I Want My Windows XP!
- By Peter Varhol
- 04/18/2007
Our leader Doug Barney is in Redmond again this week, and has delegated
today's Redmond Report to Peter
Varhol, executive editor of reviews at Redmond magazine. Doug will
return to these pages next week.
Microsoft has announced that it will phase
out the availability of Windows XP as an OS option for new system orders
as of Jan. 31, 2008. This phaseout also affects retail sales of the OS. However,
those who build systems for custom and turnkey solutions have an additional
year of availability, until Jan. 31, 2009.
While this means pushing users who are buying new systems to Vista more quickly
than in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean that Microsoft is trying to accelerate
initial sales of its new OS. Rather, it may be that the company is interested
in simplifying its number of offerings in this area. Given the number of Vista
SKUs available, that may not be such a bad idea.
The designation of a sales cutoff date for Windows XP will likely mean accelerated
business for systems vendors such as Dell and HP, as well as strong upgrade
sales, as users look to faster hardware and more memory and disk space than
they may currently have. But for those who want to stick with XP for a while
longer, Microsoft made life just a little more difficult.
It's not clear when the first service pack for Windows Vista will be coming,
but many users have expressed the opinion, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that they
don't consider a new Microsoft OS to be fully delivered until after the first
service pack. What about you? Would you like the option of choosing Windows
XP for a longer period of time? Let me know at [email protected].
A Dark Day for BlackBerry Users
At gatherings with fellow industry professionals, sometimes it seems like I'm
the only person in the room without a BlackBerry. So reports that the BlackBerry
push e-mail network went down on Tuesday night must have caused a collective
scream of BlackBerry withdrawal pains from millions of users.
The good news is the system seems to have been restored for most users shortly
before noon on Wednesday.
Reports are still sketchy, but it appeared that millions of devices in North
America were affected. Users who called the support line at RIM received a recorded
message saying that the company is experiencing service disruptions and is working
on the problem by resetting the system. Once the system is working again, it
will take hours to clear out the backlog of messages.
BlackBerry users weren't completely shut down; the device was still able to
operate as a perfectly adequate wireless phone. However, that wasn't likely
to bring much consolation to those who are used to getting their e-mails.
If you're a BlackBerry user, how were you inconvenienced by this blackout?
Let me know at [email protected].
Would You Use Online Productivity Applications?
With reports of Google
putting together an online office productivity suite, it may be time to
take a look at Microsoft's
Office Live offering to see if your application needs can be met through
hosted applications.
Many companies today, primarily small businesses that don't want to make an
investment in software and systems, use hosted solutions via Terminal Services
or Citrix, and may view online productivity applications as a natural extension
of this model.
Perhaps because Microsoft doesn't want to risk cannibalizing its Office franchise,
assembling a productivity suite using the Live products is a bit more difficult.
Office Live isn't a one-for-one replacement of Office; rather, it supports collaboration
on the Web with disk space and features for small business. You'll have to check
out the other offerings here and
assemble your own suite.
While Microsoft claims that its Live products are all in beta, it does charge
for Office Live premium services. The pricing ranges from free to $39.95 a month,
depending on the services, online disk space and e-mail accounts you choose.
Are you willing to use online productivity applications? Give me your feedback
at [email protected].
About the Author
Peter Varhol is the executive editor,
reviews of Redmond magazine and has more than 20 years of experience as a software
developer, software product manager and technology writer. He has graduate degrees
in computer science and mathematics, and has taught both subjects at the university
level.