A reality check for Vista (Microsoft's New OS)

CNN.COM ^ | 9-8-06 | Owen Thomas

[Hydroshock]

SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Judging by the grief that Microsoft is getting over delays in the release of Windows Vista, and the buzz surrounding the price it plans to charge for the next generation operating system, you'd think we were all hankering to get our hands on this hot new piece of software.

Don't believe the hype: There won't be lines around the block at midnight when Vista hits store shelves early next year, analysts say.

More from Business 2.0 Fall phone preview - thin is in

BlackBerry's Pearl is brainy

The greenest office in America

Fastest Growing Tech Companies Current Issue Subscribe to Business 2.0

"I don't expect anyone's going to be camping out at Best Buy waiting for this product," says Citigroup equity research analyst Brent Thill. "I think the pace of adoption will be slower than the market expects."

They can get it for you wholesale

Microsoft (Charts) gets more than 80 percent of its $13 billion in annual Windows revenue from PC makers, who install the operating system on new PCs. The cost of Windows - estimated at around $70 - is included in the price we pay when we buy a new PC. The proportion of people who buy copies of Windows at retail to install on their PCs is vanishingly small.

And the version of Windows that those retail customers have on their PC hardly figures into the equation. By and large, we buy a new PC when we need another one.

[B Knotts]

It can be done. And now that VMWare Server (don't be confused by the name; it works well for workstation use) is free, you can install Windows in VMWare, and run it from time to time for the one or two Windows applications you still need.

[Turbopilot]

I may buy new computers for the office right before the Vista launch. We don't strictly need them but I'd really like to avoid converting for as long as possible. Despite all the grief it gets, a properly set up XP system is really quite good and I'd much rather see MS engineering effort going into releasing XP updates than into a whole new OS, even though it won't happen because there's no money in it for them. I'd almost rather them release "XP2" and charge for it; I'd rather pay for that than pay the same amount for Vista.

[Obadiah]

Yup, Bootcamp is Apple's software that will allow Apple's OS X to boot in either Windows or in Apple's operating system (soon to be Leopard). Parallels for OS X will cost $49, plus the cost of Windows itself. Unlike Boot Camp, Parallels creates a "virtual machine" that simulates a Windows computer inside the Mac OS allowing you to run Windows programs side by side with Mac programs, rather than booting in one or the other operation system. Regrettably, at this point I'm a total noob when it comes to actually running a Mac or knowing exactly where there are good sources of info with respect to actually using them.

[Doohickey]

And you know that from 20 minutes of use. Genius.

[madison10]

Assume MS to stop supporting XP in the 17th month.

They'd better not! Why should I be forced to buy an OS full of squirmy, non-performing, bugs?

[Publius6961]

So here's a modest proposal: Boycott Vista. Keep your old Windows XP PC around. Don't buy a new one. That's the only way we have to let Microsoft know Vista is an overhyped, late, and pointless update to XP - a perfectly fine operating system.

This proposal sounds great, but it raises a multitude of questions.

Most of us are happy with XP and would be satisfied with continuous improvements and bug fixes, indefinitely. But Microsoft has never given us that option.
Since it is unlikely that MS will ever release the source code, no on else is able to maintain it indefinitely.
What happens when Microsoft decides to stop supporting it?

Will the machines made to run Vista run XP? How about Windows2000? DOS?

Will Microsoft make it impossible to run Linux?
So many questions!

[dubie]

And you know that from 20 minutes of use. Genius.

Yes, I do. I am no genius but I am an Information systems Engineer with 5 years enterprise experience. I have 3 microsoft certifications and manage 15 windows servers, exchange, VPN, firewall (Sonicwall Certified) and all of our routing and networks. It did not take me long to get inside the basic functions of Vista to see it was bloated and not practical. My personal opinion is that I don't like it, it won't be easy for corp users to adjust so something so drastically different...

[Doohickey]

Your resume doesn't mean crap, and in fact makes your 20 minute judgement even more scary. Don't bother to reply.

[dubie]

I am not saying that from a Home use standpoint this would not work, from a corporate standpoint I see it as a disaster. Not practical.. again, my OPINION... nothing more...

[Publius6961]

And you know that from 20 minutes of use. Genius.

You got to remember, "instant gratification" is the ticket these days.
If it requires time and effort, it ain't worth doing.

I suspect this character flaw is a requirement for Mac dweebs.

[mysterio]

It's going to be so big that it will make my new computer run like an overloaded 386 trying to run windows 95. That's my guess.

[Hydroshock]

I call it bloatware.

[ShadowAce]

[Doohickey]

I heard the EXACT same stuff in 2001 regarding Windows XP. The desktop monkeys were convinced that they had to use the classic desktop and remove all the new UI features.

Instead, they were ordered to get actual users and conduct actual usability tests. Guess what? Actual end-users (the real reason we have jobs) loved it. All of the UI enhancements stayed.

You'll be a lot more effective as an enterprise-whatever of you keep firmly in mind who your customer really is instead of making rash judgments for them based on your own prejudices.

[dubie]

I don't entirely disagree with you. Perhaps I am set in my XP ways... However, I don't feel the 2k to XP was as drastic as what I saw yesterday. For me, it was like starting all over again because there were so many differences. Easy right clicks I use to get places were different of nonexistent, normal everyday stuff I do to get places in the OS were not there... for me to put Vista on my network, it would be a lot of work. A lot of training and a lot of hardware upgrades as drivers are not readily available etc... I just don't see this as being practical in my environment... In fact our VPN software is also not compatible... there will be a lot of catching up my developers and vendors... I sense it will be a few years yet until vista is mainstream... I understand there are other enhancements that would be better like security, firewall, user leves access rights etc but to implement this Vista is no easy task...

[antiRepublicrat]

I suspect this character flaw is a requirement for Mac dweebs.

Good general consumer devices/software should be impressive from the beginning. At least it should be easy and intuitive for most basic tasks, and preferably be pleasant and inviting to use. The user experience should be seamlessly integrated.

20 minutes is plenty of time to decide one doesn't like it. If it isn't, then by definition the product doesn't pass the above simple tests. I know within seconds whether I like the handling in a car on a test drive. The dealer telling me that I can learn how to use the cool automated cupholders and such in another 30 minutes isn't going to help.

Apple has this concept, Microsoft and Linux don't. The iPod dominates because it was the first mp3 player to have this concept. OS X is growing because it does.

I'm not going to go full resume, but let's just say that HCI has been a big part of my professional life for about 10 years.

[zeugma]

Despite all the grief it gets, a properly set up XP system is really quite good and I'd much rather see MS engineering effort going into releasing XP updates than into a whole new OS, even though it won't happen because there's no money in it for them. I'd almost rather them release "XP2" and charge for it; I'd rather pay for that than pay the same amount for Vista.

There is no not really much (additional) money in it for them with the upgrade either. As stated in the article, a very minor proportion of sales are something consumers actually go out and buy. They make their money off the pre-loaded software you find on almost every PC (whether you want it or not). They'd be making money even if they never did anything more than issue service packs for XP-eternity.

This "upgrade" is largely an ego thing on MS's part, and is partly in reaction to OSX.

[Laserman]

"Do you have a suggestion as to a tutorial site that will help bring me up to speed on what I need to know in order to mess around with this thing. It sure is pretty with its blue and white translucent case."

Turn it on and play with it for 1 hour. Then you'll give up Windows and never go back.

[Turbopilot]

They'd be making money even if they never did anything more than issue service packs for XP-eternity.

This "upgrade" is largely an ego thing on MS's part, and is partly in reaction to OSX.

You have a point, and if it's an ego/competition thing it's all the more galling since OSX actually came out before XP.

I'd love for someone at MS to have the guts to stand up and say that Emperor Vista has no clothes, and the project is scrapped, with its new security features to be released in XP SP3.

[djf]

I think Vista will bomb. Too much of a hardware investment needed to run it.

I don't see how they can justify it without some sort of added value.

Look for XP to be supported for a long, long time. In fact you will probably see an XXP type of release.