Is There a Ban on Windows Vista?
Just read an article on InformationWeek saying they have seen memos prohibiting tens of thousands of employees from upgrading to Windows Vista, like this is some big news story. Hello, this is the real world, even if Microsoft had just created the best operating system to ever be created, government employees would be banned from upgrading to it immediately. It is called testing, testing, and, umm, testing, out of the box, new operating systems always have trouble with “legacy” software and hardware. They mention at the end of the article that a prolonged ban could have a significant impact on Microsoft’s bottom line, believe me, this happens every time a new operating system comes out.
We have blocked the auto upgrades to IE7 until software compatibilities roll out, and no one can just upgrade their OS on their own, who would be crazy enough to allow that to start with? Most users have trouble remembering which password it is asking for at startup, they think some of the weirdest things, there is no way I would allow anyone to upgrade anything without someone from IT at least helping, if not doing it for them.
Citing concerns over cost and compatibility, the top technology official at the federal Department of Transportation has placed a moratorium on all in-house computer upgrades to Microsoft’s new Windows Vista operating system, as well as Internet Explorer 7 and Office 2007, according to a memo obtained Friday by InformationWeek.
In a memo to his staff, the DOT’s CIO Daniel Mintz says he has placed “an indefinite moratorium” on the upgrades as “there appears to be no compelling technical or business case for upgrading to these new Microsoft software products. Furthermore, there appears to be specific reasons not to upgrade.”
Among the concerns cited by Mintz are compatibility with software applications currently in use at the department, the cost of an upgrade, and DOT’s move to a new headquarters in Washington later this year. “Microsoft Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer [7] may be acquired for testing purposes only, though only on approval by the DOT chief information officer,” Mintz writes. Source: Microsoft Hit By U.S. DOT Ban On Windows Vista, Explorer 7, and Office 2007
Sensationalistic article is all this is, standard operating procedure from any company that likes to keep everything consistent and easy to use, this will not affect Microsoft in anyway. Must be a slow news day.
Tags: best_operating_system, crazy_enough, government_employees, informationweek, Internet, legacy_software, Microsoft, new_operating_system, Operating system, real_world, significant_impact, Windows, windows vista
