Although a "significant" number of corporations are hesitating to move to Windows Vista, businesses should bite the bullet because Microsoft is retiring Windows XP , and there's no guarantee it will deliver a next-generation operating system on time or with compelling features, a research analyst said.
[ Don't want to upgrade to Vista? Join InfoWorld's effort to save Windows XP ]
"Vista is an inevitability, for a number of reasons," said Ben Gray, an analyst at Forrester Research. He then ticked off several, including Windows XP's announced retirement and unsubstantiated talk about Vista's successor, Windows 7.
"They are sort of in a caught between a rock and a hard place situation," said Gray. Administrators may not want to move to Vista, but neither of the alternatives -- the older XP and the not-even-officially-scheduled Windows 7 -- is attractive, he said.
It will become more difficult to stick with Windows XP when top-tier computer makers pull it off their operating system lists on June 30, the date Microsoft has mandated that manufacturers stop offering it on new PCs. The company will also yank XP from retail sales then.
And companies considering skipping Vista altogether by migrating from XP straight to Windows 7 may be punished, Gray added.
"To be blunt, customers know very little about Windows 7," he said, noting that with the exception of a few facts -- the Vista successor will come in both consumer and business editions and versions for both 32- and 64-bit machines -- "everything else is pure rumor and speculation."
Microsoft's poor track record on making release dates and crafting operating systems without discarding major features should make corporate decision-makers take pause, Gray said. "Ironically, one of Microsoft's biggest weaknesses, the unpredictable release schedule of its desktop operating systems, will likely spur adoption of Windows Vista as a result of this lack of faith in Microsoft delivering Windows 7 on time," he said.
"You can't count on Windows 7 being perfect," Gray said.
The aging of XP and the uncertainty of Windows 7 mean businesses really have no choice: They have to move to Vista, whether they like it or not, he noted.
"We get this question daily from clients: Should they continue to deploy XP, which they know and love, or skip Vista entirely for Windows 7?" Gray said. "We're not here to sell Windows XP or Windows Vista or Windows 7, but Vista looks like an inevitability."
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Platforms Resource Alerts
Recommend This
