With little fanfare, Microsoft on Tuesday promoted Windows 7 Service Pack 1 to release candidate status, hitting the last major milestone before the code is finalized and begins shipping early next year.

The company posted Windows 7 SP1 RC on its site early Tuesday in a combined download for the client operating system and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

The release candidate, or RC, is the first edition aimed at the general public, a Microsoft spokesman said in a entry on the company's blog. It will also be the last, as the company will move directly from SP1 RC to RTM, or "release to manufacturing," a term that describes code that's been given the green light for duplication and distribution to computer makers.

More: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9193280/