Is Vista only for consumers?

[jdhurst]

Most of the mail today says that Vista is for consumers. Businesses (pragmatic lot that we are) need some compelling reasons to make the move. So far, the evidence is not compelling.

Now the situation is different today than for XP. As an independent business person, I did several triages from Windows 98 to Windows XP Pro. I have replaced exactly one single Windows 2000 machine (that had failed mechanically). Windows 2000 works very well (but support is starting to diminish).

So now, because of Windows 98, lots of people are at XP Pro. There being no compelling reason to move a person from 2000 to XP Pro unless the machine dies, similary, business will not feel compelled to move to Vista if their XP Pro machines are running fine.

This is not [censored] Vista. I also recognize that in due course, Vista will survive (XP did, after all). But right now, Microsoft put their foot deeply in the pile of their own droppings. The pizazz and the cool appeals to only to people who don't yet have to earn a living. The rest of us know where our cash is better kept until a move is required.

Let's see what tomorrow's mail brings.

... JD Hurst

[bill bolton]

So far, the evidence is not compelling.

Business take up is going to depend on a lot of factors.

For instance, I met with a corporate Chief Architect this morning and he was talking about their Vista strategy. Their desktop refresh cycle means that if they don't do a Vista upgrade about the end of this year, they may not get a chance again for a couple of years.

This has relatively little to do with functionality per se and a lot to do with the licensing and support arrangements.

Cheers,

Bill

[tomh009]

Most of the mail today says that Vista is for consumers. Businesses (pragmatic lot that we are) need some compelling reasons to make the move. So far, the evidence is not compelling.

JD, if you look beyond the glitz on the surface, there are actually a lot of security and manageability improvements: user account control, IE protected mode, network access protection, compartmentalized routing, BitLocker, easier system imaging, enhanced group policies, policy-based QoS, improved diagnostics, startup repair capability -- and IPv6. Few of these matter to end users, but to corporate IT departments they can make a big difference.

[BadAndy]

Most of the mail today says that Vista is for consumers. Businesses (pragmatic lot that we are) need some compelling reasons to make the move. So far, the evidence is not compelling.

JD, if you look beyond the glitz on the surface, there are actually a lot of security and manageability improvements: user account control, IE protected mode, network access protection, compartmentalized routing, BitLocker, easier system imaging, enhanced group policies, policy-based QoS, improved diagnostics, startup repair capability -- and IPv6. Few of these matter to end users, but to corporate IT departments they can make a big difference.

Correct. The end user will see a shiny new toy...us in IT see new security features to make our lives easier and a way to better protect our users.

[jdhurst]

<snip>
For instance, I met with a corporate Chief Architect this morning and he was talking about their Vista strategy. Their desktop refresh cycle means that if they don't do a Vista upgrade about the end of this year, they may not get a chance again for a couple of years.

This has relatively little to do with functionality per se and a lot to do with the licensing and support arrangements.
Bill

This pretty much stacks up with my thinking: adoption in about a year at the earliest, and in the next year (2008) for quite a few, then widespread adoption by 2009. I expect vendors to have issue vista compliant upgrades in the first half of 2007. I will probably get a Vista / Office 2007 laptop about then.
... JD Hurst

[jdhurst]

Juniper Netscreen has finally posted that a beta version of NetScreen Remote will be available by about June. I expect a real version not before the end of 2007. In another forum, a person was using Vista as a work machine and their Cisco VPN (supposedly Vista) was mostly unreliable. I can't afford that, and I suspect many road warriors will have the same issue. It will be important for any business that thinks they are going to roll out a new fleet of Vista machines much before 2008 to check *very* carefully that all works. ... JD Hurst