Home Phone and Internet $60/mo
July 20, 2007 1:05 PM PDT
Next version of Windows: Call it 7
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The dawn of Vista
January 26, 2007 -
Vista debut hits a delay
March 21, 2006
The company discussed Windows 7 on Thursday at a conference for its field sales force in Orlando, Fla., according to sources close to the company.
While the company provided few details, Windows 7, the next client version of the operating system, will be among the steps taken by Microsoft to establish a more predictable release schedule, according to sources. The company plans a more "iterative" process of information disclosure to business customers and partners, sources said.
Windows Vista, the oft-delayed most recent release of Windows, shipped to businesses in November and to consumers in January after more than five years of development. Vista's gestation period was marked by shifting product details as internal priorities changed and problems arose with development.
Like Vista, Windows 7 will ship in consumer and business versions, and in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The company also confirmed that it is considering a subscription model to complement Windows, but did not provide specifics or a time frame.
Next up on Microsoft's agenda is Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, which is expected before year's end.
The discussion of Windows' future isn't surprising, given that Microsoft has been criticized by business customers for delays related to Vista. Many business customers pay for Microsoft's software under a license agreement called Software Assurance.
Windows 7 was previously known by the code name Vienna. A Microsoft representative confirmed that Windows 7 is the internal code name for the next client release of Windows. The details were released "as part of our ongoing outreach to enterprise customers and partners, Microsoft has begun sharing plans for how they will continue to deliver value to businesses in the future?Software Assurance customers in particular," a representative said in a statement via e-mail.
"Microsoft is scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame, and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar," according to the representative.
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Win 95 = 4.0
Win 98 = 5.0
Win ME = ?
Win XP = 6.0
I guess like all of us, MS wants to forget it ever happened.
NT 4 = 4
Win2K = 5
XP = 6
Vista = 7
Next up = 8
Or if you follow the 3.1 line, you'd get:
Win 3.1 = 3
Win 95 = 4
Win 98 = 5
Win ME = 6
XP = 7
Vista = 8
Next up = 9
I read an article this week about some guy who's AIO printer doesn't work under Vista. I'm in the same boat. I bought my printer just before upgrading to Vista and it still doesn't work right. Microsoft says that "2 million" printers now work with Vista... well, I *know* there isn't 2 million printers models on the market, so they MUST mean 2 million of the ONE printer model that does work on Vista (whichever the heck model that is...)
Windows 7 eh? Maybe they'll have a driver for my printer by then. Maybe by then printers will be obsolete and whatever you want printed, you click a button in Windows 7 and it magically appears after the Keebler elves finish making it. I don't hold out hope.
But then again, I'm a realist. I know that no O/S is 'perfect' but Vista is so far from perfect... I really need to 'upgrade' back to XP...
3.1 = 3
95 = 4
98 = 5
2000/ME = 6
XP = 7
Vista = 8.
While the math is a little askewed, I wonder if vista will have the new WINFS or will it be installed in "7" or later in some other windows?
But, as an item for the wishlist....Please change the security of vista so that an administrator IS viewed as an administrator?? Please??? The security popups are worse than anything!!!
windows resemble leopard or will it be even smarter than that.
Well 3 years or more will show where does microsoft stand for its
PC consumers. Or will in these 3 years more people will switch to
Mac.
Vista Home Starter - If you can't meet the demands of Vista, then you should stick with using XP or get a new computer.
Vista Business and Vista Enterprise - Is there really necessary to have two different versions? It's just about the same userbase that would want either of these.
So that leaves us with 3 versions: a Business/Enterprize version, Home Premium, and Ultimate. I say give everyone Vista Ultimate. Some users may not ever use some of the features in Ultimate, but the few features that are not in the lower versions doesn't warrant the big price difference. Allow business users to optionally load Media Center during installation, if you don't want your employees running Media Center.
Otherwise, I think Apple has it right. There should only be ONE.
Plus, that goes for 32 and 64 bit versions. It should run as a 64 bit OS that can run 32 bit programs.
So here is what they do. Fortune 500 corporations and Early Adopter High Tech Junkies have the most money, so they sell Enterprise and Ultimate for the most. The only extra features in Enterprise relate to giant managed networks and ultra high security and encryption needs. Most small business owners are probably glad to pay less than Citibank or Exxon pay for the OS. The only way to exclude Citibank and Exxon from just buying Business Edition is to exclude a feature they need. Now for a basic home user, you have Home Basic Edition, which excludes some features medium/small businesses need. Home Premium Edition is more of a price issue than a need issue. If people will pay more for some bells and whistles, why shouldn't they? People getting a fancy computer more designed for multimedia can pay an extra $30 for that computer and Microsoft can afford to charge less to others. Ultimate provides a further level of this. Now, why shouldn't Microsoft just 'give' all home users Premium or Ultimate. Why? Because some dont need it and some will pay extra for it. So, it is the same reason they dont bundle Office Professional with every computer. Seperating products allows people to save by buying only what they need. The people who need everything might pay a higher price, but they dont deserve to get a discount due to making everyone else buy what they dont need.
Also, there may be a licensing issue. Technologies in Windows Enterprise and Ultimate may be licensed from other companies. If Microsoft put those technologies in every copy of windows, they might need to pay those license costs for every copy, thus excluding the possibility of licensing certain technologies for the customers that need them.
I think Home Starter Edition is mainly a third world product. Microsoft wants its OS to be an option in some very poor countries where Linux and pirating have dominated and cheap hardware is common, but it does not want this nearly free option to be used by people who could afford more, like wealthy people and high tech businesses in those countries, so it sets many limits on the OS making it work best on low end computers and simple home use.
It would not be good to just stick with XP as the default for low end computers. Microsoft does not want to support XP forever and deal with 2 different worlds of security issues.
Apple can stick with one OS because Apple's users are much less diverse: Middle to Upper Class Home Users and the Graphics Business. These people have similar needs. Graphics pros are much like home users because they are not likely to need coroporate databases and massive shared file servers etc. If you are poor, you probably dont buy Macs. If you are a big business and network a bunch of computers, those computers are probably not Macs. If you are a third world country, you dont use many Macs. And Mac computers are not marketed on price and not in direct competion with other Macs from different manufacturers, so $30 here or there in the price point is not important.
So, if you want Vista to have just one edition, you want to pay the same for Vista as Citibank and Exxon due, you want bloated Encryption software that may have cost you $20 in licensing fees, and you want the Citibank employee to be able to connect a usb tv tuner to their workstation and watch HDTV at work so they can get distracted and let a hacker get your SSN.
More likely they will add 1) all sorts of virtualization, and 2)all sorts of off-desktop functionality (more MS Groove-like and Sharepoint-like functions).
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Well to get some jist of how long the development will take you have to look developments.
First Graphics
For now the new maths potential shoulden't that much an issue and therefore adoptable into the system without to much hassle.
Also the manufacturers aren't having to great a problem with all the standard medi application enhancements.
Next the kernel.
Although some improvments will be needed for this model a lot of the ground work for making a system into a multi-core environment.
There will however be considerable developing issues with virtuilisation which may cause some delay.
Ok now for newer areas like memory drives.
This ideed will take some time and could cause some delay but not to bad.
thid is so for the small business and consumers editions but for the cloud systems there it will take time for that to absorbe it's way into the market but should make for a great benefit to the world of technilogical development potential and collaberation aswell as eventually helping people to work and play more perficiently.
Although for version 7 vertualisation issues may cause a small delay after that we could be looking at some major development and hence bigger delays most lightly for a good few years.
So the bottom line is that although you may get a slight delay your probablly looking at A more perfected system in a lot of areas.
I would advise microsoft to work on issues relating to backwards compatibility with this one in relation to all the wide range of perifiral companies for essential equippment and large consumer equippment.
Some solutions might invlvolve 3rd party driver emulation technology and even special arrangements for returning old models in preperation for better electronic waste management.
However for the consumer and small businness i reckon this one should be a good moment.
Remember also it's not always a failing to move forward even if it does require more collaberation and more effective collaberation.
For more effective collaberation more 3rd party people getting involved in keeping everything working and microsoft would be wise to discount people who really help the process more effectivly to ensure wide involvement as opposed to the more highlighting elleitist approach that exsist more today. Istead a more ********* and pratical elite model to ensure that alongside a great effort to get everything looking good the essence is more functional too.
Everything working fine, just thinking about adding a another gb of ram all though for a little faster performance. But I will not be going to windows 7 or what ever it will be called if it's released in 3 yrs. If it takes longer like Vista did, perhaps I'll rethink it and decide. Til then, I am not giving Microsoft another $200 for a new oversize if it's released in 3 yrs as I happy with Vista for now.
Could use some tweaks, and I tweaked it with different suggestions around. But I hope the service pack 1 or even if two should come out, will help it making it as good as xp. Which I kind of miss because of the speed I get with it.
Still not going back to xp, I paid good money for vista and I'm happy with it, just want it a little bit more powerful and faster.
Win 2000 - 5
XP - 6
Vista - 7
??? - 8
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by SiXiam
July 20, 2007 11:10 PM PDT
- Now that made me laugh...
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See all 197 Comments >>I will switch totally to Ubuntu, before I pay for a windows subscription...
Though I do have an x-box live subscription... I know I'm a hypocrite!!!