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Microsoft Not Ditching Vista Until At Least 2011
CWmike writes "Microsoft will not dump Vista when Windows 7 launches, and plans to keep selling it to computer makers, system builders, volume licensees and consumers at retail until at least January 2011, a Microsoft spokesman said, citing long-running policy. Earlier today, a Microsoft general manager hinted that the company might ditch Vista as soon as Windows 7 ships. He also said that support for all versions of Vista will end in April 2012. Neither is true, according to the company. Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, said, 'to try to stop Vista or make it unavailable, that would just draw attention... The truth is, few people will be likely to order it once Windows 7 is available.'"
Well remember MS continued to offer Millenium until 2003 even though XP launched in 2001. Offering and actually selling are two different things, I know I never heard of anyone buying Millenium after XP shipped.
They finally spit out a half decent product (Win7) and they want to hang on to their most unsuccessful release since Win2000 or ME? I wonder if the copies of Vista sold after Win7's release date will still have the free upgrade to Win7 option?
sudo mount --milk --sugar
They may drop the support for consumer versions and keep the business ones available. Sounds logical to me, for consumers there is very little reason to stick to Windows Vista for new systems. Those companies that did switch (the sorry sods) however will need new systems with the same OS.
Any bets on if XP will still be available from Dell by then?
plans to keep selling it to computer makers, system builders, volume licensees and consumers at retail until at least January 2011
Of course, for them to keep selling it, requires that people actually buy it in the first place.
Who actually ORDERS a copy of Windows (any version) from Microsoft anyway? It comes pre-installed (like it or not) 99.99% of the time. Just about all of the "sales" of Windows comes from forced pre-install.
He also said that support for all versions of Vista will end in April 2012
End of the world prophecies in 2012 - coincidence? I think not.
Obviously Microsoft will only stop pushing Vista at the behest of the four horsemen.
Although the situation at Microsoft is a complete mess right now, the folks in Redmond have to be breathing a sigh of relief that Win7 is almost here and the open source world did absolutely nothing to take advantage of Microsoft in its most weakened state in the company's history.
You had the perfect alignment of events for Linux to seize the moment:
* The Vista fiasco
* The biggest financial crisis in most people's lifetime
* A decade worth of development on the Linux desktop and applications
Consumers and businesses were in the perfect situation to make the easy switch to something that is cheaper(actually free) and already runs on their existing hardware. And it didn't happen.
Multiple competing distros - each having pointless differences between them to real world day to day usage
Multiple competing desktops - each having pointless differences between them to real world day to day usage
Multiple competing apps - each having pointless differences between them to real world day to day usage. No polished set of iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, Mail apps that hit the sweet spot for the giant mass of consumers who use their computers to web browse, email, and take pictures and movies.
The German pronunciation of this horrid MS Turdware rings true:
Microzoft 'Fister'
WHY DOES AN OS have to be written for fucking morons? Why cant the advanced features be displayed by DE-FUCKING-FAULT?!?!?!
Because those are the overwhelming majority of the people who use computers. This is not a hard concept.
Its fucking time they stop making crayola fucking operating systems because i cant stand it
Clearly, Slashdot users are Microsoft's target market. Really. No, really. It isn't the legions of people who buy the first Dell they see.
See, it's so clear. It's obvious that they should change what works so successfully just because Jackie_Chan_Fan on Slashdot doesn't like it.
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
I'm appalled Computerworld doesn't mention Microsoft's greatest success ever, Windows ME. Just how long was the extended support for that operating system? They talk about Windows 98 as being succeeded by XP - just as if ME never existed! ME's many, many fans will be outraged at such an omission, and suspect they would treat Vista, Microsoft's second-greatest success ever, the same way.
And how about extended support for Microsoft's third-greatest success ever, Microsoft Bob? I think we should be told.
http://rocknerd.co.uk
Having had more than a good run with XP, our office is seriously considering a mass upgrade to 2008 server, Exchange 2010, and Windows 7. We saved quite a bit in migration and training costs by skipping major versions of Server, Mail, Office, and OS products.
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
'Customers who purchase a PC with Windows 7 pre-installed will be allowed to downgrade to Vista," Francis said.' That's the hardest I've laughed in a while. Thanks Richard Francis!
I know it might look like it's a service pack, because for the first time since 2003, it's a release that's an improvement on their previous OS, and the only other times they've released stuff that's improved a previous OS have been service packs, which makes it very easily confused... but it's still not a service pack.
The revolution will not be televised... but it will have a page on Wikipedia
Besides, if they decide to drop support, they will need to either refund the cost of vista the users have paid, or at least provide an upgrade to windows 7.
If they keep minimal support, people wanting to stop using vista will have to pay the upgrade themselves.
GPG 0x1B479C78
Microsoft guarantees I get a completely useful product for at least 1.5 years. Wow. That's awful kind of them. Remind me again why I should ditch XP?
There were supposed to die before Vista came out,
but it sure looks like they will outlive Vista.
You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
Ahh Vista, you're the spiritual successor to ME.
We should troll Microsoft by starting a 'Save Vista' campaign. Imagine the warm glow Steve and Bill would share on hearing it. It's almost too cruel. Almost.
I guess everyone knew some idiot would post this stupid troll in response. I guess it wouldn't be Slashdot if the site wasn't filled with Linux trolls like this clown posting the same stupid shit year after year.
No wonder "Year of the Linux Desktop!!!" and Slashdot have become such a sad joke to computing world.
Nuclear weapons don't kill people, people do.
I'm pretty sure if you hang around nuclear weapons enough, you could very well get killed with no other humans being involved...
The US isn't supposed to be a democracy. The more it becomes one, the more it sucks.
Much like Vista. I think Microsoft is trying to pretend vista wasn't a failure, so they try to cut off XP, then rush Windows 7 but insist vista will still be available for all the people who love it.
I'm certainly going against Slashdot groupthink here, so I'll undoubtedly be modded "-1 Troll", but Windows Vista is really not as bad as people think. The key thing to keep in mind is to make sure your system has enough resources to run it, because it is demanding. Don't try and put it on your P4 with only 512 MB RAM with integrated graphics. You'll regret it. I also wouldn't recommend upgrading to it from Windows XP -- it doesn't offer anything of significant value over XP that makes it worth rushing out to upgrade for. But if you're buying a new system, and it happens to have Vista AND at least 2 GB RAM with a decent graphics card, I wouldn't worry about it.
Why the hell cant you get it right microsoft? WHY?
Because obviously they hadn't had the luxury of your well-reasoned, thoroughly detailed, and above all, well-worded criticism. 'S obvious innit?
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
IMO that all depends what downgrade rights 7 comes with.
If OEM vista buisness comes with downgrade rights to XP and OEM 7 buisness doesn't ( afaict both XP pro and vista buisness came with downgrade rights for one version back only ) then I can imagine there being quite a few orders.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
Just ask Apple, it's been working for them. Or GNOME.
Keep Win98 if you want variety.
Open it if you want to kept vista.
Save your face by let it go. Not sticking it on your nose.
I loved Slashdot for many years. Even with all its faults, including, but not limited to: three-day-old "news that matters," Goatse links, geeks who know nothing blathering on like they are all-knowing, and the outdated design that would have made 1997 blush. It just felt like home.
But rather than keeping these faults, which we have come to know and love, Slashdot has been trying to "improve." First it came with asinine decision to switch to a sans-serif font across the site. Hello, body copy should be in a sans-serif font. No, you didn't have to stick with Times, but Arial/Helvetica was not the answer either!
Then came the incredibly awful new discussion system. It just makes no sense and is one of the worst AJAX-y implementations on the web. "Click here to see 108 more comments." Click. "Click here to see 154 more comments." Click. "Click here to see 19 more comments." What is the mathematical formula used here to divide up the comments? Just totally random? And that's just the tip of the usability iceberg.
At least we can switch back to the old discussion system. And at least we had metamods to help keep the system in check. But now we have the new metamod, which is not a metamod at all. Apparently we are supposed to re-rate the comments, instead of rating how well the mod did in rating the comment in the first place. Isn't this a remod instead of a metamod. I have decided to stop metamod'ing when offered in protest. Yeah, I don't get mod points anymore, but who cares? The system is broken. If I feel like doling out a point, I'll go over to Digg.
Speaking of Digg, have you read the outdated Slashdot FAQ, where CmdrTaco states several times that he doesn't think it's a good idea to let people vote for the stories that make the front page? Well apparently he has changed his mind, and we have the incredibly lame Firehose and Idle sections. We've got stupid +/- buttons everywhere. Listen, Taco, when I want to go to Digg, I'll go there. I want my Slashdot back.
Yet still, I keep coming, hoping that some of these ridiculous decisions will be reversed. But it looks like they are just going to run in one of the formerly great websites further in to the ground.
Unmourned. Unwept. Perpetually left unloved because your ugly older sister XP always came across with the full release and a happy ending while you were still whining that you wanted another 2G of RAM to show the boy how pretty you were.
I'm sorry I could never be the user you wanted, Vista. I tried. I really, really tried. I even had Millennium on my system for a while, so I know I'm not a completely unreasonable task manager. You wanted too much from me. You wanted to be my Trophy OS...pretty...never doing a real job...pretty...profligate with my hard-earned RAM...pretty. It wasn't enough. I'm so very, very sorry. Your sister XP gave me that dirty smile, and threw my RAM back in my face and performed like a trapeze artist. I was lost, dear Vista. She did everything I wanted, and she never said no, and she just kept going and going and going.
I don't care too much that you're prettier...much prettier. In fact, I'll never tell her, but sometimes when she's happily multi-tasking away, I close my eyes and pretend she's you.
But there's something about her that makes her a magnet. Something you'll never understand. Even when she's making my old CPUnit, do things I thought it could never, ever manage, she doesn't just swallow. She gargles.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
I recall being able to buy win 3.11 (or at least it was available, new, on the shelf at gamestop) when win98 was out. No reason to kill the product if customers are willing to pay for it (XP SP3 excluded of course). Somebody has to help make the Vista sales figures look better and not immediately axing it will do that.
moox. for a new generation.
Microsoft writes operating systems for fucking morons because they like to make money.
What is the windows market share of desktops right now?
That is why.
I've been considering buying a new computer lately. But now that I hear Win7 is coming in about 6 months or so, that pretty much ensures I won't be buying anything with Vista on it.
I don't really care to use windows myself, but it's handy to have some exposure to whatever OS the majority of people use. If I'm going to pay the windows tax, I'd like to try to get something that has a better chance at success, and is more likely to get long term support.
The problem here is that the successful Linux app is ported to Windows or begins as a native Windows app.
There is no compelling reason to migrate.
I'm not surprised though, Vista's a piece, but if some of these big, slow-moving businesses with huge amounts of custom Windows apps just got stuff set up and certified with Vista (bad idea but I'm sure some have) they would be PISSED if Vista was pulled that soon. I'm sure they'll get the stuff ready for 7, since Vista's such a piece, but they would want to be able to keep getting Vista in the meantime.
I see nothing further than that in this whole exchange.
And I like it. I was a little hesitant about taking the time to "evaluate" W7 for a year until it expires, but now I'm glad I took the plunge. It does seem quicker than Vista, but I did go from 32bit to 64bit Ultimate and am able to utilize all of my 4GB of memory. All my (Acer Ferarri 5000) drivers were found with the exception of my built-in webcam and a Mass Storage Driver. The installer found my XP partition and adjusted my boot menu as well so no complaints so far. Having a bit of trouble installing MS ForeFront, but otherwise Windows Media Center is able to play my .avi movies. The default theme uses all of Vista's default sounds, although there are 5 different themes with different sounds. The taskbar is the biggest difference using (linux-like) tiles and the start menu has a few extra available options (such as "Homegroup" menu) for searching through other media libraries. There are a few new apps like "Windows DVD Maker" and Bitlocker Drive Encryption is pretty prominent also. If you're running a 32bit Vista and have 64bit CPU's I encourage you to backup and then try Windows 7 RC1 when it's released to the general public tomorrow.
Namaste
Haven't tried the latest Ubuntu yet, but just two days ago tried the latest Knoppix. Freekin sweet. It's SO good I am thinking of looking for a used server that has like 8 RAM slots so I can load up on that and run it in pure RAM all the time and just use the harddrive for /home.
They've never allowed 2-version downgrades before. Why should they start? I actually thought that's why they went with the every-second-version is usable scheme in the first place. Think of the even numbered versions as betas and you'll do fine. One new working version every 6-10 years. They can't be expected to keep up with Linux: they only have money, not passion.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Server 2008 64bit (what Vista should have been) appears to be quite good apart from driver problems. HP for instance include a braindead OS version check which prevents the 64bit Vista drivers that would work from being installed. Compatibility modes don't help becuase there is no Vista mode - it is effectively Vista with extras.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_7
Conclusion: You're a giant idiot.
Please someone spam this heart-warming article to Microsoft: http://digg.com/d1qJkz
Mod ac informative please.
The truth is, few people will be likely to order it once Windows 7 is available.
The truth is, few people would be likely to order it if Windows XP was available.
A computer is a tool, but I am not. I use Linux
That list is pretty shallow. Windows XP service packs included a lot more.
Not really. The fissile material in nuclear bombs is Pu-239, U-235 and U-238. None of them decay very much, and most of their decay is alpha particles which definitely be stopped by the bomb casing.
There's enough difference to make people want it over vista.
Can't have it both ways.
By that logic, XP should've been a free upgrade to 2000, for all the differences it had. How clever would that've been?
The revolution will not be televised... but it will have a page on Wikipedia
As the techy of my cliche (including work) I told people after I ordered a new pc about 1.5 yrs ago with vista that they might as well not waste their time and skip it. It had the feeling of windows ME again.
Even after SP1 dropped and I could install Visual Studio I still did not want to learn to support it until I thought I could make a buck doing so.
That being said I hope that windows 7 will be to XP as Vista appears to be to ME.
the new features to be included in Windows 7 include advancements in touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, support for additional file formats, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.
So it's fixing problems with Vista (improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements), adding support for new hardware (touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks), and adding a few new features (support for additional file formats, visual tweaks.) Isn't that the definition of a Service Pack?
RUGBYRUGBYRUGBY
you made my head hurt
This is funny as hell, because I'm running Vista right now, with Aero on, on a machine considerably slower than what you allege to be using (Core 2 Duo T6400, 4GB RAM), and it's just as responsive as XP. It runs a little warm because of Aero, but not significantly enough to be a worry (though the effects are a little distracting--I don't much like Compiz, either). As I type this I'm transferring a terabyte to an external HDD and playing Battlestar Galactica at the same time, without stutter of any kind.
Sounds like we've got a fatbeard FUD-spreader on our hands. Or just an incompetent moron.
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
It's definitely one of the funnier grammar trolls I've read on Slashdot.
They so firmly entrenched XP and created an ecosystem that even they can't kill.
It's crazy the number of businesses out there that want to buy new licenses for XP. They're not willing to move on, they actually demand that MS sell it to them.
Imagine consumers demanding Ford sell them the 69 Mustang instead of the 2010. (Well, I for one would be in line.)
Why buy an OS with SP1 when I can get essentially the same OS with SP3?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
That list is pretty shallow. Windows XP service packs included a lot more.
Not really. Windows XP SP 2 was the exception, not the rule. Other than that, Service Packs were not and haven't been like that one.
"We need to get over this notion, that, for Apple to win... Microsoft must lose." - Steve Jobs, 1997
what they do with their own s...
No, it's not. A service pack fixes regressions in a current operating system.
Vista/WS08 SP2 was released to TechNet/MSDN on April 30th, and it fixes a few issues that are there.
Usually, a Microsoft service packs seldomly introduce big new features. The big exception here was Windows XP SP2, which included a lot of features. That is not the usual case, but instead was done to improve security, because the release of then-called Longhorn was delayed.
Windows Vista is perfectly usable. I've been using it since the end of 2006 and the main problems were applications that have not been tested with the Beta by their vendors or devices that vendors no longer support under Windows Vista.
Yep, there were some real issues that made working not-that-fun Pre-SP1, but there were many advantages that still concluded to a full Vista deployment (for example, BitLocker, which was a very cheap way to get full disk encryption on all our laptops).
Windows 7 improves a lot of the technology added in Vista, and adds several new features, like BitLocker to Go.
Nothing wrong with that.
Besides, if you are current on Software Assurance you get 7 for free anyway.
then you'd count any of the linux applications polished.
User-grade applications are badly written all around. Since it has to manage to be "right" for people ranging from "Duh! I press button, it go beep" to "If I order my music by phonic signature then it will use less CPU processing since the same phonics will produce the same optimisation and it will already be in CPU cache".
For most of us it will take a lot more inflation until $50 fades into insignificance.
Bah,
I happily run Vista well pre-built on a Samsung X360 laptop for a month and it goes without an issue: just few personalizations were needed to suit my privacy needs and pleasure.
Yes, 1. the fan blows all the time like crazy even when all is idle, 2. is the printer off it starts up in offline status and there's hard a way to have it working, but 1. Samsung is smart and has a good app that resugulates cpu speed based on how much noise one can stand and 2. I gotta now and then reboot anyway, it's windows...
Or maybe he runs Word *and* a browser, at the same time?
Yep, and the Microsoft PR army has always listed a ton of "new features" for every one of their OS's... that is... until they actually shipped.
...Rob
The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs; it's Don't Tread On Me.
Just musing out loud... I think MS would save a ton of money just ending Vista. Provide free updates to Windows 7, notify all users, allow for money back. Seriously- no support, no extended maintenance, no teams working on maintaining the OS differences for 10 years should be less than providing free upgrades/money back on Vista. Seriously! (really guys, I'm serious) :^)
Just like Millennium, cant we just get M$ to apologize already, and take that crap off the shelves?
Must be hard on that magical 100MHz quad-core.
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
This is funny as hell, because I'm running Vista right now, with Aero on, on a machine considerably slower than what you allege to be using (Core 2 Duo T6400, 4GB RAM), and it's just as responsive as XP
I said the same thing about windows 7 beta. I thought it was just as fast as xp and they had finally fixed vista. When i switched back to XP, i realized how wrong i was.
Except I have them both on this computer (XP 32-bit, as I still run a couple 16-bit apps, Vista 64-bit) and I don't notice much difference at all...
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."