Windows Vista has been with us for awhile now, and SP1 was released a few months ago to address a number of issues.
Overall, sales have been less than predicted and reviews throughout the PC world have been less than stellar. All of this may make you ask, as an IT professional “Should I skip Vista all together and just wait for Windows 7”?
Definitely a valid question, but in all honesty, even though I’m not a massive fan of Vista (I love some things and hate others) there are a number of reasons to deploy now and not wait until Windows 7.
- Even though Widows 7 does promise some nice new features, it could very well be more than 18-24 months away. Windows 7 is not even in beta at the moment, and given Microsoft’s release schedules and the fact they historically slip the closer they get to release date – we could be talking 18-24 months minimum before Windows 7 is available for public consumption.
- IT professionals generally wait for Service Pack 1 (SP1) before deploying wide scale throughout an enterprise. So now we’re talking an additional 12 months or so before an SP1 release of Windows 7.
- Microsoft Vista incorporates a number of technologies that integrate much better with Windows Server 2008. Upgrades from Vista to Windows 7 will go much smoother than an upgrade from XP to Windows 7 with regard to application compatibility, user acceptance, etc.
- As pointed out by research firm Gartner, vendors may well stop supporting XP prior to Windows 7 being publicly available. It’s hard to predict across the board, but considering XP’s age and position in its lifecycle; along with the realistic fact that a Windows 7 deployment may be 24-36 months away, many vendors may End of Life (EOL) support for XP prior to Windows 7. This may or may not be an issue depending on your specific environment, but definitely something to consider.
- Vista does have features that enterprises can leverage today. Features such as streamlined imaging and deployment, better security, integrated search and whole disk encryption to name a few make Vista attractive in certain environments looking at third party options to fill those needs.
As with anything, your mileage may vary as it depends on your organization, budget and tolerance for risk. In the end it all comes down to Return on Investment (ROI) and business need. Weigh the options and see if Vista fits into your long term OS lifecycle.
What are your thoughts on deploying now or skipping Vista all together? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I’m not an IT person so I probably don’t know a whole lot about what you are talking about, but I do think that the high usage of Windows XP might be able to win over EOL. If the majority of consumers are still using XP, then they can’t just refuse to support them.
Also, in many organizations, XP has done well for them. The computer that runs XP does fine but wouldn’t do fine under Vista. They would have to not only upgrade OS, but all their computers to run Vista. Why do that when it is less costly to upgrade for Windows 7 (Microsoft claims it will run smoothly with only 1GB of RAM as opposed to 2GB for Vista).
November 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
@Brian, we’ll see with regard to EOL. They’ve already extended support once, so it’s just a matter of time before it ends completely. Whether it happens before Windows 7 is goes RTM (Release to Manufacturing) remains to be seen.
Requiring a hardware refresh along with an OS update keeps everyone in business!
Same reason tires wear out, lightbulbs need replacing, etc. Built-in obsolescence, while seen as not good for us, is part of what keeps companies in business and allows them to continue to develop new products. If Goodyear built tires that never wore out, once everyone had tires, they’d basically be out of business. 
Not really, but you get the idea..
December 13th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
whether you like it or not, you’ve got to accept changes, and move on with the latest technology
April 28th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Windows Vista is not as bad as the people think. But one thing is sure. If you have tasted Windows 7, you will never look back to Vista. That’s the power of Windows 7.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Do you have an orkut community?
June 27th, 2009 at 12:45 am
How to add the feed on RSS?
June 27th, 2009 at 11:47 am
There is not upgrade path from XP to Vista (as in an in-place upgrade) however most organizations of any scale will automate this process, pull the user settings off the box, do a fresh install of Windows 7, the pull the user settings, files, etc., back down to the machine..
For home users and smaller companies, it makes more sense if you need to buy a new PC now, to get it with Vista installed rather than downgraded to XP. Then upgrade in place to Windows 7 if/when needed. This of course if upgrading is the desired path. I always prefer to do a fresh install so you’re not porting over any issues with the old OS.