After posting this morning about Windows XP users being the ultimate deciders if Windows 7 wins or not, I saw a bevy of other articles and posts saying similar things. With about 22% of the audience having converted to Vista, Microsoft has to win over the XP crowd and get them motivated enough to upgrade.
OK, we all see the obvious ... the XP crowd holds Windows 7's destiny in their hands, but I think the question comes down to the same tradeoffs we always have with major operating system software upgrades. Is the user's experience better and was it worth the price, in dollars, learning and productivity vs. the benefits gained?
There's no getting around it: XP users will have to go through the process of learning a new version of Windows. Vista introduced a lot of change, putting the learning curve and productivity at issue. Windows XP users will still have to deal with a number of changes, re-learning where things are, and learning new features.
Who moved my cheese? Things are still in different places in Windows 7 than they are in Windows XP, and even Vista in many cases. My Computer, My Documents, Trash and all those desktop icons are no longer there. Printers? Well, they were on the Start Menu in Vista but Printers is on the Windows 7 Start menu. Run... is now found with a quick Windows-Key+R and isn't on the Start Menu. It's the digital equipment of reorganizing your kitchen... You'll open three drawers before you find something you previously knew right where it was.
Vista Features Present: Improved or Not. UAC is still there. You now have better controls to make it less bothersome or not bother you at all, but it's still there. The Network and Sharing Center introduced in Vista are pretty much the same. Despite a drumbeat of complaints about ribbon menus, it looks like they are here to stay because now Paint has been infected with them. If you've used Vista, you'll recognize several things still present, though they may have changed, been relocated or improved.
The Quest For Power. If Vista introduced the glassy Aero look, Windows 7 builds on that translucent effect even more so. That means faster graphics hardware than XP demands. Indexing engines, music sharing, DVD making... all that is of course demanding more hardware and disk. And Vista's (now Windows 7's) march to get us to use 64-bit Windows isn't going away either. Windows 7 has really focused on addressing the performance problems introduced in Vista but you know Windows 7 will still require more beef than most older XP generation hardware can muster. There's most likely a hardware upgrade in your future.
New and Improved. Windows 7's display settings have changed a lot. Microsoft probably spent five to 10 minutes during the 2008 PDC conference demo just showing us improvements in how Windows 7 manages display devices. Libraries in the file system are like tags on steroids; they let you organize things without moving around or duplicating the original files (or creating aliases.) Managing wireless devices seems less cluttered and confusing. There are lots of new doodads in Windows 7 to learn.
Help Windows Help You. You know all of those times you've had the option of participating in the Microsoft customer experience program? Well, that data's gone to good use. The Windows 7 design team looked at everything from how many applications and windows for each app the average user has open, to what's the installation experience like. That's resulted in much less in your face approach in Windows 7. With the changes made to the desktop, task bar and others improvements, Microsoft is betting those changes will improve your experience. That's what they're banking on from the data.
That's also why the emphasis on quicker boot times, a redesigned and easier to use Task Bar, the new Action Center, and many other improvements to the overall Windows Explorer desktop experience. Microsoft figured out that yes, we use e-mail and browser apps a lot, but the core desktop experience is where we really live, resulting in the improvements we've seen in Windows 7.
The Proof's In The User. Ah, the dilemma for XP users. Are Windows 7's changes, tangible and intangible, enough to entice Windows XP users to cross the line and upgrade? My gut says, except for the stalwarts, the answer is yes.
My justification? It's in the data ... the customer experience data. That data has guided the Windows 7 team and helped battle off scope creep, feature-itis, and the Vista kitchen sink mentality. But I'm tainted and biased. I've been using Vista since it came out. It's been a long time since I've used an XP machine very much. And I've lead customer experience departments for product companies, and I know the positive impact a well executed customer experience program can bring.
So now ... lets see what Windows XP users say.
Like this? Here are some of Mitchell's recent posts.
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Windows 7
Witch of those OS are more stable - Vista or 7?
More then 60% of XP users are with a basic knowladge and they dont know decide what to use - XP or Vista/7.
vista win7 or xp
The only thing most users hate worse than Vista is "The Ribbon" in office 2007, etc. It's too bad Microsoft can't put the file menus back, and still leave the ribbon if they must. It's a shame to have to choose between the "Apple Tax" with their proprietary hardware locks, where the file menu's continue in the legacy of 30+ years of proven computing, and Vista/Win7/Office 2007 and a menu system most hate. With these choices things look bleak for many. Yes, Windows 7 will be faster and more stable. It's a shame that those issues were so bad that the more important UI issues have not been in the headlines as much.
Nothings perfect
I agree with you Anon, Vista was botched pretty well and I'm no fan of ribbon menus. On the other had, Windows Server 2008 which is built upon the Vista kernel (and improved) has done really well in market as a server OS. I've been very pleased with it.
There's no perfect solution, Windows, Mac OSX or open source, though I'm sure we all have our favorites.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://www.theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://ashimmy.podomatic.com
My eyes! My eyes!
My eyes are still burning from the grammatical errors. Ouch! Take some English courses, will you?
Eh... it's a blog buddy.
Eh... it's a blog buddy. lol
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://www.theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://ashimmy.podomatic.com
XP to Vista to 7
I am one of those users who avoided Vista like the plague. I even went to Linux on my home desktop to avoid it. The main thing I had issues with was not the interface or even the annoyance of the UAC, but the bugs and the hogging of resources. I wanted to use my RAM how I chose and not waste it on Vista.
I had no choice but to be plunged into Vista when I purchased a new laptop for home use and Vista was the only choice for OS. I tried to keep an open mind. Within a week, I upgraded from 2Gig to 3Gig to try to improve performance, but my brand new laptop with a dual-core pentium and 3 gigs of RAM ran like a dog and crashed at least twice a day for no apparent reason. "Oh, you wanted to burn a CD? Crash!" I was just about ready to try to install Ubuntu on it, thinking it the most laptop hardware friendly of the Linux distros...when I heard about the beta of Windows 7 coming out and all the hype around it. I stayed the sword and installed Windows 7 in a secondary partition to try it out.
Not only have my performance issues magically disappeared, so have most of my annoyances! I no longer have to deal with bugs with the way my touchpad works. It doesn't crash. I can do what I need to do within a reasonable amount of time! I even like the interface now to the point where I miss a feature or two from my home laptop whenever I have to work on my work XP laptop. So, am I thinking I will install Windows 7 when it comes out in a retail release at home? Yes. Will I be running it at work? That is another question altogether.
People speak of Windows releases as if all that matters is if users like it. The truth is, the bulk of business users have no choice over what OS they are allowed to have and there are a lot more factors that come into play besides a slick UI. The fact remains that the bulk of the business PC's and laptops in the companies I have seen are not ready to run Vista or Windows 7. In this economy, businesses aren't going to be eager to spend that much on upgrading hardware just to run a new OS when they are able to function fine with the one they have. Another problem is compatibility issues with their in-house software. I know some companies that are just now starting to be able to retire some of their 16-bit applications and move those users to XP. I'm sure it will be difficult to convince business decision makers in this economy that they should spend money to rewrite code that again, is working fine now.
Ultimately, though, the decision isn't up to users or business decision makers. Ultimately, it comes down to how hard is Microsoft willing to pressure businesses to make the jump? Many businesses will gauge when they will make the necessary investments to run Windows 7 based on how long MS will support XP. While I don't see businesses jumping ship to Linux or Apple, I do see many trying to run XP just as long as they can at which point they will move to Windows 7, not Vista.
redwarrior speaks wisely
Well said redwarrior. Interesting to hear your Vista and now Windows 7 beta experiences. You're spot on about the financial costs to upgrade for business and the pressures Redmond will put on them to upgrade. Windows 7 will be very attractive to the home / retail / small biz audiences. We're talking years down the road before XP is displaced.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://www.theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://ashimmy.podomatic.com
Compatibility and system requirements more important than UI
Sure, the User Interfaces will have changed a bit, in some ways that may be useful and some that may be gratuitously decorative or even annoying, but as a typical Silicon Valley user I don't really care about that, because that's a short learning curve.
What I'm really concerned about is how many things will break - will my current machine support it, or will I need to get a brand-new video card because my current motherboard video doesn't support the newest flavor of DirectX? Will I need 4GB of RAM, or is 2GB enough? Will I need to upgrade Office? Can I find the install disk for my old Palm software, and will my old scanner's drivers work? Will I need to reinstall ITunes?
A few things broke when I converted from 98/SE/ME to XP (mostly because they didn't understand multiple users on the same machine or required administrative privileges, and yes, Apple, I'm talking to you.) But in return, the Blue Screen of Death became fairly rare, and internet connectivity became much more reliable. Vista promised to give me a shiny new user interface if I upgraded all my hardware, but no thanks - does Windows 7 offer anything more?
LIES!
Our studies show that people love Vista!
What IF ???
What IF We The USER could choose our own OS Theme? XP, Vista, W7, Mac, beOS, DOS, CPM, etc. Just point click and have a happy endUSER? What if...
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