![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewayneMicrosoft has announced that they are extending sales of XP for six months. Originally slated to stop retail sales at the end of this year, it's now pushed back. And "...will allow computer makers in emerging markets to build machines with Windows XP Starter Edition until June 2010."
They've had poor adoption rates and lots of businesses are actively resisting implementing it. They're still having VOIP problems with some vendors. They're still having integration problems with some security providers. It is really sounding more and more like a truly half-baked product release.
http://www.news.com/Microsoft-extends-Windows-XPs-stay/2100-1016_3-6210524.html
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/28/1622223
An editorial at CNet is saying that Microsoft utterly screwed up and should abandon Vista because it is such a crappy product. Of course, crapiness level will vary radically from person to person as no two people use their computers the same way.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/27/1852202
Now Microsoft is allowing people to downgrade their installation and install XP even though the computer came with Vista. Is this a tacit admission of a product that was not ready for prime time or what? Corporate America uses PCs on around a three year replacement cycle. So theoretically your computer is replaced every three years after it is fully depreciated. The reality is that you're probably using your computer for 3-5 years. Speaking from experience, I know that pretty much no computers at my previous or current job would run Vista. And if you're running minimal help desk staffing levels, you don't have the manpower to go around trying to upgrade computer hardware to meet Vista levels.
But wait! If the newly-purchased computers come in with Vista, then isn't all well?
Not by a long shot. Because now you're looking at application incompatibility. Your OS can't be verified by network security. Your OS had problems doing VPN connections. You have just opened a humongous can of worms, so to try to keep everything running smooth, you whip out your XP Pro CD and reformat the hard drive and downgrade the installation, just to keep everything working. Hey, we're site licensed, so we're OK, right? Or we're not site licensed and we just don't give a damn because we don't want to fight Vista. It doesn't matter, we have the responsibility of keeping the enterprise running, regardless of whatever crap software we're handed.
When comics start quoting Churchill to get a point across, it means something: http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070928.
MS is in a difficult position. IT departments are resisting their OS. They're also resisting their Office suite. They're sticking with an office suite released four years ago and an operating system a year or two older than that BECAUSE THEY WORK. If MS were to work on XP's core for better 64-bit support to get better integration with the newer generation of CPUs from Intel and AMD, that would be great. Sadly, MS doesn't have the best of track records with their server operating systems going from 32 to 64 bit, they've also dropped the ball on some of their app transitions. For example, if you go to 64 bt SQL Server, you LOSE FUNCTIONALITY. Certain features, which may or may not be significant for your installation, don't work under the 64 bit version.
I REALLY hope they clean up some of this with the February release of their 2008 server products.
Oh, and just so Excel doesn't feel left out, the 2007 version is having problems multiplying!
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/28/microsoft_excel_fails_math_test/
They've had poor adoption rates and lots of businesses are actively resisting implementing it. They're still having VOIP problems with some vendors. They're still having integration problems with some security providers. It is really sounding more and more like a truly half-baked product release.
http://www.news.com/Microsoft-extends-Windows-XPs-stay/2100-1016_3-6210524.html
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/28/1622223
An editorial at CNet is saying that Microsoft utterly screwed up and should abandon Vista because it is such a crappy product. Of course, crapiness level will vary radically from person to person as no two people use their computers the same way.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/27/1852202
Now Microsoft is allowing people to downgrade their installation and install XP even though the computer came with Vista. Is this a tacit admission of a product that was not ready for prime time or what? Corporate America uses PCs on around a three year replacement cycle. So theoretically your computer is replaced every three years after it is fully depreciated. The reality is that you're probably using your computer for 3-5 years. Speaking from experience, I know that pretty much no computers at my previous or current job would run Vista. And if you're running minimal help desk staffing levels, you don't have the manpower to go around trying to upgrade computer hardware to meet Vista levels.
But wait! If the newly-purchased computers come in with Vista, then isn't all well?
Not by a long shot. Because now you're looking at application incompatibility. Your OS can't be verified by network security. Your OS had problems doing VPN connections. You have just opened a humongous can of worms, so to try to keep everything running smooth, you whip out your XP Pro CD and reformat the hard drive and downgrade the installation, just to keep everything working. Hey, we're site licensed, so we're OK, right? Or we're not site licensed and we just don't give a damn because we don't want to fight Vista. It doesn't matter, we have the responsibility of keeping the enterprise running, regardless of whatever crap software we're handed.
When comics start quoting Churchill to get a point across, it means something: http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070928.
MS is in a difficult position. IT departments are resisting their OS. They're also resisting their Office suite. They're sticking with an office suite released four years ago and an operating system a year or two older than that BECAUSE THEY WORK. If MS were to work on XP's core for better 64-bit support to get better integration with the newer generation of CPUs from Intel and AMD, that would be great. Sadly, MS doesn't have the best of track records with their server operating systems going from 32 to 64 bit, they've also dropped the ball on some of their app transitions. For example, if you go to 64 bt SQL Server, you LOSE FUNCTIONALITY. Certain features, which may or may not be significant for your installation, don't work under the 64 bit version.
I REALLY hope they clean up some of this with the February release of their 2008 server products.
Oh, and just so Excel doesn't feel left out, the 2007 version is having problems multiplying!
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/28/microsoft_excel_fails_math_test/
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 04:14 pm (UTC)Argh.
(At least they finally adopted Firefox. Extensions for the win!)
Oh--I've touched Vista exactly once. My mom's new computer has it and oy, is it annoying.