University Information Services has recently decided to deter the university from installing the beta version of Windows 7, making international technology news headlines.

“UIS strongly discourages downloading and installing the Windows 7 beta release on university-owned and supported computers,” states a notice posted on the university’s tech support Web site. “UIS does not support Windows 7, so UIS will not provide support of any kind if you choose to install it and encounter any of the above mentioned problems.”

The information was quickly picked up by bloggers and online news organizations, and by Sunday had appeared on computer news Web sites from nations as far-reaching as Australia, the United Kingdom and Turkey.

University Spokesperson Julie Bataille stressed that the decision was not unusual.

“This is a pretty standard measure we’re taking,” she said. “I think some of the [online] stories . dramatically took it out of context.”

Windows 7 is the next-generation operating system published by Microsoft and is intended to replace Window’s Vista, which was often plagued by operational problems. Windows 7 will streamline processes that were initially developed for Vista that were beneficial and have not been properly uploaded so far. Those processes will also focus on task efficiency.

Software developers use beta software to test an unfinished product before general release by relying on public feedback to find and report errors. Users of the beta version of Windows 7 receive a free advance copy of the software for personal use in return for notifying the software company of potential problems.

Georgetown was not the only university to issue a message of caution against beta installation. The Information Technology Web site at California State University, for example, posted a similar warning earlier last month.

“We strongly discourage [Windows 7 beta] use on university-owned computers until a future date when an extensive compatibility review is completed by IT and the appropriate campus committees,” the CSU Web site stated.

icrosoft officially released Windows 7 beta to the public on Jan. 9 and planned on offering the program until Jan. 24, or until a do–wnload limit of 2.5 million had been reached. High demand, however, caused Microsoft to remove the download limit and continue offering the free beta until Feb. 10.

“Beta software is known for being bug-ridden and filled with security flaws,” said Paul Caravelli (COL ’10), a computer science major. “This is precisely the reason for doing the beta release, so that these flaws can be ironed out before the operating system officially hits the public.”

After Feb. 10, Microsoft’s developers will work to solve the problems uncovered during the beta testing stage. Microsoft expects the final software to be released in April.

The Windows 7 development team has emphasized the unfinished status of the operating system. “While the Windows 7 beta is stable and has been thoroughly tested, it’s not the finished product. Your computer could crash and you could lose important files – so please don’t beta test Windows on your primary PC,” Microsoft’s official Web site stated.

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