Windows 7

Windows 7, released with much hoopla (as have all Windows versions since Windows 95), is a version of Microsoft Windows still preferred by many users who don't like the direction Windows went with the subsequent Windows 8, which messed around with the user interface in order to attempt integration with mobile and touchscreen devices. Windows 7 still uses most of the traditional interface elements from the last few Windows versions, such as the Start button (though it no longer says "Start" on it, ending the old joke that "the way to shut down Windows is to click on Start"; a tool-tip does say 'Start' if you hover over it, however).

Windows 7 got its number from where the internal version numbering of Windows was headed; Microsoft had stopped using numbered versions after 3.11, using various other designations such as years and letters, but internally the version it identified itself as in such things as browser user agent strings had been continuing to increase and was at 6.0 with Vista, making the next major release "version 7". However, after adopting Windows 7 as the marketing name, Microsoft ended up releasing the system with an internal version number of 6.1, supposedly to preserve compatibility with Vista. Windows 8 continues this incongruity by being numbered 6.2.

Links

 * Wikipedia article
 * Windows 7 official help site