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A whole lot of people (your humble author included) have been hanging onto old computers, hoping they'll last until Windows 7 is released.  At a conference yesterday, a late 2009 launch was confirmed, and interesting multi-touch abilities were demonstrated.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were onstage at the D: All Things Digital conference, so the 2009 date will hopefully remain firm.  It's in line with various hints and tidbits that have been dropped before.

Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7
 

As for the multi-touch interface, Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft's corporate vice president of program management for the Windows Experience, confirmed that it's built throughout the Windows 7 operating system, and not a more limited gimmick.

Microsoft's team did leave itself an out on this issue - "[p]lease note, the applications you will see are for demonstration purposes only," Chris Flores wrote on the Windows Vista Team Blog - but a video demonstration shows off some appealing (and Apple-like) ideas.

Although Vista customers may start to feel cheated as a result of all this news, other consumers will likely be encouraged.  Just remember not to get so caught up in Windows 7 research that you run your current computer into the ground.