The nation's largest telco Telstra this week revealed it intended to upgrade its tens of thousands of desktop computers to Windows 7 and would start testing Microsoft's operating system when it was released.

Like most Australian groups the telco skipped Microsoft's Windows Vista platform and currently uses Windows XP (Service Pack 2) for its desktop standard operating environment. Telstra is one of the largest Australian organisations of any kind, with around 45,000 employees listed in its last annual report, although that number is gradually heading south.

"We have the intention to migrate to Windows 7 and propose to do formal testing once Windows 7 has been released," the telco's chief architect of Technology Architecture Strategy and Planning Clive Webber told ZDNet.com.au in an emailed statement this week.

Microsoft's latest opus is widely expected to be released in the second half of 2009, although Redmond has not yet set a launch date for the software. On 9 January this year, the first official beta of Windows 7 was released to general praise from reviewers and the public, and a release candidate is expected on 5 May.


"We have not formally tested Windows 7, however, there have been a number of informal testers all providing positive feedback," Webber added. The executive said Windows XP had reached "end of life" as a product, noting Windows 7 was expected to provide improved stability, security and user experience functionality as well as lower support costs.

more: ZDNet Australia

Posted By: Airbot
21 Apr 2009