Microsoft Windows
The XP Clock is Ticking...
Come June, Windows XP will be harder to obtain.
Most PC vendors will still build almost any model they sell with XP. If you have any concern about getting XP, now is the time to buy.
As of this writing, my recommendation continues to be XP Pro, not Vista Business.
March 26, 2008
Windows XP Lives!
Windows Vista is not being adopted as quickly as past Windows versions.
If you are buying a consumer PC at a store or even through the manufacturers' sites you will have no choice but Vista. By contrast, if you are buying a business-class PC, most vendors will still configure Windows XP. You may have to ask, but you can get it.
It appears that XP will be available until well into 2008, possibly June.
This additional time comes courtesy of very large businesses, the "enterprise" customers. A number of studies by research companies indicate enterprise dissatisfaction with Vista, or at least greater caution. Enterprises may not embrace Vista until service pack 1 is available and tested. SP1 is due in early 2008, which jives with the extension of XP's availability.
Some Federal agencies are delaying adoption of Vista. A Computerworld article says that the ATF could run XP for as long as three years.
August 30, 2007
Longhorn's Official Name
Microsoft has announced that the name of its new release of Windows Server, formerly code-named "Longhorn," will be Windows Server 2008. This was apparently a difficult decision, so it was documented with a video.
Catchy, eh? Seriously, this probably means that the next version of Small Business Server is going to be named "2008" as well. A Microsoft SBS manager said in a discussion group that SBS requires an additional six months after the release of the server upon which it is based. It could thus be a year from now before the next SBS is ready.
May 22, 2007
Windows Vista - It's Big!
January 30 marks the official release of Windows Vista. I'm certainly not as excited about this new Windows as I have been about past versions; I doubt that Vista is as significant as Windows 95 or Windows XP. But new Windows versions are as inevitable as death and taxes - eventually, we have to deal with them.
The big news, of course, is that there are now five editions of Windows Vista rather than the two for Windows XP (three if you count Media Center edition). The last time around, XP Home replaced Windows 98 and XP Pro replaced Windows 2000. This time, the transition is not as clear. Microsoft's comparison table provides some insight. For my small business clients, Windows Vista Business Edition seems a direct replacement for Windows XP Pro.
The big question is whether a given PC will run Vista. To get an answer, use Microsoft's Vista Upgrade Advisor to analyze individual PCs. For best results, make sure the PC is connected to the Internet when the Advisor is running.
Look closely at the results, however. The Advisor told me my laptop would run Vista and that my video adapter would not work with Vista. How does one interpret a result like that? My result exposes the big problem with Vista, which is the additional video horsepower required to run the Aero visual interface.
Although I don't find it particularly well organized, there is a wealth of information at Microsoft's main Windows Vista Web site which links to other areas of the Microsoft site. I commend it to you, but set aside some time.
January 28, 2007
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is here, sort of. Vendors are offering "Express Upgades" for systems bought today, which can be redeemed in February.
I do not like putting my clients on the bleeding edge of new operating system releases. As always, I recommend waiting as long as possible before deploying new versions. Let someone else round off the sharp edges.
Clients should consider that it will become increasingly difficult to purchase new systems with Windows XP. If you need new systems in the near future, buy them now with XP installed and with the Vista Express Upgrade. Then you can upgrade to Vista at your leisure.
December 1, 2006