Windows Vista has been released, (finally), and now it’s time to start saying goodbye to XP. Microsoft are to stop selling new licenses to OEM’s from the end of January 2008. This means that if you’re planning to buy a new computer in the next year from the likes of Dell, HP, Packard Bell et al, then you’ll have no option but to get it with Vista pre-installed.
While it may not seem like a big deal, a recent survey found that less than 10 percent of computer users who had even heard of Vista were planning to upgrade to the new OS. Most users are happy with their computer, it does what they want, and it does it well enough that they don’t see the need to change. Microsoft’s biggest competitor to Vista may just be XP.
I tried one of the beta releases of Vista, and to be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed. Yes it’s shiny, and yes it’s designed to be more secure out of the box, but is it worth the change? Not when you consider the lack of drivers, problems that existing programs are having with Vista, and the hardware needed to run it. I got rid of my copy of Vista, and went back to XP. I may try it again after the first Service pack has been released.
Once Windows XP is no longer available from the OEM’s, then the hardware manufacturers will have no option but to improve their drivers and the software developers will have to work on full Vista compatibility.
While XP may no longer be available to buy on a new computer, it will be fully supported my Microsoft until April 2009, with security updates available until April 2014. So there’s no need to worry just yet.