Weary of hearing about Windows Vista all year? Well, Microsoft already has begun spreading bits of information on the next Windows client OS, dubbed Windows 7 internally at the company.“As part of our ongoing outreach to enterprise customers and partners, Microsoft has begun sharing plans for how [it] will continue to deliver value to businesses in the future, including Software Assurance customers in particular,” said a Microsoft representative in an emailed statement. Part of this effort involves offering preliminary information on Windows 7 as well as updates on future Windows-related releases such as the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.“Microsoft is scoping Windows ‘7’ development to a three-year timeframe, and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar,” the representative said. “In the meantime, Microsoft is dedicated to helping customers deploy and get the most business value from their PCs using Windows Vista and related technologies like the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, and we’re encouraged by the response and adoption of these products so far.” The company declined to provide specific details Friday about any features planned for Windows 7. But Microsoft previously talked about a follow-up to Vista codenamed Vienna, to feature security improvements including 128-bit, cryptographically signed application secure identities. Microsoft representatives on Friday afternoon could not confirm whether Windows 7 and the Vienna project are one and the same. Vista was released on January 30. Windows Server 2008, the next server version of Windows, formerly codenamed Longhorn, is set to be launched in February 2008. Software Development