Windows Vista

Microsoft announces record revenues of $60 billion

Paul Mah — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:01:09 -0400

Microsoft has announced an 18 percent growth in revenues from fiscal 2007, earning a historic $60 billion for its fiscal year of 2008 that ended on June 30. Increased demand for Office, Xbox-related sales, server software, and even Windows Vista were said to contribute to the glowing figures. To date, over 180 million Vista licenses have been sold, according to Microsoft.

While noting that "It was an outstanding year for the company," Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell expressed disappointment that the stock price failed to reflect Microsoft's strong financial results. Moving ahead, Microsoft is projecting to achieve between $67 and $68 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2009.

For more on Microsoft's revenue for 2007:
- check out this InternetNews article

Microsoft stops offering boxed Windows XP

Paul Mah — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:40:52 -0400

As of Monday, Microsoft has stopped selling boxed copies of the 7-year-old Windows XP operating system. Having said that, various levels of product support for Windows XP installations, especially pertaining to security updates, will still be available through April 2014.

The only way to get Windows XP on a new system from a big-name computer vendor, however, will be via the "downgrade" route available to certain editions of Windows Vista. Another exception would be going for "low-end" hardware: Makers of mini subnotebooks as well as low-end desktops, according to an announcement from Microsoft back in April, can still ship their hardware with Windows XP through June 2010.

For more on the availability of Windows XP:
- check out this ComputerWorld article

Hardware makers warned to start testing Windows 7 devices soon

Paul Mah — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:24:21 -0400

In an apparent bid to avoid the device driver compatibility problems that plagued the launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft has ordered hardware makers to begin testing on the first beta version of Windows 7 as soon as it becomes available. Those who fail to comply with the edict risk not qualifying for the Windows Logo certified compatibility program for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. Also, all submissions must include a complete CPK--a process control method with test logs from Windows 7 onward. Going by Microsoft's customary timelines, the final version of Windows 7 is expected to be out by 2010.

For more about Windows 7:
- check out this InformationWeek article

Why Microsoft is quiet about Windows 7

Paul Mah — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:52:33 -0400

In a candid interview, Steven Sinofsky revealed that Windows 7 will be an evolutionary improvement over Windows Vista. In short, drivers and software that work with Windows Vista will continue to do so under Windows 7. As previously indicated by Microsoft, Windows 7 will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors.

As to the reason why Microsoft has been seemingly "quiet" about Windows 7 compared to say Windows Vista, it is clear Microsoft felt it was burned by revealing too much about "Longhorn" too early in its development.

Bad press aside, Sinofsky noted that the shifting plans resulted in developers deciding to wait until Vista shipped before examining it seriously.

For the complete transcript:
- check out this CNET News.com article

Vista gets the cold shoulder

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

A new survey has found that fewer than 1 in 12 programmers currently are writing applications targeting Windows Vista, with most still sticking with ASP.Net and Windows Forms applications and finding that most of Windows XP's legacy technologies work fine in Vista

Yet some warn it's premature to call Vista a flop with developers. Despite the 140 million copies Microsoft claims to have shipped, the market hasn't reached a tipping point yet, they say.

To explore the ups and downs of Vista:
- see this infoworld.com article

Microsoft green lights XP SP3 and Vista SP1

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:55:43 -0400

Been waiting with baited breath for Microsoft to resume downloads for Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1? Breathe a sigh of relief. The company apparently has managed to sort out those pesky Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) compatibility issues that kept the two service packs grounded for a week. XP SP3 is now available via both Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center, and automatic distribution of Vista SP1 has resumed. Go forth and upgrade, Microsofties.

To download and install the service packs:
- visit Microsoft TechNet

Vista SP1, XP SP3 delayed!

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:34:12 -0400

Uh oh. With Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 both having been pushed out the door, most of us assumed that the long line of delays was over. Not so fast. Microsoft has been forced to postpone the release of both service packs, due to a compatibility issue with Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), a management solution for small and midsize retail businesses. For the moment, the company has removed downloads for both service packs from its website, though it hopes to resume downloads once it can install a filtering system to prevent the service packs from being installed on machines running Microsoft RMS. "Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center," a Microsoft spokesperson told PC Magazine.

For more on the delay:
- see this PC Magazine article

Vista update zaps USB devices

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:06:44 -0400

Been eyeing that Windows Vista SP1 pre-requisite KB938371 update? You might want to hold off, at least for the time being. Turns out that the update has been inadvertently disabling USB devices like mice and keyboards on some systems--which is not exactly the most useful feature from a productivity standpoint. "We are aware of concerns that a recent Microsoft update may be causing problems with USB devices," the company admitted in a statement. "We are investigating the matter, and at this time, do not have any information to share." In other SP1 news, the service pack still has yet to make its way out via Automatic Update, though it has been available as a download from Microsoft for some time now.

For more on Vista SP1:
- see this Register story

Windows 7 coming soon...or not

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:16:31 -0400

Ah, Windows 7. As much as the folks at Microsoft like to dangle the forthcoming OS in front of our faces, they know well enough that unless they make it seem somewhat distant, they'll never sell any copies of Vista. And as much as we might want it now, we realize that the sooner it arrives, the more likely it is to be half-baked--which is how many critics have described Vista. A real double-edged sword, that Windows 7.

The latest news is that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates recently hinted at a release for Windows 7 within the next year, stating, quite plainly, that we could expect a release "sometime in the next year or so." While that's about a year sooner than even the most optimistic estimates had it pegged, it was unclear exactly what Billy meant by "release." Alpha? Beta? Release candidate? Retail?!

Well, luckily, a Microsoft rep has stepped in to clean up the mess. "We are currently in the planning stages for Windows 7 and development is scoped to three years from Windows Vista consumer [general availability]," the rep told InformationWeek. "As is standard with the release of a new product, we will be releasing early builds of Windows 7 prior to its general availability as a means to gain tester feedback." So it looks like business as usual, as Windows 7 will arrive sometime in 2010 or 2011 as expected. As for Bill? Well, we can only assume that he'll keep filling us with false hope as he continues his victory lap of the public speaking circuit. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

For more on Windows 7:
- see this InformationWeek article

OS X beats Vista in enterprise survey

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:58:31 -0400

Surprising though it might be, there are a few businesses out there that run an all Mac shop. And by and large, those businesses are more satisfied with their OS of choice, OS X Leopard, than businesses running Windows Vista, according to a new survey conducted by ChangeWave Research. In the survey of 2,200 corporate users, ChangeWave found that 53 percent of Mac OS X 10.5 users were "very satisfied" with their OS. On the Vista side, however, only 8 percent of users were "very satisfied." Said Paul Carton, director of research at ChangeWave Research, "Apple continues to set the standard for corporate customer satisfaction."

For more on happy Mac users in the enterprise:
- see this Computerworld article