Will Microsoft's Vista Shadows Affect Windows 7's Launch

September 11 International Report Microsoft Vista operating system has an image problem that is affecting its sales. If you do not solve this problem, then this negative impact may hurt the release of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7.

A recent user survey conducted by DevilMountainSoftware revealed that one-third of pre-installed Vista system new purchasers have downgraded their operating systems to Windows XP.

Craig Barth, CTO of Devil Mountain, said that most companies have not deployed Vista due to compatibility and resource issues.

He said: "We have a lot of big company customers, their business is global in nature. We found that these companies either skip Vista, delay the adoption of this system, or choose to continue using Windows XP. We found that In the United States and other parts of the world, companies that rely heavily on data center management are hesitant about Vista. Our largest customers are in the financial industry, all of which have skipped Vista and are waiting for Windows 7. These companies don’t want to deal with compatibility. The headache is a problem."

These messages are not good news for Microsoft, it may affect the release of Windows 7.

The main problem that plagues DevilMountain customers is Vista's driver and security software compatibility barriers. Microsoft has done a good job in this area since the release of Vista, but Barth said that Vista's minimum hardware configuration requirements are also a serious obstacle to the adoption of this operating system.

He said: "In general, in order to run Vista, you need more powerful hardware resources."

In addition, Microsoft has set a level in Vista, which is also for enterprise users. A troublesome thing. Barth said: "There are a lot of extra layers, such as digital rights management tiering, Microsoft rewrote the network stack hierarchy. This requires companies to spend a lot of time re-testing. Before testing every detail of the software, the enterprise does not Will use this kind of software. Vista is not a small upgrade, but a large number of upgrades from XP system, all aspects of the upgrade. There are a lot of extra code, many levels and subsystems, these things are unfamiliar to the enterprise, they caused The complexity of use."

Of course, Microsoft does not recognize these.

Craig Cincotta, senior product manager for Windows, said: "Since the release, we have sold 180 million Vista licenses. And analysts are advising users to migrate to such systems as soon as possible."

In fact, ForresterResearch analyst Benjamin Gray said that although companies are hesitant about Vista, skipping Vista waiting for Windows 7 is not a realistic choice. He said: "To be honest, users know very little about Windows 7. Even if they finally understand the functions of Windows 7, according to Microsoft's past style, this kind of operating system is difficult to get on time. In order to keep up with the progress, Microsoft is likely to sacrifice performance to meet "The date of the listing is required."

"Microsoft Directions" Principal Analyst Michael Cherry said: "Enterprises should understand Vista's intrinsic features, such as user account control, BitLockerDriveEncryption data encryption, if companies find these features can bring themselves additional Value, then they should consider deploying Vista."

If the company skips a whole generation of Windows, this is bad news for Microsoft.

Cherry pointed out: "Microsoft prefers all customers to install the latest version of the software. One of the big problems for customers skipping Vista is that it will prompt users to skip other important products."

Ben Rudolph, Senior Public Manager of Microsoft Windows Customer Service, said: "Contrary to DevilMountainSoftware's findings, Windows Vista is gaining momentum. In the last quarter, we sold 40 million licenses. Yes, DevilMountainSoftware only surveyed 3,000 machines. This means that it does not represent the overall usage. The survey did not show more data to support their conclusions. In addition, many large organizations, like Continental Airlines, The US Air Force and VirginMegastores are steadily deploying Vista. A recent data shows that the rate of adoption of Vista is approaching the rate of XP."

DevilMountain's Barth believes that after months of testing, many companies are clear The pros and cons of Vista, they also know that Windows7 will be launched in 2009, so it is not worth upgrading to Vista. He said: "Microsoft is in a difficult situation. They are trying to improve the image of Vista. This summer, Microsoft conducted the so-called Mojave test to prove that Vista is worth deploying. If they want to compete with Apple, Microsoft must fight for the corporate customer base. But they don't do well in this area. Enterprise IT is not interested in the flashy features of Vista's mirror effect, they just want to hear the news of Windows 7. These officials hope to get upgrade from XP to Windows7 from Microsoft. Vista's upgrade to Windows 7 is easy, but Microsoft's answer is just the opposite."

This strategy may have the consequences of Microsoft's backfire, because this is not what IT officials are willing to hear.

Barth said: "Microsoft should quickly correct this problem."

"Microsoft Direction" researcher Cherry believes that it is still too early to say that Vista is affecting the release of Windows 7. He said: "If Windows 7 overcomes some of the problems of previous versions, then it can become a system migration option that chooses to skip Vista. Microsoft should be very clear that it is important to improve performance in Windows 7."

Cherry acknowledges The Vista version is a bit too much, and it would be better if two versions were released.

He suggested that companies should not hesitate, but should choose to upgrade to Vista.