Windows 7 is no service pack

[echrada]

Microsoft exec: Windows 7 is no service pack

Microsoft is attempting a challenging task with its positioning of Windows 7. The company is trying to make the case that the product won't break things that work with Vista, but at the same time trying to convince users its a worthy upgrade.

Bill Veghte, the senior vice president of the Windows business put it this way in a speech to investors on Wednesday:

"It's a minor release when it comes to incompatibilities," he said, adding that most applications and hardware that worked with Vista should work just fine in Windows 7. At the same time, Veghte tried to make the case that Windows 7 will nonetheless be a significant step forward.

"There are plenty of great things in there that make it much more significant than a service pack," Veghte said. In addition to improving some of the annoyances of past releases, such as slow boot time, Veghte pointed to new features that make it easier to connect to both home and business networks.

"In Windows 7 there's a capability called Direct Access," Veghte said, that allows users to more easily connect to their corporate network. "You no longer have to VPN in," he said.

Windows 7 also adds an improved taskbar for managing multiple windows as well as support for multitouch--assuming one buys a touch-screen computer. But it is clear that one of Microsoft's biggest challenges with Windows 7 will be to convince users that it is an important upgrade.

One indication of just how neatly Microsoft is trying to thread this needle is the fact that the server unit is saying its version of Windows 7 will be a minor release. The product that had been code-named "Windows 7 Server" is getting the designation Windows Server 2008 R2. The "R2" designation has in the past been used for very minor updates to Microsoft products.

Veghte was asked about things like how many versions of Windows 7 there will be and about pricing, but offered no new detail there. The company released a pre-beta version of Windows 7 for developers at two conferences earlier this year, with a broader beta scheduled for early next year, followed by a release candidate. There are some indications that January may be the timing for the beta.

As for the final release, Microsoft's internal goal has been to get it out next year, although its public target has been for release within three years of Vista's January 2007 mainstream launch. Veghte appeared to give even more wiggle room on Wednesday, though, saying its goal was a release to manufacturing (as opposed to a formal launch) by January 2010.

Microsoft exec: Windows 7 is no service pack | Beyond Binary - CNET News

 

[kranika]

yup it's no sevice pack and yes it's worth the upgrade. it will benefit the people most who will go for win 7 direct from xp as they will get a complete awsome looking os with awsome features

 

[Adamd]

Well Windows 7 will get a positive review overall.

Why?

Well it's easy Vista was compared to Xp while 7 will be compared to Vista.

Because the blind people who do the reviews will see how "fixed" 7 is over Vista and say it's an amazing OS that is worth the upgrade.

People only believe what they read and see and I am almost positive 7 can't do bad unless they really do bomb it on release day, but I doubt it.

Will I upgrade... Most likely, but I will wait for the price to come down unless it's so much better than my problem free Vista 64 that I almost have to lol. I will be in no rush.

 

[Dzomlija]

yup it's no sevice pack and yes it's worth the upgrade. it will benefit the people most who will go for win 7 direct from xp as they will get a complete awsome looking os with awsome features

Yeah? Too many people complained about how Vista broke things when they moved from XP to Vista. Can you imagine the outcry of those who will be skipping Vista altogether and moving straight from XP to Windows 7? I believe these guys are settings themselves up for a major headache!

I dumped XP for Vista about a month after it's initial release (I had to wait for my suppliers to get stock). And I've never looked back. I have a couple XP machines here. but they've been mostly relegated to guinea-pig status when I scan customer computers for viruses and such. I never use XP for anything of my own.

 

[johngalt]

Not really, since UAC is not an all or nothing deal anymore, and since a majority of drivers that work in Vista work in W7 (meaning there is not going to be near as much of a fuss for folks waiting for driver upgrades / updates).

 

[Dzomlija]

Not really, since UAC is not an all or nothing deal anymore, and since a majority of drivers that work in Vista work in W7 (meaning there is not going to be near as much of a fuss for folks waiting for driver upgrades / updates).

I'm thinking more along the lins of usability. Do you remember the fuss kicked up when people bumped their heads moving from Office 2003 to Office 2007? And now most people I know are saying that Office 2007 is the best thing since sliced bread.

It is my firm belief that that unless you have a little experience with Vista, the move from XP to Windows 7 is going to be a NASTY one and is going to have a steep learning curve for those people who stuck it out with XP in the vain hope that a minority can get Microsoft to continue seling and supporting and archaic product.

 

[johngalt]

And, not really, because 1) They have already *heard* of the differences (and quite possibly used Vista for 5 minutes) and are aware of the potential differences, but also because 2) M$ is making W7 a lot more end user friendly in terms of finding things and such.

The learning curve is going to be high, but I feel that the usability factor is going to so completely overwhelm once a user gets started that there will not be a humongous outcry like there was with Vista. Even I have to admit that Vista makes things a lot more complicated than it should be but W7 has so many kewl new features to make our lives better that it overrides the differences.

Than again, I am a bit jaded as I have been using Vista for over 2 years....

 

[Dzomlija]

Than again, I am a bit jaded as I have been using Vista for over 2 years....

Same here. It's way too easy for guys like us to comment on something that we alreay know almost too well.

We've forgotten what we went through moving from DOS to Windopws 3.1

 

[garysgold]

It is my firm belief that that unless you have a little experience with Vista, the move from XP to Windows 7 is going to be a NASTY one and is going to have a steep learning curve for those people who stuck it out with XP in the vain hope that a minority can get Microsoft to continue seling and supporting and archaic product.

I would agree. We moved to Seven easily because we had an idea where things are and how they work. Add to that the fact that those who are using beta software are obviously interested in learning new things and enjoy problem solving, something most people aren't all that keen on. Some things are better, UAC, driver availability, and many more people will have upgraded their hardware, but things are still going to be very different for those who have not used Vista and many people are going to get frustrated by that.

Guess all we can do at this point is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. :huh:

Gary

 

[johngalt]

There may be more to it than that, though - Peter, yourself, me and a few others here have rapidly moved up in the ranks in terms of being not just Vista "users" but power users and more - and in speaking with most of the power users here and watching their conversations, such a move would not be nearly as hard for us as it would be for someone who only started using computers 3-5 years ago and has known nothing but XP.

In that sense, Peter is 100% correct - it is going to be the first big move such people have had to make, and change, although inevitable, is, frankly, unnerving in the least and downright terrifying in the extreme.

Sadly, I try to pride myself on the fact that I can explain things to even the most novice of users, but as my computer experience grows and grows I find myself more and more at a distance from being able to put myself in the shoes of a n00b - and thus, I retract my original statement as not only was it from a jaded Vista pro but also from a computer pro in general - someone for whom moving to just about any OS would not be all that hard.

 

[jeffro]

Yeah? Too many people complained about how Vista broke things when they moved from XP to Vista. Can you imagine the outcry of those who will be skipping Vista altogether and moving straight from XP to Windows 7? I believe these guys are settings themselves up for a major headache!

I dumped XP for Vista about a month after it's initial release (I had to wait for my suppliers to get stock). And I've never looked back. I have a couple XP machines here. but they've been mostly relegated to guinea-pig status when I scan customer computers for viruses and such. I never use XP for anything of my own.

Actually I did this I skipped vista XD