A conflagration swirls around an early take on Windows 7, while the tech economy continues to burn It’s been a rough week for Randall C. Kennedy, our Enterprise Desktop blogger. His feature article, Windows 7 unmasked, drew more fire than any story we’ve published since InfoWorld Chief Technologist Tom Yager gave the first iteration of the iPhone a bad review. The main objection: Randall had the effrontery to run benchmarks on pre-beta software. Interestingly, few critics disputed his specific conclusion that, under the hood, the pre-beta version of Windows 7 appears little changed from Vista. It was Randall’s gall at drawing any conclusions at all — and the methods he used to reach them — that incited the greatest ire. (It got so hot that one commenter pleaded: “Relax everybody, it’s an operating system not a cure for cancer”.) From the bully pulpit of his blog, Randall offers a closely argued reply to his detractors. The irony of all this is that Randall still considers himself a Microsoft admirer (“one of the original fans of NT,” as he puts it) despite his dim view of Vista. Still think InfoWorld isn’t playing fair with Microsoft? Then check out the latest post from Enterprise Windows blogger J. Peter Bruzzese, who loves Vista and likes what he sees in the Windows 7 pre-beta. Instead of impugning Randall’s work, Peter focuses on Windows 7’s improved UAC (User Access Control) in an in-depth interview with Derek Melber, Microsoft MVP and founder of the Braincore consultancy.I actually find all this thrashing over an OS that won’t ship until 2010 an entertaining distraction from all the economic gloom and doom. I have my own take on our unique period in history. Those worried about their jobs would do well to consult Executive Editor Galen Gruman’s Career survival guide, which outlines where the jobs are disappearing to, the tech skills in highest demand, and more. For those in search of a real change of pace, Editor at Large Ephraim Schwartz considers whether Brazil might become The next India. Did you know São Paulo has the second-largest community of Java programmers outside of the U.S.? I didn’t either. Nice climate, too. Até a vista! Technology Industry