In response to the cries of many testers who felt their help and feedback were under-appreciated, Microsoft has reversed a previous decision and announced it would hand out free copies of Windows 7 Ultimate to those who received the earliest builds of the operating system last year. The offer applies to members of the invitation-only Windows 7 Technical Beta Program – meaning users who downloaded the public beta or release candidate are not eligible for the thank you.

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Not a bad deal for them!

I'm going to hang on for hope that Microsoft passes out full versions at a public tour sometime in the future.

Good news!

Maybe "good news" but I won't hold my breath about it. I am sure they will find some way to wriggle out of this in favor of their profits on the software. I remember when Macromedia sent me boxes and boxes of NFR software - their latest and best - for absolutely free - along with demo software, T-shirts, pens, gadgets, notepads, and a whole lot more, just because I was the only authorized Macromedia User Group leader on the continent of Africa at that time. It was wonderful. Since Macromedia was taken over by Adobe, that all stopped, and since I have never had anything "free" from Microsoft that I did not have to pay megabucks for, I think they will find some way of wriggling out of this "free" offer.

A discount coupon for Beta Testers that downloaded would seem appropriate if nothing else.

Yeah, thats good and all, but i'm still pissed that Long time Vista Ultimate users will still have to pay FULL Price for Windows 7 Ultimate, while everyone else gets discounts on the lesser versions. But hey, they don't really care.

this whole thing is ****ed!

What about me i tested and possted ideas for improvement. What do I Get ? Its nice of them to give the "invited" testers some thanks.