News Review: Vista delays could open up Linux on the desktop
Will corporate users finally lose patience?.
One more delay too much?
The news has broken (not unexpectedly), that the latest copy of Windows - now to be called "Vista" has been delayed, at least until the start of 2007. Will this be a delay that would finally encourage people to move to Linux or other desktop technologies?
If such a revolution was going to happen, now is probably one of the better times for it. After all, Linux is (almost) able to be deployed by a non-technical user, and it is backed up by OpenOffice, Thunderbird, FireFox, Samba and other compatible products that enable it to co-exist in the Microsoft world. Will people jump ship following yet another Microsoft delay?
Reasons for the revolution
It's not just the delays that users are upset about, it's the lack of functional benefits that they will get when / if they deploy Vista.
Firstly, what is there in Vista for the average commercial user? The new File System, one of the new features which were touted some time ago, will not make it at all. Basically, it is just a new interface, which is a bit closer to the Apple "glass" interface, with the ability to have semi-transparent "3-D" appearances. Neat, but not exactly revolutionary. And not much, if people are being encouraged to move away from Windows XP.
Of course, there is a new programming interface, and the wide use of XML to configure applications and define the interface. Useful for programmers CVs, but not exactly ground-breaking.
In fact, when all said and done, there is not a lot of stuff in Vista which the average user will start writing home about. And that is the problem. What will users get for their money? In short, why should they abandon XP? The only real reason is that, one day, Microsoft will stop supporting it, just as they no longer support Windows NT workstations. So, to coin a phrase from Star Wars, "Fear will keep the local systems in check".
Will it happen?
My view is that the take-up of Vista by Corporates (who, let's face it, are the people who pay Microsoft the big bucks) is likely to be slow. Corporate customers want to see a return on their investment, and a new glossy front-end does not do it for them.
There is also the fear of security holes. Just as XP has been locked-down by Service Packs and other patches, the last thing that corporates want is another string of security risks with a new architecture. In fact, Microsoft might get a better take-up if they promoted Vista as just a new shell to XP (just as Windows 2000 was promoted as "Built on NT Technology").
In short, I predict a longer future for XP. Corporates will wait and see. If there are security scares, or performance issues, then you could see an exit from Windows on the Desktop. Who knows?
Reviewed by Dennis Adams in March 2006
