February 10, 2009 by Matt Thomas
It seems, if early corporate reaction is to be believed, that the unnaturally extended life of XP is set to be finally extinguished with the advent of Windows 7. The positive reaction to Windows 7’s beta tests has sparked a flurry of interest in upgrades from companies that had been clinging on to XP due to the perceived issues with Windows Vista. Microsoft is doing little to stand in the way of this interest, stating openly that it will allow direct upgrades from XP to Windows 7.
This however, is thought to be a situation that Microsoft wanted to avoid. The reason is migration issues. One of the early body blows sustained by Vista was negative reports from the first companies to adopt the system, who complained of compatibility and migration problems and set the storm of bad publicity in motion. Microsoft feels that this set Vista on a negative path from which it stood little chance of recovery.
Logically, because companies will, in effect, be upgrading two steps at once when they move to Windows 7, the same compatibility issues are likely to emerge with any upgrade. It is Microsoft’s hope that the first companies to upgrade will be understanding of this reality and make allowances, rather than complain and doom Windows 7 to the same fate as Vista.
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