Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ballmer: Microsoft 'Will Be Sensitive' To XP Users
By Kevin McLaughlin, ChannelWeb
3:24 PM EDT Fri. Apr. 18, 2008
It's not often that Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) makes unvarnished statements about Windows Vista, so it's refreshing to see a Microsoft executive tackle the real issues with the operating system that has become the IT industry's favorite punching bag.
In a Thursday keynote at the MVP Global Summit in Seattle, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer offered some frank analysis of the missteps Microsoft made with Vista and acknowledged the still-strong demand for Windows XP.
While Ballmer stopped short of saying that Microsoft will extend the June 30 deadline for OEM sales of Windows XP, he did say that Microsoft has a large number of users on both Vista and XP, "and as long as those are both important options, we will be sensitive, and we will listen, and we will hear that," he said.
"And I know we're going to continue to get feedback from people on how long XP should be available. We've got some opinions on that," added Ballmer.
Tim Ulmen, principal at Midwest IT Solutions Group, a Wichita, Kan.-based solution provider, says a majority of his customer base is content with XP, and that Microsoft would be making a "huge mistake" in discontinuing XP prematurely.
Ulmen also doesn't believe that extending the life cycle of Windows XP would be viewed in the channel as a sign that Microsoft is giving up on Vista. "It may be an admission that there is a little more tweaking to be done in the interim, but I think it also shows a consideration to the end customers' best interest," he said.
Steve Bohman, vice president of operations at Columbus Micro, a Columbus, Ohio-based system builder, says he wouldn't be surprised to see Microsoft extend the XP OEM deadline.
However, the downgrade rights Microsoft offers for Vista Business make this somewhat a moot issue, Bohman said. "Most customers are buying Vista Business and downgrading to XP Professional, and I think that'll continue," he said.
Ballmer also raised eyebrows by describing Vista "a work in progress," and admitting that Microsoft waited too long to release Vista after rolling out XP in 2001. "Certainly, you never want to let five years go between releases. And we just sort of kiss that stone and move on, because it turns out many things become problematic when you have those long release cycles," Ballmer said.
But one solution provider, who described himself as "a loyal partner for many years," took issue with this statement, claiming that Microsoft had plenty of time to learn from its mistakes with Windows Millennium Edition -- also referred to as 'Mistake Edition,' and 'Major Embarrassment' due to the mountain of technical issues that plagued the OS.
"With roughly five years of development [for Vista], it's hard to believe that there have been so many challenges with hardware vendors' drivers and software vendors' applications," said the source, who requested anonymity.
After five years, Vista was more of a revolutionary than evolutionary step forward by Microsoft, says Marc Harrison, president of Silicon East, a Manalapan, N.J.-based solution provider and Microsoft partner. "Perhaps what Microsoft failed to recognize is that there are people and businesses that prefer evolution rather than revolution," he said.
"We've seen this in our client base -- which is now roughly 50/50 Vista vs. XP for new orders," said Harrison.
3:24 PM EDT Fri. Apr. 18, 2008
It's not often that Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) makes unvarnished statements about Windows Vista, so it's refreshing to see a Microsoft executive tackle the real issues with the operating system that has become the IT industry's favorite punching bag.
In a Thursday keynote at the MVP Global Summit in Seattle, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer offered some frank analysis of the missteps Microsoft made with Vista and acknowledged the still-strong demand for Windows XP.
While Ballmer stopped short of saying that Microsoft will extend the June 30 deadline for OEM sales of Windows XP, he did say that Microsoft has a large number of users on both Vista and XP, "and as long as those are both important options, we will be sensitive, and we will listen, and we will hear that," he said.
"And I know we're going to continue to get feedback from people on how long XP should be available. We've got some opinions on that," added Ballmer.
Tim Ulmen, principal at Midwest IT Solutions Group, a Wichita, Kan.-based solution provider, says a majority of his customer base is content with XP, and that Microsoft would be making a "huge mistake" in discontinuing XP prematurely.
Ulmen also doesn't believe that extending the life cycle of Windows XP would be viewed in the channel as a sign that Microsoft is giving up on Vista. "It may be an admission that there is a little more tweaking to be done in the interim, but I think it also shows a consideration to the end customers' best interest," he said.
Steve Bohman, vice president of operations at Columbus Micro, a Columbus, Ohio-based system builder, says he wouldn't be surprised to see Microsoft extend the XP OEM deadline.
However, the downgrade rights Microsoft offers for Vista Business make this somewhat a moot issue, Bohman said. "Most customers are buying Vista Business and downgrading to XP Professional, and I think that'll continue," he said.
Ballmer also raised eyebrows by describing Vista "a work in progress," and admitting that Microsoft waited too long to release Vista after rolling out XP in 2001. "Certainly, you never want to let five years go between releases. And we just sort of kiss that stone and move on, because it turns out many things become problematic when you have those long release cycles," Ballmer said.
But one solution provider, who described himself as "a loyal partner for many years," took issue with this statement, claiming that Microsoft had plenty of time to learn from its mistakes with Windows Millennium Edition -- also referred to as 'Mistake Edition,' and 'Major Embarrassment' due to the mountain of technical issues that plagued the OS.
"With roughly five years of development [for Vista], it's hard to believe that there have been so many challenges with hardware vendors' drivers and software vendors' applications," said the source, who requested anonymity.
After five years, Vista was more of a revolutionary than evolutionary step forward by Microsoft, says Marc Harrison, president of Silicon East, a Manalapan, N.J.-based solution provider and Microsoft partner. "Perhaps what Microsoft failed to recognize is that there are people and businesses that prefer evolution rather than revolution," he said.
"We've seen this in our client base -- which is now roughly 50/50 Vista vs. XP for new orders," said Harrison.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Windows XP going off market in June: What it means
Microsoft originally announced over a year ago that Windows XP would be going off the market in January 2008. XP was later given a brief stay of execution, to June 30, 2008. That deadline is fast approaching, which has led to much panicking from people who aren't quite sure what XP's "going off market" means, exactly.
People are still as confused as ever. So let's take a stab at clarifying, once again, what's going to happen by answering some frequently asked questions about XP's imminent disappearance.
Will Windows XP really no longer be on sale after June 30? Sorry for the double negative, but no. All this means is that Microsoft will stop selling the OS. Finding a computer with XP preinstalled will likely be very difficult, as well. However, you'll still be able to find copies for the foreseeable future, and likely the unforeseeable one, too. See for yourself: You can find copies of just about any Microsoft product, including ancient versions of Windows and even MS-DOS, by simply searching online. But hang on to your current copy of Windows XP. You may need it down the road if you don't want to move to Vista.
Will I be forced to upgrade to Vista soon? No. But it will get harder and harder not to, especially since new software and peripherals are likely to stop working with XP. That could take years.
Will my XP machine stop working in June? No, but Microsoft will stop releasing non-security software updates to the masses on April 14, 2009. But let's be clear: XP will continue to "work" even after this point.
Will Microsoft shut off product activation for XP after June? No, that would be crazy. While no one has said this will happen, it's conceivable that Windows could shut down product activation for XP at some point. But that would only happen after XP reaches its end-of-support term (when all support plans expire). The good news for you: That happens on April 8, 2014, which should be plenty of time to get the kinks worked out of Vista-or switch to a Mac, Linux, or anything else. Bottom line: Your copy of XP will work, totally legally, for at least six more years.
What about this exception for Windows XP Home Edition I hear about? Doesn't apply to you. Microsoft will continue to sell XP to makers of ultra-cheap laptops like the Asus Eee PC until 2010 because they just can't run Vista. But it is not going to make XP Home Edition available as installable software to end-users.
What about after 2014? Well, that's unclear. But it's possible XP will stop being installable at that point. Microsoft's official policy is that these dates have "no affect [sic] on how long you can use a product," which may imply product activation will work forever. However, two things come to mind:
1) Even the most die-hard XP enthusiast will probably be ready to upgrade at that point (as XP will be nearly 15 years old, and your PC will be dead by then, I'm sure).
2) Even if Microsoft shuts off product activation, the hacker community will certainly make dozens of tools to let you continue using XP with abandon. Fret not.
Can I install XP on a PC that has Vista already on it? Yes. You can delete any partition with any OS on it (and reformat it) during the installation of XP. If you're feeling brave, you can even run both OSes at the same time by setting up a dual-boot machine.
Whew! Does that clear everything up? Feel free to continue sending your queries and adding your comments below.
© Yahoo Tech
People are still as confused as ever. So let's take a stab at clarifying, once again, what's going to happen by answering some frequently asked questions about XP's imminent disappearance.
Will Windows XP really no longer be on sale after June 30? Sorry for the double negative, but no. All this means is that Microsoft will stop selling the OS. Finding a computer with XP preinstalled will likely be very difficult, as well. However, you'll still be able to find copies for the foreseeable future, and likely the unforeseeable one, too. See for yourself: You can find copies of just about any Microsoft product, including ancient versions of Windows and even MS-DOS, by simply searching online. But hang on to your current copy of Windows XP. You may need it down the road if you don't want to move to Vista.
Will I be forced to upgrade to Vista soon? No. But it will get harder and harder not to, especially since new software and peripherals are likely to stop working with XP. That could take years.
Will my XP machine stop working in June? No, but Microsoft will stop releasing non-security software updates to the masses on April 14, 2009. But let's be clear: XP will continue to "work" even after this point.
Will Microsoft shut off product activation for XP after June? No, that would be crazy. While no one has said this will happen, it's conceivable that Windows could shut down product activation for XP at some point. But that would only happen after XP reaches its end-of-support term (when all support plans expire). The good news for you: That happens on April 8, 2014, which should be plenty of time to get the kinks worked out of Vista-or switch to a Mac, Linux, or anything else. Bottom line: Your copy of XP will work, totally legally, for at least six more years.
What about this exception for Windows XP Home Edition I hear about? Doesn't apply to you. Microsoft will continue to sell XP to makers of ultra-cheap laptops like the Asus Eee PC until 2010 because they just can't run Vista. But it is not going to make XP Home Edition available as installable software to end-users.
What about after 2014? Well, that's unclear. But it's possible XP will stop being installable at that point. Microsoft's official policy is that these dates have "no affect [sic] on how long you can use a product," which may imply product activation will work forever. However, two things come to mind:
1) Even the most die-hard XP enthusiast will probably be ready to upgrade at that point (as XP will be nearly 15 years old, and your PC will be dead by then, I'm sure).
2) Even if Microsoft shuts off product activation, the hacker community will certainly make dozens of tools to let you continue using XP with abandon. Fret not.
Can I install XP on a PC that has Vista already on it? Yes. You can delete any partition with any OS on it (and reformat it) during the installation of XP. If you're feeling brave, you can even run both OSes at the same time by setting up a dual-boot machine.
Whew! Does that clear everything up? Feel free to continue sending your queries and adding your comments below.
© Yahoo Tech
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