As Ed, Adrian, Mary Jo, Steven and countless others have noted the product cycle for Windows 7 has been markedly different from it's predecessors. At some point in the near future* the Windows 7 Release Candidate will be made available. If you are a Windows beta tester, user or fan please take a moment to read on…

1. When the Windows 7 Release Candidate becomes available immediately download, install, test deeply and quickly provide actionable feedback.
2. Seriously: As the release candidate is downloading and with tenderness, kiss your spouse on the cheek and tell him or her you'll be back in a week or so. Then lock yourself in the home office and be relentless and unforgiving in your testing of the Windows 7 Release Candidate and provide feedback.
3. In case there are some of you who still think Windows 7 is on a schedule similar to prior versions and everything you've read to date from Microsoft on the subject is just marketing spin: When have we *ever* been that great at marketing? Now is the time to snap out of the little fantasy world you've created for yourself and recognize the cold hard truth the Windows 7 Release Candidate is almost certainly your last chance to provide feedback on Windows 7.
4. You should consider the Windows 7 Release Candidate as your first and best opportunity to influence the next version of Windows.

* The term ‘near future’ is not meant to imply any sort of specific date. You will hear about it well in advance and can therefore make plans for testing, which I sincerely hope you will do.