9. And my source for this indubitable goodness? Just a handful Microsoft employees, is all.
First, a release manager mentions Windows 9 in his LinkedIn profile. Notice its mention alongside Windows 8, thus lending more weight to the reference implying the version of Windows following Windows 8:
Next, a software development engineer (SDE) mentions Windows 9 in his profile with a position start date of June 2012:
Additionally, a senior product manager has Windows 9 listed alongside Windows 8 as a skill in his profile:
And, last of note (for the time being, at least), we catch but an infinitesimal glimpse of one aspect Microsoft will apparently be focusing on for Windows 9 planning: identity, as related to enterprise and consumer markets, both on PC and online. Notice the mention of “Windows.next” as being separate from Windows 8, which is also mentioned. Here’s what a senior product planner has to say about Windows 9 (or “Windows.next”) in her profile:
To note, “Windows Next” (and variations thereabout, such as “Windows.next” and “Windows vNext”) became a generic moniker used internally to reflect future versions of Windows, beginning with Windows 7. As you can see in this rather comical mention from a senior product planner’s profile, some simply prefer using it:
It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t care less about Windows 8 at the moment, but now that I’m already seeing signs of life for mentions of Windows 9, consider me back at the helm to bring some tasty morsels of information to the community. And as I noted in my previous post, MSFTKitchen will be undergoing a massive overhaul in the near future as I pick back up with things, so stay tuned! In the mean time, let me hear from you either in the comments below or via email. Thanks for reading!
source:msftkitchen
