So the next version of Windows will be known simply as “Windows 7.”

That’s according to a post yesterday by Mike Nash, Microsoft’s Corporate VP Windows Product Management.

Windows 7 is the planned successor operating system to Windows Vista and a product that Microsoft hopes will confound the Vista critics.

What I find especially interesting about Windows 7 is the explanation Nash includes in his post on why the name:

[…] The decision to use the name Windows 7 is about simplicity. Over the years, we have taken different approaches to naming Windows.  We’ve used version numbers like Windows 3.11, or dates like Windows 98, or "aspirational" monikers like Windows XP or Windows Vista. And since we do not ship new versions of Windows every year, using a date did not make sense.  Likewise, coming up with an all-new "aspirational" name does not do justice to what we are trying to achieve, which is to stay firmly rooted in our aspirations for Windows Vista, while evolving and refining the substantial investments in platform technology in Windows Vista into the next generation of Windows.

Simply put, this is the seventh release of Windows, so therefore "Windows 7" just makes sense.

It does make sense to me: the seventh release so call it ‘7,’ sure.

Yet it indicates a shift in thinking at Microsoft when you consider the speculation surrounding the name when Vista was announced back in 2005.

And here’s Microsoft’s explanation of why that name:

[…] "Today, we live in a world of ‘more’ — more information, more ways to communicate, more things to do, more opportunities — and at the same time, more responsibilities. Increasingly, we all turn to our PCs to help us with that," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "At the end of the day, what you’re after is a way to break through all the clutter to focus on what you want to focus on, what you need to do. What you’re trying to get to is your own personal Vista — whether that is trying to organize photos, or trying to find a file or trying to connect and collaborate with a number of people electronically."

I don’t see that a lot has changed between 2005 and today.

Still, it’s early days – Windows 7 isn’t due until 2010 at the earliest, and two years (or less) is a long time in software application development, even something as complex as an operating system.

Including time to think about the name. Is it really the final choice? Or what’s the bet that a name in the cloud might emerge? (I have it! Windows Cloud 9!)

Anything can happen between now and 2010.