Microsoft issued a reprieve for Windows XP. To promote adoption of its new Windows 7 OS, Microsoft planned to make Windows XP unavailable in February. Now, Microsoft will allow Windows XP licenses to be received until May 30. Many businesses had stuck with Windows XP rather than upgrade to Windows Vista due to incompatibility issues.
Like movie hero Indiana Jones, Windows XP has once again come back from near-certain death. The venerable Microsoft operating system had been destined to become unavailable to PC makers beginning in February, but now Microsoft will extend its life until the end of May.
Microsoft's intention has been to compel users to adopt its newer operating system, Vista, but many have preferred to stay with the tried-and-true XP.
Windows 7 on the Horizon
The new policy is not a total reprieve, however. It allows resellers to order licenses for XP before January 31, but now they can receive those licenses up until May 30.
Some PC makers have been using a downgrade clause in their licenses with Microsoft to satisfy user requests for the older OS. It lets PC makers sell computers with Vista installed, but users can downgrade the OS to XP if so desired.
Vista's replacement, Windows 7, would presumably address the issues that have fueled users' resistance to Vista. Recent reports indicate that Microsoft may begin its release of Windows 7 late in 2009, although there are also indications that some netbooks with Windows 7 could be available as early as mid-2009.
Laura DiDio of Information Technology Intelligence Corps recently conducted and released a survey of more than 700 corporations on various technology and business topics. The report found resistance to deploying Vista, continuing acceptance of XP, and a willingness to wait for Windows 7.
Only 10 percent of the respondents, including small, medium and large businesses, said they have deployed Vista as their main desktop OS. For 88 percent, XP remains the primary desktop OS.
Forty-six percent said they were going to skip Vista and go directly to Windows 7, because of cost and because of the feeling that XP still met their needs.
Positive Reactions to Vista
But, for the 10 percent of users who were using Vista as their primary desktop OS, the survey found that the reception was positive. On the subject of Vista's performance, reliability and security, 27 percent rated it excellent or very good, 32 percent called it good, and 19 percent said it was satisfactory. In other words, 78 percent rated it satisfactory or better.
For the 19 percent who described it as unsatisfactory, the main reason was "application incompatibility problems."
"Vista itself is a good, solid OS," DiDio said, "but the biggest problem is incompatibilities." She noted that one respondent, whose company was 65 percent deployed with Vista, would have to wait until the middle of next year before getting Vista-compatible versions of two of its main business applications.
DiDio also noted that people have gotten used to XP, and many businesses found that "they have no compelling business reason" to upgrade to Vista.
Her survey also pointed out that, accompanying the Vista resistance, enterprises are continuing or increasing their use and integration of Apple's Macintosh and iPhone. Eighty-two percent rated the Macintosh hardware and OS as excellent or very good, and 68 percent said they are likely to allow deployment of Macs in the upcoming year.
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