Microsoft's current flagship operating system will likely fade away when the Windows 7 parade rolls into town.
There's no question about it: Microsoft has a hit on its hands with Windows 7. Even in beta form, the company's new desktop OS is garnering accolades from all corners of the blogosphere. By most accounts, the product seems faster and more stable than even Vista with Service Pack 1. And veteran Windows users everywhere are singing the praises of "new" features like the more refined User Account Control (UAC) mechanism and funky, Mac OS X Dock-like Task Bar.
Things are definitely looking up for Microsoft's "Longhorn" successor. But as the positive press rolls in, I can't help but wonder: What will happen to Microsoft's current flagship OS when its newer, flashier -- and ostensibly better -- sibling arrives this summer?
As someone who has used both OSes extensively, I can't imagine anyone sticking with Vista. For starters, it's a much shorter jump from Vista to Windows 7 than it was from XP to Vista. The XP-to-Vista transition was a major leap of faith for the Windows community. It required you to believe Microsoft's sales pitch that the gross short-term pain of broken applications and overburdened PCs would translate in a net long-term gain of a better, more manageable Windows platform. By contrast, Windows 7 feels more like an extensive Service Pack. Certainly nothing that should give pause to the Vista faithful.
More: http://www.pcworld.com/article/157975/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws
There's no question about it: Microsoft has a hit on its hands with Windows 7. Even in beta form, the company's new desktop OS is garnering accolades from all corners of the blogosphere. By most accounts, the product seems faster and more stable than even Vista with Service Pack 1. And veteran Windows users everywhere are singing the praises of "new" features like the more refined User Account Control (UAC) mechanism and funky, Mac OS X Dock-like Task Bar.
Things are definitely looking up for Microsoft's "Longhorn" successor. But as the positive press rolls in, I can't help but wonder: What will happen to Microsoft's current flagship OS when its newer, flashier -- and ostensibly better -- sibling arrives this summer?
As someone who has used both OSes extensively, I can't imagine anyone sticking with Vista. For starters, it's a much shorter jump from Vista to Windows 7 than it was from XP to Vista. The XP-to-Vista transition was a major leap of faith for the Windows community. It required you to believe Microsoft's sales pitch that the gross short-term pain of broken applications and overburdened PCs would translate in a net long-term gain of a better, more manageable Windows platform. By contrast, Windows 7 feels more like an extensive Service Pack. Certainly nothing that should give pause to the Vista faithful.
More: http://www.pcworld.com/article/157975/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws
