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Windows 7 Licensing a "Disaster" For XP Shops

Posted by kdawson on from the punished-for-cautious-waiting dept.

snydeq writes "Enterprise licensing for Windows 7 could cause major headaches and add more cost to the Windows 7 migration effort, InfoWorld reports. Under the proposed license, businesses that purchase PCs with Windows 7 pre-installed within six months of the Oct. 23 launch date will be able to downgrade those systems to XP, and later upgrade back to Windows 7 when ready to migrate users. PCs bought after April 22, 2010, however, can only be downgraded to Vista — no help for XP-based organizations, which would be wise to wait 12 to 18 months before adopting Windows 7, so that they can test hardware and software compatibility and ensure their vendors' Windows 7 support meets their needs. XP shops that chose not to install Vista will have to either rush their migration process or spend extra to enroll in Microsoft's Software Assurance program, which allows them to install any OS version — for about $90 per year per PC."

18 of 567 comments (clear)

  1. Or you know... by Darkinspiration · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Most shop will just ignore this little twist and downgrade to xp anyway. No sane admin will run a mix of os on user workstations if he can prevent it.

    1. Re:Or you know... by The_Wilschon · · Score: 5, Funny

      a cow-orkers laptop

      This post brought to you by explicit.slashdot.org. Let's keep it SFW, guys. None of this backwoods paraphilia.

      --
      SIGSEGV caught, terminating

      wait... not that kind of sig.
    2. Re:Or you know... by Petrushka · · Score: 5, Funny

      Looks like I crossed the memes.

      You fool! You'll kill us all!

  2. The power of lock-in by Nerdposeur · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And yet, somehow I fear that even this will not usher in The Year of Linux on the Desktop.

    1. Re:The power of lock-in by theheadlessrabbit · · Score: 5, Funny

      Windows is far from the only obstacle keeping Linux off the desktop.

      Blasphemer!
      Linux is perfect, it is totally ready for the desktop.

      I want to tell you all the reasons why linux is perfect, but I'm going to have to keep this brief, since I'm still recovering from a kernal update that went horribly wrong. but once I get my wifi working again, I can fix my no sound in flash issues. Hopefully, that wont break my DVD playback abilities this time, which i finally got to work, despite the screen saver still popping up after being turned off...

      but, once I get all that out of the way, you can expect a long list of reasons why linux is indeed ready for the desktop.

      --
      -I only code in BASIC.-
  3. $90 per year per pc? Really? by tacokill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is this number right? For $90/yr/pc, I can install any MSFT operating system?

    Why isn't this program publicized? I am a small business and I have to tell you...the entire Windows licensing system is very very difficult to navigate. And I am 100% certain that is "by design". The more confused they can make me, the more money they can extract out of me and my company (or so they think).

    In actual practice, I don't mind spending money where needed and $90/yr/pc seems about fair for a Windows OS.

    Bonus points if someone can point me to a vendor who will sell it to me.

  4. Re:$90 per year per pc? Really? by Samalie · · Score: 5, Informative

    No, for $90/PC/year, plus the cost of the open license of Windows, you can run any Microsoft OS you want, technically all the way down to MS-DOS & Windows 3.0.

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  5. Microsoft seeking a patent... by syousef · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "A method of automatically loading a weapon for repeatedly and regularly firing at one's foot without breaking the rythm".

    Microsoft has in the last couple of years:

    - Released THE most hated OS since WinMe

    - Released a confusing myriad of versions of their latest OS' which seek to differentiate by feature set, ultimately pissing off any customer who buys or is forced by a hardware manufacturer to buy an inferior version of the OS only to find that they must upgrade to get important functionality enabled

    - Replaced their Office interface with that goddawful ever changing ribbon which certain geeks continue to defend despite it completely ruining productivity, and now they're incorporating it into every damn program they can

    - Fired their Aces game development team ending a long running franchise in flight simulation

    - Put just about everyone off side with their nutty Windows Genuine campaign

    - Fucked up their Zune software with date based bugs

    It's like the captain of the ship's drunk at the helm.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
    1. Re:Microsoft seeking a patent... by spire3661 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hate that goddamn ribbon, if it wasnt for keyboard shortcuts I still couldnt print or save.

      --
      Good-bye
  6. Re:$90 per year per pc? Really? by theyulman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Did you actually read what's written...MSDN is for testing and dev only. hence the: "Software testers or IT professionals who need to set up test labs with Microsoft operating systems, but do not need additional products. Example: Test or IT staff at a video card manufacturer needs to set up a lab for testing drivers on multiple versions of Windows." If you install MSDN OS in your shop in production and MS knocks on your door...you'll find yourself in court in a snap of a finger. ...it happened to us last year

  7. The whole thing is silly by Gay+for+Linux · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From TFA: "Web apps tuned to Internet Explorer 6, which Microsoft has essentially orphaned. Windows 7 will ship with IE8, which has a compatibility mode for IE7, but not for IE6. And if IT retains IE7 in Windows 7, Silver notes that IE7 lacks an IE6 compatibility mode. So IT must rework its IE6-dependent Web apps or use XP mode to run IE6. Both are hassles."

    When Apple releases a new OS and says it's not compatible with the old, there's a huge line to suck Steve Jobs' dick. "Support of legacy software has made Windows a bloated piece of shit. Apple's so smart."

    When Microsoft makes a similar change people whine about all the hassles they'll have to go through.

    1. Re:The whole thing is silly by Sj0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yeah, The Internet is a fucking hypocrite. It's almost like it's an amalgamation of a huge number of people with a huge number of differing opinions instead of a single entity. Doesn't it know it must be internally consistent, ideologically!?

      --
      It's been a long time.
    2. Re:The whole thing is silly by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Funny

      Even though you're gay for linux, you seem to be able to see /. for what it is.

      How can you be gay for linux? Does that mean you are a linux too? Or is it simply enough to be any sort of OS? Like Vista?
      If you are Vista and you want to have sex with Linux, does that make you gay?

      --
      When information is power, privacy is freedom.
    3. Re:The whole thing is silly by fooslacker · · Score: 5, Insightful

      While everyone does hate on MS around here there is one major difference. In general when Apple went to OS X (and with most subsequent upgrades) it was generally viewed as a better system but when MS went to Vista it was viewed as worse. I'm not saying you don't have a point about people hating on MS just to hate but the comparison is a bit apples and oranges.

    4. Re:The whole thing is silly by ring-eldest · · Score: 5, Funny

      Strangely enough, the internet is pretty consistent, you're just measuring the wrong thing and calling it signal. The internet says, loud and clear,

      99% PORN

      1% Mindless rambling about other crap while waiting for porn to download.

      The internet is a steadfast brick wall of consistency. Or perhaps a hard, throbbing rod of consistency.

  8. Re:My entire shop is SuSE Linux by sexconker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mac shops have admins?
    I thought they just had baristas.

  9. Re:Software Rental by UnrefinedLayman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Can anyone explain what the FUCK happened to slashdot to make comments unreadable, and how to fix it? There are unremovable grey horizontal and vertical bars and pill icons everywhere. OMGPONIES was supposed to be a joke, and now they've made it reality.

    Viz: http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9974/wtfiswrongwithslashdot.png

  10. Re:Software Rental by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Do you have mod points right now?

    If so, before actually changing any of the drop down mod boxes under the comments, go to the bottom of the page and click the "Moderate" button.

    I don't know why it works, but it does.

    I'm unitron (5733). Had to log out to make this comment without undoing some mods I made.