June 23, 2008
Is Microsoft about to backtrack on “Vista for all”?
Windows XP is not dead yet. With a week to go, the vibes are getting stronger that the unpopularity of Vista (deserved or not) will force Microsoft to back off from its plan to kill XP entirely.
There was a notable pause a few days ago when I asked Kevin Johnson, who runs the Windows division, whether XP would get a stay of execution (as anyone who knows the self-assured Johnson will attest, this in itself is out of character.) This is what he finally had to say, after careful consideration:
We’ll announce what we’re doing whenever we’re ready to announce. The number one priority is we want to take great care of our customers. The fact is today that any customer that buys the business version of Vista has downgrade rights to XP anyway. So, XP is available to them. The fact is we’re going to support XP for many, many years to come, we’re going to support Windows Vista for many, many years to come. The priority is taking care of our customers.
Forcing companies to buy “pre-downgraded” PCs is a nonsense. And it doesn’t take account of consumers, particularly those who buy low-priced machines that aren’t capable of running Vista with the new aero interface (which has, all along, been one of the main hooks for consumers to switch to the software.)
Another source hints that there may well be a stay of execution for XP before the month is out, though one that is very limited in nature.
Either way, there are still a few more days when you can be assured of ordering a machine with XP. As this Dell page today blares, sales of XP on the company’s website have been “Extended by popular demand.” The clear message to Microsoft, in case they haven’t heard it already: at least some companies are listening to what their customers are saying.
Well… while everyone is crying out for XP… I honestly need to say that Microsoft needs to do this.
They’re competing with themselves right now, and it’s reflective with what it’s done with the Xbox - they killed it and only sell the 360 now.
Vista will be stable, with SP1 it’s already a world better - not perfect - but there are improvements. another thing to remember here that they aren’t forcing you to upgrade, they’re forcing users buying NEW PC’s to get the latest software with the latest hardware.
I’m still shocked this doesn’t sound familiar…
No one remembers when windows XP first came out? It proved to us that MS knows what it’s doing. The hardware that the software first came out with could barely contain it - however at memory costs went down, CPU speeds went up, and Graphic’s cards scaled further up it became less and less of a burden on the system. Now that Vista’s been “In the wild” for a bit, has a service pack, and the manufacturer’s got off their rear’s and finally are getting stable drivers out there, Vista’s got a good future. it’s not another ME - and waiting for Windows 7 isn’t going to help you at all.
Posted by: Jordan Eilbert | June 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm | Report this commentAVOID VISTA LIKE THE PLAGUE !
Posted by: matt | June 23rd, 2008 at 8:36 pm | Report this commentMicrosoft just lost a sale.
I was going to buy myself a top-of-the-line new XP-SP3 computer this coming holiday season.
But i refuse to “downgrade” to Vista.
I can keep using my current XP-box instead for several more years.
Microsoft just lost a sale.
Posted by: roseman | June 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 pm | Report this commentWhy be controlled by Microsoft? Why does everyone think they are so great? XP is average OS, it isn’t that great, plus you have to pay for it.
It is time for people to step out of the comfort zone and try Linux… Linux is free, it is supported and Ubuntu is a great for new Linux users.
Be free of Microsoft, run Linux.
There is a reason most servers in the IT world are running Linux or Unix, because it is stable.
Posted by: Airbornedude | June 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 pm | Report this commentI am amazed that you qualify the unpopularity of Vista with “deserved or not”. I have been using Vista on a machine I bought in Feb 07 with unending dissatisfaction and disappointment. No one I have met since then has been satisfied with it and many have “upgraded” back to XP. Vista was rubbish when it was released and Microsoft has been patching it up since while we the customers pay the price for their shoddy product. What Microsoft says is content with no meaning and no value, e.g. “we want to take great care of our customers”. What Microsoft does is what counts and releasing a shambolic product like Vista evidences their contempt for their customers. If there was any halfway viable product to compete with Windows Microsoft would be done for. What we need is a Dyson of operating systems.
Posted by: kevin day | June 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 pm | Report this commenti read and heard how bad Vista was especially for gamers. The DJ sofware i use said it could not guarantee stability with Vista.
I have not had any issues with any of the games I play nor with my DJ software.
Vista is not as bad as its reputation.
Posted by: vistaisok | June 23rd, 2008 at 10:16 pm | Report this commentHow come every post I read which slags Vista off invariably appears to be typed by someone with the grammar skills of a five year old?
I’ve used Vista for about a year now. At first I had some conflicts with old hardware. These are now resolved. SP1 has also improved things.
As for Ubuntu, I use it on a back up machine. It’s nice but as good as vista? No, not in the slightest.
Posted by: Mark | June 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 pm | Report this commentI used to be called “The Microsoft Poster Boy” because I was such a Windows advocate. Years later, I became VERY pained by the horrible direction that Microsoft took. Then I just could not believe how bad of a product that Vista was. I stayed up late at night trying to figure out what to do, even writing a long letter to Microsoft. Eventually I came to terms with all of the implications of their abuse of customers, and what that mean about human nature. Now, not only have I been able to kick the habit, but I have found that good Linux/Unix skills pay about $20,000 a year more. The world seems like a better place now. Linux/Unix is a bit backward in some ways, but so was VHS and the X86. I became a programmer to be challenged, this is just another challenge. WinDOS is like heroin, hard to quit but once you do you never regret it.
Dan
Posted by: Daniel J Swanson | June 24th, 2008 at 5:57 am | Report this commentI have been a Windows user since 3.1, but I will not be buying any future Microsoft products. Not because Vista is a bad product, I believe that SP1 has improved it considerably, but because Microsoft has absolutely no respect for the customers they seem to regard as manipulable cattle. They have the temerity to “allow” someone to buy a “pre-downgraded” XP PC with the condition that they have to pay for a copy of Vista for that “privelege”. Forcing someone to buy something they don’t want in the first place to get what they do want is the ultimate disrespect of the customer. This is how monopolists behave. Microsoft, you have just lost another long-time customer. Reap the whirlwind.
Posted by: Brad | June 24th, 2008 at 8:55 am | Report this commentI must say that after patching the darn thing (which takes hours), Vista is not that horrible… for most things. However, I’m a gamer and a Photoshop user.
Posted by: Bob | June 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am | Report this commentPhotoshop is barely compatible with Vista and games run like an anemic mule (even with a 98000GTX+3Ghz Core 2 Duo+4Gb of DDR2)
DX10 is nothing but a bad joke and frankly, the UAC just makes life unbearable.
Yes sir, I’m sticking to XP. I just hope that they won’t completely mess up Windows 7 (although I’m sure they will)
[…] The Financial Times spoke with Kevin Johnson, head of the Windows division at Microsoft had the following to say about a possible XP extension, We’ll announce what we’re doing whenever we’re ready to announce. The number one priority is we want to take great care of our customers. The fact is today that any customer that buys the business version of Vista has downgrade rights to XP anyway. So, XP is available to them. The fact is we’re going to support XP for many, many years to come, we’re going to support Windows Vista for many, many years to come. The priority is taking care of our customers. […]
Posted by: Microsoft may continue to sell XP and Vista side by side - VISTA.BLORGE.com | June 24th, 2008 at 2:34 pm | Report this commentWhat is really fascinating is the way that enthusiasts have patched XP to make it lighter, faster and even easier to use than original xp.
Posted by: Solomon Grundy | June 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm | Report this commentThe “experience tiny xp” line is an amazing piece of work. Note that you should have a valid xp pro license to play with these and remain ethical.
Vista is bad in so many ways. I switched three weeks ago with the purchase of a new computer. Did the SP1 upgrade. Vista is a major downgrade from XP.
XP Pro performs better, is infinitely more stable, and requires about 80% fewer mouse clicks to complete a simple task. This is not efficient. I open a program, Vista asks me if I really want to. I say yes. Everything you do, you have to re-assure Vista that this is what you want to do. It’s like parenting a small, not-so-bright child.
Not good for productivity, and very trying on the patience.
I could make a long list of all the things that don’t work (even after SP1), including the hyped Search feature. I’ll just tell you the list is long.
It is the great dumbing-down of computing. Can a 5 year old run it? Yes. Can an adult be productive with this junk? No.
I’m switching back to XP Pro. What was Microsoft thinking??
Posted by: Scott | June 24th, 2008 at 7:38 pm | Report this commentI just read an article that MS plans on releasing Winblows 7 Jan of 2010. Only 1.5 more years of waiting to see the next Mac OS wannabe OS. Actually… Knowing MS track record, it’s probbaly going to be more like June of 2011. By then Mac will be on OS-11 or something much farther beyond anything MS can even dream of. MS will still be lagging behind.
Posted by: Redmod Fanboy... NOT | June 25th, 2008 at 4:07 pm | Report this comment[…] Is Microsoft about to backtrack on “Vista for all” […]
Posted by: Boycott Novell » Links 25/06/2008: Openmoko Distribution Expands | June 25th, 2008 at 10:32 pm | Report this commentIn the old days, people would go along with a forced upgrade… It took a bit to learn, but it really was better. Not so with Vista.
The BIG double whammy for Microsoft now, is that there used to not be an alternative. Mac and Linux are proving every day they are worthy of consideration, especially in the home, small and medium sized offices.
I have been in IT since 1989, and remember excatly the same thing, only then it was Microsoft being laughed at by the Mainframes and Mini crowd. Conventional wisdon said Microsoft will never penetrate the business market with their toy O/S, blah blah blah. NT 3.51 came out and the rest was history. The domioes fell quite quickly.
Now it is MS with their crazy licensing and entrenched business practices versus actually innovating. The competition is hungry and actually giving(or heck, at least TRYING to give) people what they want.
They have a short window of time to turn it around or they will be so far behind they will never catch up. (Like with Google)
Microsoft will not listen to their small customers, they will only listen and keep XP aroung if Dell and HP Force them to, such as if Dell and HP see how much THEIR sales can plummet due to Microsoft’s short sitedness cramming Vista down everyone’s throat.
Posted by: Former Microsoft Loyalist | June 26th, 2008 at 2:04 am | Report this comment