Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7, the next generation of the Windows operating system, is on track to be released in 2010, three years after the failure that is Windows Vista was made publicly available.

Details about Windows 7 are scant, and no one knows what Microsoft has up their sleeve to help it compete with the next generation of operating systems. Hopefully we’ll see something truly innovative instead of the more common blatant copying of features from the competition.

Expect more news as public betas are released, most likely mid-2009.

TG Daily is reporting that Microsoft has shipped a “Milestone 1″ release of Windows 7 to “key partners.” They also received a roadmap which points to a second half of 2009 release.

With this release a few new features of the next Windows have been unveiled. The operating system can handle a graphics system consisting of multiple graphics cards from different vendors - something unheard of in today’s software. Also, a new version of Windows Media Center has made its way into the release.

Other features that will possibly be included in the operating system are MinWin (a smaller kernel which takes up only 40 MB of memory) and new touchscreen features. The rest remains under wraps.

Previously, the release was expected in 2010. Hopefully Microsoft can stick to the new plan so we can all get rid of Vista once and for all. Realistically, though, we can probably expect the release closer to 2011 given Microsoft’s history of not making deadlines.