Windows 7… Catch It!
For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.
I was wondering out loud today if you were ready for Windows 7. Yes, you… and don’t look around because WE BOTH know who you are. You are an IT Professional, Developer, Partner, Consultant, Enthusiast, End-User. You have an above-average interest in computers, probably have more than one system between home and work, and know how to fix at least minor problems without calling Tech Support. You remember when operating systems were less stable than Vista SP1, and are willing to experience the occasional minor inconvenience when beta issues arise; all for a chance to be ahead of the curve.
We call it the Bleeding Edge. We’re well ahead of the curve, running systems and applications before they go to general release. It hurts a little from time to time when you encounter bugs that haven’t been fixed yet, but it pays off… and not just in bragging rights, although let’s be honest, those are fun too.
Microsoft had to make some very difficult decisions with Windows Vista; there were so many changes to the platform that caused a lot of initial pain, mostly revolving around application and driver compatibility. It was simply too much, and although the issues did get resolved as new versions of applications and device drivers that were programmed for Vista were released and with Service Pack 1, there was simply too much ‘bad air’ around Vista. Competing platforms had a ball in their marketing but even without the ‘I’m a Mac’ commercials the reputation of Vista was mud… even if the technology is vastly improved over both the RTM version and Windows XP.
On the first leg of my flight to Los Angeles on Sunday I sat next to Stuart Crawford, President of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners. He was telling me about the machines that he was planning to install the Release Candidate of Windows 7 on, and as we chatted he commented to me that he hadn’t heard one bad thing about the new OS version yet. I thought for a minute and realized… neither have I.
I have been sitting in any manner of places over the past few years where people have started telling me about their issues with Vista… and Microsoft. I work on my laptop in cafes and airport lounges and people start conversations with me, telling me why they don’t like Vista; sometimes their reasons are legitimate and often they are just ‘well I heard from a friend who heard from a friend.’ It started six months before Vista was released, and hasn’t stopped yet. That is why it’s a telling that nobody has yet told me ‘I don’t like Windows 7 because…’
Now it’s true, Seven is still a pre-release OS, so its distribution is limited to… us. None of you have told me anything bad about it either! The new OS is built on the lessons of Windows Vista, and streamlined to boot. Seven is the first version of an operating system that Microsoft will ever release that will be smaller and require fewer resources than its predecessor. One of the most common complaints I heard about Vista was the resource requirements; people are telling me that they are installing the pre-release Seven on five and six year old hardware that had been running XP because it just didn’t have the legs for Vista. Netbooks – tiny little seven and nine inch laptops that were meant to run Linux with a gigabyte of RAM and 16 gigabyte hard drives. I confess… I am going to buy one of those myself this week, for that very purpose.
There are a thousand reasons to start looking at Windows 7 now. Microsoft is not keeping quiet about them. At www.talkingaboutwindows.com they (okay, WE!) discuss the benefits of the modern operating system. It’s not just Microsoft employees, although some people you know are there too (Mark Russinovitch is still one of the smartest men I know). There are customers as well… and one particular trainer and MVP who just came off a deployment of Windows Vista (along with Office 2007, Forefront Client Security, Office Communicator, and a few third-party applications) for a client in preparation for the move to Windows 7. Watch our videos, listen to our stories, and then answer the question… why aren’t you on Windows 7 yet?
You should be… come see us on-line, and at TechEd to see what’s in store for you, your clients, families, and friends when the best, most stable, and most secure desktop operating system that Microsoft ever developed is released to the public, sometime in the next few months. After that you can stand up with me and proudly proclaim what I’ve been saying proudly for a year… I’m a PC!
For more information about the Windows Springboard Series visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=8418918.
Read the complete post at http://mitchgarvis.com/blogs/mitch/archive/2009/05/12/windows-7-catch-it.aspx