Windows 7 SP1 Beta Now Ready for Public Testing
Feeling like testing the Service Pack?
Windows 7 was the most widely beta tested operating system to date. Rather than breaking that trend, Microsoft is following the same route now with the beta versions of the first service pack.
Available today for those feeling adventurous in trying out unfinished software, Windows 7 SP1 is a collection of updates already available through Windows Update and additional hotfixes.
Also available today is the SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2, but with the SP1 comes additional features and richness to the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
Grab the download here – but remember, this is unfinished software that should not be run on primary computers or machines with valuable data on them. The final release is scheduled for the first half of 2011.

Nope. Not everyone is going to jump ship when ever the new OS comes out and I bet some of those people would like for MS to continue supporting win7.
No, my reasoning for this centers around the fact they are releasing windows 8 kind of quickly (from what i've seen on roadmaps and what people have said) i for one would be scared to switch from 7 in fear 8 might be another vista.
no harm in that just as long as you know that windows 7 blows it out of the water.
Windows Vista 2006. Windows 7 2009. Windows 8 2012-13. Sounds about right to me.
Yeah, that would be wonderful for organizations that just deployed 10s of thousands of Windows 7 machines to no longer update and support that OS. What is wrong with you people?
It's just because you don't understand that having a lot of tester (also a lot of possible computer configuration) will help find bugs faster and have a better SP.
If you don't want to help having a better Windows, just ignore it.
Dev teams only work on new products. I'm sure the specs for Windows 9 are already laid down while work on Win 8 continues. In fact once release dates get set features that cannot be completed in Win 8 get moved to Win 9 so the bar is flexible while continuous. Existing products like Windows 7 are developed and supported by a "sustained engineering" team separate from Dev although they'll occassionaly leverage main Dev resources.
This is the largest software maker on the planet. They know how to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Yeaaahh! Don't install any fixes, that'll teach em!!!!
/eyeroll
You can also pony up $2k and head on over to OSx land where they charge you money for service packs.
Tired of playing catch up with OS's and hardware, PS3 will stay in my gaming lineup, still have a PS2.
I put Win 7 64bit on my Q9650 gaming rig (thanks Newegg) and it will never see Win 8. I will never buy into MS for gaming again, after this rig goes (years from now, not including repairs) Linux should be mainstream maybe on STEAM, will dual boot to start the transition away from Microbloat.
Call me old, I am. As far as my main computer, banking and reading the news, shopping and such or maybe writing a third book, Snow Leopard will be used as long as possible, at least a decade or more. I don't care about playing freaking Blue Ray or Purple Ray disks if they invent that. The Macbook Pros are a great marriage of hardware and Software and will not be lured into a shiny new one one day with a touch screen or what ever.
No, I don't want to help a corporation make more money by improving their product for free. I don't have time for that. Testers are paid positions, Microsoft apparently needs to hire more of them. Do you also ask your neighbor to come mow your lawn for free, you know, to help make it a better neighborhood for everyone? lol
^^ Most intelligent post in this entire thread. A++