The Microsoft executive in charge of Windows has urged some companies to dump Vista deployment plans and shift to Windows 7, the operating system the company has promised to deliver in the fourth quarter.
Some companies should move straight to Windows 7
"If you're just starting your testing of Vista, with the [Windows 7] Release Candidate and the quality of that offering, I would switch over and do your testing on the [Windows 7] Release Candidate, and use that going forward," Bill Veghte, Microsoft's senior vice president for Windows business, said in a keynote speech last week.
That same day, other Microsoft managers said work on Windows 7 should wrap up in August, which would indicate availability on new PCs and at retail stores as early as mid-October if the company uses the same pace as Windows XP eight years ago.
Microsoft delivered Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) to the public on May 4, but made it available to developers and IT professionals several days earlier.
Veghte's advice to abandon Vista didn't come as a surprise to Michael Silver, a Gartner analyst who tracks Microsoft. Silver and Gartner colleague Stephen Kleynhans said the same thing in a research note released last Wednesday.
"If they haven't started, certainly they should move right to Windows 7," said Silver today. "But the bigger question is what do those in the middle of planning do? Should they continue with Vista?"
The answer, Silver said, depends on where in the Vista planning and deployment process a company is. "If they started deployment, and are deploying Vista only on new machines as they buy them, then I'd continue. But if they aren't quite there yet, then we recommend switching to Windows 7."
Gartner's rule of thumb, Silver continued, is that if dumping Vista for Windows 7 will delay deployment plans by six months or less, then Windows 7 is the right move. "And for anyone looking to skip some version of Windows, Vista is the better one to skip," said Silver.
Because the bulk of corporate PCs continue to run Windows XP, and because more than half of the enterprises surveyed by Gartner plan to skip Vista, Windows 7 becomes the de facto choice for the future, Silver argued. And it will have to be sooner rather than later, since a major deadline is staring XP users in the face.
In April 2014, Microsoft will drop all support for Windows XP, putting a stop to security patches. "That's effectively the end-date for XP," Silver said. "But a lot of [software developers], if they're writing a new product or updating [an existing product], they're not going to be supporting XP even that long."
Businesses should figure on leaving Windows XP no later than the end of 2012, he added. "That means that if they start Windows 7 deployment in January 2011, as we think many will, they'll have nearly two years to upgrade, and a 16-month cushion until XP support ends in case they have problems or delays," Silver said.
But was this week's advice by Microsoft's Veghte a red-letter day, the implicit admission that Vista was a failure in the enterprise? "Oh, I think they admitted that a while ago," Silver said, pointing to comments by CEO Steve Ballmer last October during a Gartner symposium refereed by Silver and fellow analyst Neil MacDonald.
"If people want to wait [for Windows 7], they certainly can," Ballmer said then. Earlier in a question-and-answer, Ballmer had said Windows 7 was simply "Vista, a lot better."
"They've been coming to terms with Vista's [failure] long before this," Silver said today.
Microsoft has not yet named a ship date for Windows 7, or disclosed pricing for the various versions. Like Vista, Windows 7 will feature an Enterprise edition that is available only to customers with Software Assurance, the Microsoft program that gives large customers the rights to any updates to a particular product in return for a annual payment.
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Comments
SirMetal said: Nice one Sathos
Sathos said: I am seeing a LOT of rather foolish home users here this article is about CORPORATE USE Vista with all of its trappings was never set to be ideal for corporate but in my experience is great at home if you have half a brain when using it I have 3pcs and a laptop all with home premium and it is by far the best OS I have gotten to grips withand I have been a user since DOSWhat this article is saying is that CORPORATIONS should skip vista in favour of windows 7 nothing more nothing lessjees guys learn how to read whats actually there not what you think you are reading as thinking is something you definitely dont excel at
Kevscar said: Been running 64bit Vista Home Premium since got machine last Aug with not a single OS problem so there is no way I will pay for another OS for at least 5 yrs
Gigi said: the sooner vista is history the better by far microsofts worst operating system even worse than millenium edition how did it ever get released
seriously? said: Vista is a brilliant OS I HOPE I missed the sarcasm there I have been a PC user for years and was dissapointed that although my newest laptop a few months later came with the option to ship with XP for me to switch to this would cost me money If W7 doesnt have a viable ie cheep upgrade option from Shista Ultimate my next computer is going to be fruity for those who dont get the reference - Apple
jz said: Microsoft have created a BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT operating system then want to kill it Get a grip Microsoft
pedro_einstein said: MS has created a whole army of idiots who keep buying their repackaged products year after year and wondering why they have to keep investing time and money fixing problem after problem The Windows user deserves everything they get
Dragon said: Aw cmon James Since when did Microst give anything away Ive got Home Basic for my sins which is a pig of a system and so cant downgrade to XP preferred option or upgrade to Windows 7
James said: Does this mean that they will give all of us mugs who purchased a machine with Vista pre-installed a free upgrade to W7