Microsoft has unveiled the official name for the next version of the Windows operating system. Up until now Microsoft officials had been referring to the project as "Windows 7." And now they're going to keep on doing that. But it's not a codename anymore. It's the final name of the upcoming operating system.

While other software makers have named their operating systems after the version number (Mac OS 9, or OS X), or the release date (Ubuntu 8.10 will come out in October, 2008), Microsoft has taken an all of the above approach. Think Windows 3.11 or Windows 2000. And Windows XP ad Vista weren't really named after anything.

So what's the deal with Windows 7? This will be the seventh major Windows release build number. Windows Vista was the 6th.

Microsoft will be making a developer preview of Windows 7 available to attendees of the upcoming PDC and WinHEC conferences.