3CX Phone System for Windows -
VOIP IP PBX

Application Publishing with 2X ApplicationServer

Guy Recommends

A solution to monitor, manage and archive thousands of events that are generated by devices across the entire network.
Download FREE trial

Microsoft's - Windows Vista (Formerly Longhorn)

Windows Vista - Overview

My mission is to help you think about Vista. I want to persuade you to plan for a Vista upgrade.

Think of Vista (formerly Longhorn) as a replacement for XP. Incidentally, Microsoft still refer to the successor of Windows Server 2003 as Windows Longhorn Server. However, Microsoft may also change that Longhorn name before the server's 2007 Release.

Three Choices for your Operating System

Go Thin Client
Upgrade to Vista
Avoid Microsoft

I have planted the seed in my own mind that one day I could just use a browser to run my email inbox, Word and Excel. Moreover, all my data could be stored online; in which case, I would not need a powerful operating system. However, this time around I will upgrade to Vista and then decide 3 years down the line if my above vision is viable.

Everyone must at least consider alternatives to Microsoft, for example, switch to Star Office, Linux and Mozilla. Aside of cost, for me no replacement offers the integration that you get from MS Office, Vista (XP) and IE7.0.

Notice that I did not give the option to do nothing. The nearest choice to do nothing is upgrade to Vista, but not until 2008.

If you are looking for handy network utilities, try some of the free downloads at Tools4Ever

Emotional Reasons to Upgrade

Could anything really be better than XP? The only way for me to convince you that the answer is yes, is to persuade you to trial Vista. It's now in Beta 2, 90% fully functional, a little slow because of the extra checking code. To get your Vista Beta 2 version, Google "connect microsoft".

Emotionally, the decision is not about itemising features, it's about trying Vista for a couple of hours and asking, 'Is this good, is this worth the upgrade'. Guy says a resounding yes.

Logical Decisions

In a nutshell are you impressed with Vista's new look and feel? Do the new graphics really give you better visual clues? I say yes, especially for those over 45, with their weakening eye sight. The best logical feature in Vista is the fusion of Internet Explorer with Windows Explorer into practically the same interface.

As far as disruption is concerned, plan for one upgrade to Vista. Avoid upgrading XP to IE7.0, on security grounds, then an upgrading to Vista Plan for just one upgrade straight to Vista. There are zillions of other new features, and I will cover some next week, but the key logical decision is, does the new look and feel justify an upgrade?

Political Lobbying

As I don't know your company politics, my political arguments are more like emotional blackmail than pure politics. I suggest you plant the question, 'Do we want to work for a company where people have better computers at home than they do at work? Can we entice, or even keep, good people if we use Windows 98, W2KPro or XP while all our competitors have Vista?'

Financial Planning

Incidentally, I have just changed my car; I upgraded from a 6 year old Ford Focus to a 1 year old Ford Focus. I mention this only in case you think that I fit the stereotype of always wanting the latest gadget.

Make the calculation for total cost of ownership. How much will we save by having securer computers, for example, Vista wireless networks for laptops, IE 7.0 anti Phishing. Some of Vista's new features such as encryption and Aero graphics may not work 100% with old disks and old graphics cards.

Will you want machines with 64-bit processors to run Vista? Rumour has it that the Longhorn Server will only come in 64-bit form. However, it is practically certain that Vista will run on 32-bit chips - even if it's the last Microsoft operating system to do so.

My main advice here is put down a marker, tell the financial director that you believe that your company should upgrade to Vista in the first quarter of 2007, and that having new desktops and laptops is more cost effective than upgrading existing kit.

For small companies, the case for new kit with Vista is even more compelling, it always costs much more time than you think to migrate user settings to a new operating system on old kit. Much simpler to buy new machines bundled with Vista

Train Signal has just released their New Windows Vista Training Course. As an MCT trainer, I am a huge advocate of Train Signal’s products. What impresses is me is that they demonstrate everything that they teach and they stay away from traditional 'lecture-style' training. If you are looking for a complete DETAILED coverage of Windows Vista, then I highly recommend that you give this course a try. I have reviewed their 18 hours of videos myself, and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!

Watch a Vista Training Video Demo.

----

Keep in mind that in the spring of 2006, the launch is still months away and nobody knows precisely what will make the final Vista release. At the beta 2 stage, Vista is like one of those crystal gardens you see in junior Chemistry, we have to wait and see what gem materializes from the experimental soup. For instance, in the last year, WinFS (file system) has been delayed until Longhorn Server and the AERO sidebars are absent from the current beta.

No doubt, Microsoft will wait until feedback from the beta versions before deciding which features will ship in the final version. They will surely learn from the fiasco of Active Desktop in NT 4.0, you may remember 95% of real users turned off Active Desktop in favour of the classic view. For your diary, the big Vista launch is due just before Christmas 2006.

Remember the Vision for Vista

Clarity is the keyword for Vista. Microsoft are great at projecting a vision of the future. Thanks to AERO, Vista has high definition graphics, and a see-through glass appearance. However, a slicker interface is only part of Vista's new deal; the most exciting vision is for a more organized desktop with less clutter than its XP predecessor.

Expect Vista to bring improvements with new twists. You could predict that any new Microsoft operating system will boast of being more secure and reliable. The good news is that with Vista, you get the sensation that artificial intelligence is looking over your shoulder. You press a button to print, occasionally it fails, in which case, the Vista operating system says, 'hmm, that's not working, let us try another way'. Or if nothing works then at least Vista displays a useful message such as 'Give me a chance, turn on the printer'. Even better - don't quote me on this - the operating system could produce a message saying. 'Would you like me to turn on the printer for you?'

An impossible trick. The more I see about Windows Vista, the more I see a beautiful swan on the surface with Microsoft developers paddling like mad under the water. For example, Vista claims to be more secure. Then in the next breath, it offers the ability to find and connect to nearby devices. I deduce that the trick of getting the best of both worlds is to control whether those nearby devices want your Vista to connect to them.

Credit to Microsoft. With WfW (Windows for Work Groups) networking was a hasty bolt-on. From there we can trace the continual evolution of networking through Windows 95, NT, XP and now in Vista. My point is that Microsoft have not finished with network connectivity, they constantly embrace new networking technology such as Wi-Fi and Network Access Protection Framework. Inevitably, Vista generates new acronyms, for example, PNRP, Peer Name Resolution Protocol and WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network).

Conclusion - How to Upgrade to Vista

Spend no money on new machines in 2006, save your money and plan to buy new Vista machines in spring 2007. However, do start spending your time lobbying the decision makers and financial directors for the money to make the upgrade to Vista.

ˇ.

Preparing for Windows Vista Topics:

Guy Recommends: GFi EventsManager

Here is a solution to monitor, manage and archive thousands of events that are generated by devices across your entire network. Get your free evaluation copy of GFI EventsManager.

Please report a broken link, or an error.