Another Day With My PC

Despite the fact that Windows Vista is just a quarter of a year away from celebrating its first anniversary, many IT experts and analysts still insist that there are no compelling reasons yet for people to embrace it. Even Microsoft would seem to suggest the same, having announced a few months ago that it is extending support for Windows XP.

While many are still using XP, products that are specially made for Vista are exponentially increasing. While many of those would also be able to function under the old OS, the former’s manufacturers will most likely insist on using Vista to avoid compatibility problems.

The Irony

Several months ago, compatibility problems usually refer to situations wherein hardware or software could not run under Vista. Aside from being expensive and a resource-hog, one of the main reasons why many opted to sport a wait-and-see attitude on the new OS is due to compatibility dilemmas.

This problem that separates XP and Vista still exists, albeit differently. The fortunes of the two operating systems have already been reversed. When one talks about compatibility problems today, they most probably refer to the apprehensions or consequences of installing a Vista-marked program or peripheral on a PC that runs on XP.

Interpreters

The success of Windows Vista could be attributed to the availability of various drivers that allow software or hardware which antedates the said OS to be able to function on it. Many people dared to make the early shift due to assurances that Vista drivers are already abundant even before the release of XP’s successor.

By analogy, it could also be contended that the survival of XP could or would be brought about by the availability of drivers that will allow Vista-labeled products to work on old operating systems. Indeed, the fortunes of XP and Vista have been stirred. It would not be surprising if Vista driver providers, such as RadarSync, would soon offer XP drivers.

Customer Support

Even if Vista applications and hardware could run on XP, problems would most likely still arise in the future. Customer service agents are now gradually being trained to troubleshoot problems under the setting of the new operating system. Hence, it would not be far fetched for troubleshooting problems to pop up due to the differences in the functions or options between XP and Vista. Solving the dilemma is not as simple as correlating the procedures or finding the Vista option’s counterpart in XP. Take note that Vista has many features that its predecessor does not have.

Magazines and Journals

XP users will not find solace in IT publications, either. Go to a bookstore and try to go through recent PC magazines or manuals and you will be rudely awaken to the fact that 95% of all OS articles are about Vista. Every sign now seems to point to XP’s successor. The shift is inevitable. Even die-hard XP fans know that. The only thing that’s uncertain is the ripe date to take the plunge. But believe me, it’s not that far away.

Now who would’ve thought that this would be possible?

Microsoft and Cisco have recently acknowledged the need to be interdependent in an industry where monopoly is shunned outright. The top honchos of both corporations recently met to discuss ways for the two IT leaders to cross-sell their products to their respective customer bases.

The unusual cooperation stemmed not only from mutual respect, but also on demands by consumer for the integration of both companies’ products. It’s not easy to avoid the goods produced by the two IT giants. Microsoft’s Windows runs around 80% of PCs all over the world, while Cisco has about the same amount or degree of share as far as the IP networking industry is concerned.

Many are hopeful that this new development between two of the world’s IT leaders would spark a new trend of cooperation and openness between all the players in the sector. This would definitely eliminate compatibility problems that hound many PC users when integrating products from different manufacturers.

Are you still using Windows XP? Chances are is that you’ll be nodding to the question, especially when we’re talking about your PC in the office.

Despite the fact that big companies have the resources to wipe out old programs and replace it with new ones in just a blink of an eye, many of them are holding their horses as far as shifting to Vista is concerned. A recent report has shown that there are still many apprehensions playing in the minds of IT managers with regard to using Vista.

Old Fears

One of the reasons why companies are still reluctant to retire Vista’s predecessor is the former’s reputation of conking out due to compatibility problems. While this issue hounded the new OS during its first month in the market, it’s quite surprising to know that this worry still lingers considering the fact that third-party device driver finders and providers already abound on the Internet. The lack of system utilities for Vista has also already been addressed, with many antivirus and registry cleaner programs having been labeled as “Vista-ready.”

Waiting for SP1

So why are corporations still not taking the plunge despite developments which makes such a move already safe and feasible?

Analysts point to the pending release of the operating system’s first service pack as one of the reasons why potential corporate clients are still playing the waiting game. Vista’s SP1 contains a collection of patches, security applications, and drivers which would greatly enhance the OS’ ability to respond to threats and errors. While there are already many Vista problem-solvers on the market, many are still counting on Microsoft to fix things for free. Until Microsoft releases the pack, big companies would most likely continue to squeeze some extra mileage out of XP.

Still in Life Support

Another reason why big clients are shunning Vista is Redmond’s continued support for XP. Bill Gates probably thought that XP would die a natural death once users start to ditch it for Vista. However, this did not happen, or at least not at the pace at which Microsoft had hoped for.

It has been suggested that in order to convince (or force) users to embrace Vista, it has to cut the air flowing into XP. Microsoft contemplated such a move, but was met by stiff resistance and threats from those who are reluctant to use the new OS until every apprehension with regard to its safety and compatibility has been addressed. The operating system’s maker immediately blinked, probably because it still hasn’t found the answers to many of the problems plaguing Vista.

No Need to Rush

The shift to Vista is inevitable. This event might not take place as quickly as Microsoft wants to, but it will certainly happen. This is the reason why Microsoft is not in a rush to kill its most successful product. As long as it continues to breathe life to XP, it will have ample time to plug the holes that presently turn off big companies in accepting Windows Vista.

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