Danaville

OVERVIEW

* Cannot "upgrade" from Windows XP– only from Vista. XP users will have to do a full-package clean install
* To upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 with XP-compatibility will cost users $299
* Significant incompatibility with Windows XP
* Only the pricier versions offer an XP-compatible mode
* Twelve confusing releases to choose from, with hidden "gotchas" in eight of them
* Doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, nor give users a reason for upgrading from Windows XP– especially at a $299 price tag

Questions of the day:
* Is Micro$oft trying to force loyal XP users to upgrade to a package they neither want nor need– and charging them through the gills to do so?
* What makes Micro$oft think that an operating system is worth the price of a new computer?

WINDOWS 7
The top topic in the computer world this week is Windows 7.

The following information is gained from tech reports and manuals. As far as I am aware, the following information is reliably accurate.

TYPICAL MICRO$OFT CONFUSION
As with past releases, instead of releasing one version that applies to everyone, Micro$oft has once again seen fit to put out SIX releases (12 if you count the OEM release. More about these later).

Of course, this causes considerable headache for the customer trying to figure out which version to buy– and for the salesman who have to repeat the same information over and over. Thus this article.

The six primary versions:

Home Premium: Upgrade and full
Professional: Upgrade and full
Ultimate: Upgrade and full

The OEM version is available only in FULL… but comes in separate 32 bit and 64 bit versions (the retail packages contain both).

So that’s right… twelve confusing versions. Enjoy!

TYPICAL MICRO$OFT PRICING
The price of Windows 7 ranges from $119.99 for the "Home Premium Upgrade" version to $319.99 for the Ultimate Full Version. This is about DOUBLE what Apple charges for a similarly-configured OS X Snow Leopard package. It’s pretty obvious that the company continues to fail to recognize the financial status of the typical Windows user… or the needs of the public in general.

BEWARE THE PR
Despite Micro$oft’s much promoted "can run XP programs!" propaganda… no, you really can’t. Well, you can, but…

Only the Professional and Ultimate versions have the ability to run XP. The Home versions do not.

In order to get the P/U versions to run XP items, you have to download an XP virtual system which ties in to the W7 version. The operating speed of this virtual system as well as disadvantages haven’t been reported yet (beta testers are largely sworn to silence)… but one can only imagine.

W7 is an entirely new concept, reportedly highly XP-incompatible. This is unfortunate, especially considering that for most people… XP works just fine (well, as fine as Windows has ever worked, anyway).

An OS that isn’t XP-friendly right out of the box might be considered by some as an excellent opportunity to consider migrating to Linux, especially with the recently-announced IBM-adoption of Ubuntu and the professional support this predicts. Others are migrating to Apple, which sales have reportedly increased dramatically.

BEWARE THE VERSIONS
Right out of the box, Windows 7 is an upgrader’s nightmare.

1. You cannot upgrade from Windows XP. Only Vista installations will upgrade.
2. The FULL version costs almost twice as much as the upgrade.
3. Installing a FULL version requires wiping your entire Windows system (as well as existing utilities and program settings) and installing W7 from scratch.

This is not exactly endearing to Micro$oft customers. A Micro$oft OS that can’t upgrade their most popular OS in history? Major blundering mistake. Predicted results:

1. People will just stick with XP
2. People will migrate to Linux– which is FREE (simple download)

In truth, the only real reason these days to not upgrade to Linux is gaming. When it comes to business, just about anything one could want is available in Linux– online– FOR FREE.

(Yes, I know I’m mentioning Linux quite a bit here. Interesting, isn’t it… that Micro$oft’s latest wonder toy is becoming Linux’ strongest argument.)

BEWARE THE OEM VERSIONS
Highly touted are the OEM versions, which can cost considerably less than the "retail" versions. While attractive up-front, what most people don’t know is:

1. The retail versions are licensed for up to 3 computers (which does reduce the cost-per-computer a bit and is a smart marketing move)
2. The OEM versions work on only one computer. Once that serial number is registered, it cannot be used on another computer.

And yes, this means that if you change your motherboard or purchase another computer that doesn’t include an OS, you are up a creek without a paddle. Your OEM W7 will not work. Yes, if you blow out or replace a motherboard, you can pick up the phone and contact Micro$oft and they will issue you a new key. But if you have a desktop and a laptop and you need to use Windows 7 on both… you can’t do so. You’ll need to purchase the retail version anyway.

So in short, the OEM version is a really, really bad deal. In the long run, you probably won’t save money going with the OEM version. And good luck EVER finding the retail version on sale… at all.

NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE
To learn more about W7, I purchased a book that shows all the ins and outs of Windows 7 and has a nifty chapter on all the "new features". As I read through the list of supposed goodies– despite the fact that most would call me a serious "power user"– all I got was "don’t need that… don’t need that… for SURE don’t need that… no value… not enough… too little too late…" etc etc etc. In truth, there wasn’t a single new "feature" in Windows 7 that impressed me all that much. Most importantly, there wasn’t a single feature that will change the way I use my comptuer. My guess: most XP users will feel the same way. In the end, I think the major impression will be the same that has existed with Vista, namely: "Why should I spend $300 to upgrade when XP works just fine?"

The next question of course will be, "If my XP stuff is going to be incompatible YET AGAIN with Micro$oft’s own OS… why not switch to a new OS entirely and put an end to this run-around?"

BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line is that if you update to Windows 7 from Windows XP, you are going to wind up spending $300+ for the privilege. I don’t know what marketing genius ever came up with the idea that an OPERATING SYSTEM is worth $300… but that may be one of the reasons so much software piracy goes on these days, and why many people take the opportunity to just upgrade to a new computer that comes with the OS already installed (thus bypassing Micro$oft entirely).

Some day, in a Utopian world where people actually have common sense, Micro$oft is going to realize that an operating system is worth $49.95 for a 3-user version (uh… like Apple)… that they only need sell ONE version that meets all needs (uh… like Apple)… with their OS being backward-compatible for prior software (uh… like Apple). If they ever do so, they may be amazed to discover that their sales significantly increase (uh… like Apple. Hmmm, are we seeing a pattern? WAKE UP MICRO$OFT!!!).

Until that day, Micro$oft seems doomed to keep making the same ME / Vista blunder, trying to sell overpriced, badly-behaved, incompatible OS updates that few people actually want or need. As long as M$ continues to make these OS blunders, they will continue to get bad reviews, people will resist upgrading– and more and more people will convert to Linux or Apple just because they’re tired of the incompatibility and runaround of a product line that hasn’t really expanded our computing horizons in the last five years.

SUMMATION
Considering the historically bad M$ OS releases (ME and Vista) as well as serious backward-incompatibility, Windows 7 probably should not be considered a good investment at this time. In truth, it is probably time for businesses and even hobbyists to strongly consider whether they can switch to Linux for less cost and considerably less headache. Linux has remained stable, virtually virus-free and backward-compatible since its inception. Maybe Micro$oft needs to learn a thing or two from the Linux / Apple playbook. I doubt that will happen… so it will be interesting to see what the market does over the next five years, when people finally start realizing that they’re tired of being bent over the Windows barrel.

To Micro$oft: you’re stuck in a rut, you’re charging too much for your product, and we’re tired of having our software outdated with each release. The company needs to start thinking about actually improving the product (not just adding needless bells and whistles), working smarter, and striving toward a product that actually increases our computing ability while retaining compatibility with past products.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 1:29 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.