Windows 7 free-for-all till 2010

There's been nothing but "this is the RTM" messages for the last month on Windows forums and Twitter, but now it is officially, official. Microsoft says in an email today:

"It's almost here! We're very happy to tell you that we've hit the last big milestone on the way to Windows 7: Release to Manufacturing. We're packaging copies and manufacturers are putting it on new PCs. On October 22, you'll be able to get the final shipping product. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done; you helped make this an operating system we're all going to enjoy.

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However, Microsoft isn't shutting down its release candidate program just yet, urging users to try it out and lets face it, in the current environment every potential user counts: "Meanwhile, RC's downloads are still available. You can get the release candidate download until August 20, 2009. After that, you won't be able to get the download, but if you have the software, you can still install the RC and get a key if you need one. (Keys will be available till March 2010. To get a key, just go to the Downloads page and follow the instructions.)"

Given so many pundits have said the release candidate is good enough for full-time use, the Release Candidate may provide a handy stop-gap measure for users who aren't financially ready to buy the official version when it is released.