Posted on 07/24/2007 11:46:55 PM PDT by HAL9000
Excerpt -
The tip, incredible. The source, ironclad. Microsoft has apparently told executives at one of the world's largest PC makers not to expect a formal release of Windows Vista SP1 -- the first major set of upgrades and bug fixes to its Vista operating system -- until 2009 at the earliest. That explains why Microsoft was so desperate to correct erroneous reports, spread by a careless team of developers at Microsoft, that a beta version of SP1 would be out last week. Microsoft now says it "currently anticipates" a beta of SP1 later this year. Anticipations, of course, are not always met. Especially if you're a sluggish beast like Microsoft, with thousands of developers to keep in train on a release. And this delay would have wide aftershocks.The rumored delay in SP1, of course, means that it would be impossible for Microsoft to deliver its next version of Windows by 2010, as Windows watcher Mary Jo Foley believes. At ZDNet, David Berlind asks the smart question: Will any future version of Windows matter, as developers and users shift to the Web? Any delays in SP1, of course, make subsequent releases less and less relevant.
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(Excerpt) Read more at valleywag.com ...
Tech Ping?
The mandatory interface changes in Office 2007, the hardware requirements imposed by both Office 2007 and Windows Vista...well, we are going to upgrade to Ubuntu and OpenOffice instead of forking over more money to Microsoft.
At least if you buy an Apple product, you get something decent. There is no compelling reason to buy Microsoft Windows or Office any more, at least, from the perspective of an individual or a family.
IMHO, I suspect winxp sp2 is the apex of MS’s i86 software...perhaps even of Microsoft altogether unless Gates goes somewhere else.....office 2007/Vista...basically no good reason to go further. Advances in security, functionality at the software level will prob be on the Unix/BSD/Linux platforms..
The fix is OS/X, and it’s widely available today. ;)
I always build my own.
2008 may not be a good year to buy (or build) a PC at all.
There’s a lot of significant long-term hardware changes happening at once right now - DDR3; 64-bit compatibility; Intel Core 3 Octo; depreciation of PCI, PS2, and LPT, etc. But much of the new technology will remain expensive throughout 2008.
Might not be a good year to buy a windows desktop maybe folks should give Linux a spin ;)
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
IMHO, I suspect winxp sp2 is the apex of MS’s i86 software...Yes, but the era of x64 is beginning.
Linux, is my windows sevice pack.
Wow, from Windows 7 in 2010 to waiting for Vista SP1 in 2009? That’s a lot of schedule slip.
I really won’t need new computers for my office until next year, but I’m going to accelerate the purchases so I can get them with XP Pro before MS discontinues it. I was hoping the new systems would last me long enough that I could go straight from XP to 7 and skip Vista entirely.
Don’t you already have licenses? If so, why not reuse them, and donate the old boxes, sans OS, to a charity for a deduction?
So do I.
However, as of late, I find that using most older technology works just as well as the shiny new stuff.
I just bought a Pentium 4 clone desktop with HyperThreading for $75 locally. I put in some Corsair XMS DDR and a hard drive; the end result is a very stable, zippy system that flies under Windows XP.
Another system we have is a Pentium III. Not a Socket 370 processor but a Slot 1. Maxed out with PC100 SDRAM DIMMs, a GeForce4 video card, and it runs XP Professional just fine. We also run a Dell PowerEdge with dual Pentium Pros and ECC EDO DIMMs as a file server (got it for $25, including a loaded SCSI RAID).
Talk about ancient technology!
Pentium IIIs and Pentium 4s are dirt cheap now; add Ubuntu and OpenOffice, and you have an inexpensive and very stable computer for most tasks.
We mostly run Windows and Office, but the interface changes in Office 2007 and the death of Office 2003 are giving us good reason to consider moving ASAP.
Office 2000 went on just fine.
I would still have uses for the old machines; they just wouldn’t be my primary working computers and file server. That’s another reason I’m looking to buy new systems this year rather than next - I have a few projects for which the old boxes could come in handy. But I probably would wait if I knew I could definitely get XP Pro licenses throughout 2008.
I think his office might be one of those that are too small to qualify for volume licensing discounts but large enough that purchasing retail boxed licenses is a major PITA.
Office 2007 has totally new file formats. Yes, there is a converter you can download for free from Microsoft's Web site, but that's just plain annoying.
Vista seems a pain in the neck.
I have talked with stores and they say if you don’t like Vista, pop it out and put your XP in.
Yeah, but isn’t that paying for two copies of an OS so you can use one. Just cause it’s bundled doesn’t mean it’s free.
For regular businesses the $300+ E-Machines, HPs, Compaqs and Gateways are cheaper by far to buy with Vista and replace with XP if you need to.
It’s cheap now.
Dual core processors, 2 gig of ram, 400gig HDs, burning everything with monitors for well under $400 for desktops.
May laptops sell for $450 or less.
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