I was at Microsoft today and was able to have a conversation with one of their managers. Turns out Windows 7 is now beginning to be distributed openly through the company because the release to manufacturer was put out yesterday. What this means is the finalized version of the operating system as been determined and as of yesterday is starting the manufacturing process. I got a quick peek at this users computer as well and noticed a couple small changes from the RC version I have toyed with on my own. The specific one that caught my eye was that when dragging a window to the top of the screen in the RC version you get a window blink to show that you are about to maximize that window. In the version I saw there was a blue transparency that accompanied the window to further show that the user is maximizing a window. Just thought I'd share that info.
If you want to save some money, you can sign up for Microsoft's Action Pack. This will give you the ability to download 10 licenses of Windows 7 Pro starting August 23. You also get access to several other applications, such as Office 2007, 2008 Server, Exchange server, Home Server, etc... I've been a member for several years. They just changed the service so that now you can download all the software. You have to be a Microsoft partner (it's free) to join. I just thought I'd throw out the idea in case you're interested.
A 1 year subscription to MS Action Pack (MAPS) is $299, whereas it's $349 for TechNet Plus. If you're already a member and simply renewing, then yes it's cheaper to renew your TechNet Plus ($249). Also, with the MAPS, you receive 10 licenses for all the client software such as Office and Windows 7 and 1 license for all the server software such as Server 2008, Exchange Server, SQL Server, etc... If you're like me and using several computers, then this is definitely a better way to go. If you're simply using one computer, then it may not be such a big deal for you.
