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Since its introduction into the market in 2006, user reviews of Microsoft Windows Vista have generally been bad. If this blog is any indication, all it takes is one user to lament over their troubles with the OS, and pretty soon, hundreds more are ready to jump on board with the negative argument. Furthermore, the list of grievances seems pretty hefty. According to Vista users, the OS monopolizes system resources, has an unacceptable lag time, user account control (or lack thereof), and some experts claim that Vista is an imitation platform of the Mac OS X Tiger (a “copycat,” if you will). One article even published several ways to hack the Vista in an attempt to improve its performance to end users. Across the board, it seems as though Vista has failed to impress.

It seems that Microsoft has picked up on this vibe from Vista users. In a recent eWeek article, the question was asked, has Microsoft given up on its own OS? As author Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols puts it, when it comes to the perceived failure of Vista, “I know it. You know it. Even Microsoft’s most devoted yes-men know it…and perhaps Microsoft knows it as well. What else can explain why there’s so much talk about Windows 7?” For those who haven’t been keeping up with their technology gossip, Windows 7 is the current title of the next supposed big Microsoft release, and many industry insiders expect that it will far surpass Vista. The industry buzz on this topic, as well as the expedited fashion in which Microsoft seems to be developing this next operating system, has lead many to believe that Vista is being pushed wayside.

But just how much of this buzz is coming from Microsoft? As this article points out, much of the supposed “leaked information” may be coming from Microsoft insiders who are trying to counteract the negative feedback that has been generated from the release of Vista. In that same article, Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry relayed his opinion that some of the allegations being waged against Vista may have been trumped up by Microsoft, claiming, “I don’t think Vista is as bad as Microsoft has convinced people it is.”

Could it be, perhaps, that in light of the disappointments with the initial release of Vista (which had many users and businesses running back to Windows XP), Microsoft is now helping to sabotage its own OS in hopes of generating even greater sales with Microsoft Windows 7? Though I am neither an industry expert nor a marketing guru, it does make sense if you think about it. If Microsoft perpetuates the negative image of Vista, their next release will then by comparison seem infinitely better, which will more than likely beef up sales. It’s a likely explanation for Microsoft’s lack of support for Vista.

In any case, one thing seems clear - users are ready for an alternative to Vista. With more and more users and corporations opting to stay with their current OS (Windows XP), it makes sense that the buzz for the next big Microsoft release would be growing. Expectations are certainly high for Windows 7. Let’s just hope Microsoft can deliver!

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

By Michael Gorvin