Microsoft's Latest Gamble

Break out the balloons: Windows 7 launches today. After the epic fail of Windows Vista, Microsoft is eager to release an operating system that actually works right off the bat.

And they’ve taken a major leap with Windows 7. It doesn’t come with an address book, a calendar, or even an email program. There’s no way to read a PDF document, chat online, or organize photos right out of the box. Instead, users can pick and choose which free apps they want to download from Microsoft.

Microsoft is celebrating the release with a series of house parties. Armed with an advanced copy of Windows 7, streamers, and balloons, PC users around the world are gathering up their friends to try out the new OS. Will Windows 7 be Microsoft’s saving grace or another embarassment for the software giant?

Here with more is Slate.com technology writer Farhad Manjoo, author of True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society.

The Economist: Clash of the clouds

CNET: Reporters' Roundtable: What Windows 7 means

New York Times: Windows 7 Keeps the Good, Tries to Fix Flaws

(Photo by kingdesmond1337 via Flickr/Creative Commons)