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Windows 7 To Include "Windows XP Mode"
Z80xxc! writes "Paul Thurrott's WinSuperSite reports that Windows 7 will include a built-in virtual machine with a fully licensed copy of Windows XP Professional SP3. The VM runs in a modified version of Virtual PC, and applications running in the VM can interact directly with the host operating system as if they were running on the Windows 7 installation itself. While details are scarce for now, it looks as if this feature will only be available as a (free) addon for Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. Also, a processor supporting hardware virtualization will be required, indicating that this is perhaps aimed more at power users and corporate users, rather than consumers. Microsoft confirmed the feature last night."
"While details are scarce for now, it looks as if this feature will only be available as a (free) addon for Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. Also, a processor supporting hardware virtualization will be required, indicating that this is perhaps aimed more at power users and corporate users, rather than consumers."
Yet who is more likely to have old applications or hardware that will need XP? If you have the latest and greatest full bells and whistles OS, you probably have the latest version of your apps as well. Once again, MS misses the boat.
"new and improved" My foot. If they have to have an emulation mode to get users to upgrade why is it better?
At least apple had an excuse for doing this, they changed architecture.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
An operating system removing backwards compatibility cruft and running old applications under virtualization.
Where have I heard this before?
Oh, right, OS Classic emulation in MacOSX.
Once again, Microsoft is 8 years behind Apple.
As long as MS is getting into integrated virtualization, they might as well reconsider their OS strategy and get onboard with *nix as their core technology. It might seem unthinkable now, but if MS doesn't move to a Unix or Linux-based system they're going to remain the odd-man-out and as such will become less and less relevant to the interconnected computing world.
Inevitably, people will realize that Unix and Linux make better use of - and run faster - on the same hardware, and that chasing down viruses on a regular basis actually does add to cost and frustration of running Windows - and that it just isn't worth it for the added "interoperability" you get.
And honestly, what does Windows even do anymore that systems like Mac OS X, BSD, and Ubuntu don't? What is the special value of running that creaky old thing, when you can use WINE or VMWare on a decent system?
-- thinkyhead software and media
Hello, hello, this is your friendly neighbourhood grammar Nazi! Achtung, etc. The word is digitize, or digitise if you are an evil Brit like myself. Thank you so much :)
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