I belong to several technical, business, windows, non-windows list or groups where members exchange ideas, problem solve and generally act like Geeks ;) Below is my response to thread on one such list where I was being chastized for not running Vista. In response to the lecture I got I asked point blank for anyone to post why I should run Vista and one such brave person responded. I have cut and pasted my response to him.

This is somewhat long but I think it deserves posting as I really feel too many techs get gaga over tech and want the latest and greatest without any thought to the business impact of the new tech. When it comes to deploying Vista “experts” here have clearly said it requires a $1000+ PC, it most likely will require software updates, user training, and so forth so there is a clear cost to the business for such a transition. The question of if that money can be recovered in a timely manner is outside the scope of this post but I think since you’re on this list you really need to look at TCO and making the business case for Vista vs. using what ya got. Again I am not the only one who has made such comments on this list and certainly not within the tech community, some of which are very much MS fans. The TCO’s I’ve seen quoted which put Vista in a positive light have always been commissioned by Microsoft (and ignore upgrade cost BTW!) while those giving Vista marginal marks have been by third parties such as Gartner. But onto the subject of “why I should upgrade to Vista”.

Ok I am willing to match you on those points:

1. You: Vista search. Me: WDS

2. You: Vista crashes less. Me: I’ve not crashed my notebook ever that I can think of and I rarely reboot it. My Desktop hasn’t crashed in months and I have it so full of crap it isn’t funny including all types of background apps and GUI tools like WinFlip. Back to my notebook right now I am running in the background: Live Mesh (Beta), FolderShare (Beta), Groove, Colligo, WDS, Messenger, Side Note, AVG Spyware, aVast AV, Bluetooth monitor, eSecureBackups, Callwave, Eraser, Zune Launcher/Monitor not to mention my normal apps including Outlock with BCM, SBA, IE and since this is a Tablet all the extra Tablet interface tools. I dare anyone to load all that on a Vista notebook and still say it doesn’t crash and is actually functional.

3. You: Vista A/V protection is better. Me: I have not had a virus, Trojan, toolbar hijack on an XP where I am not Admin. A/V protection is no better or worse on Vista and I can’t argue the technical aspects of kernel protection I am willing to bet it’s only a matter of time before Vista falls prey to some attack that we saw on XP years ago just recompiled to go after Vista. Yes the core is more secure but you can run XP securely as well or did you go tell all your customers that XP is not secure and you were lying for the past 5 years?

4. You: Faster Boots. Me: I’m not even going to ask what you’ve been smoking. Ask Hilton about how fast his Vista is booting. Booting from Vista’s “sleep” mode, the default off state for Vista and XP’s Standby are equal. As to booting I thought you didn’t crash so why are you rebooting? I rarely reboot my notebook with the current uptime at 2 days, 19 hours, 51 mins. The only reason it was rebooted then was some update I ran.

5. You: easier interface for users. Me: I said give me a reason for me to run Vista, not my customers. I have no problems finding anything and to connect to any wireless connection I am two clicks away if I have to go that far. I take my notebook to Panera Bread, it connects, I come back to the office, it connects. Pretty darn simple.

6. You: UAC protects your users from themselves. Me: Again I asked for reason why I should run Vista, not my customers. I don’t load toolbars because I am smart enough to see that “Advance settings” checkbox in the Java update window. I don’t install every free tool offered on a website and don’t click those apparent Windows boxes that say “your computer is infected, click here to clean”. UAC drove me nuts taking my field notebook from site to site. Connect to a new network, click UAC prompts. Running a network scanner, UAC prompt, etc, etc. One interesting poll showed 70% of techs disable UAC and only a little over 20% leave UAC as is (http://4sysops.com/archives/vista-uac-poll-67-disabled-it-tips-for-handling-uac/), certainly not official but with almost 2,000 votes on a tech website I think it says something. Sure a desktop that never changes networks, runs a set of Desktop apps that follow Microsoft’s guidelines and UAC may never show up but I am not that user, I am in the field, I make changes, I run Wireshark and other tools.

7. You: Memory/resource management is better in Vista. Me: I don’t have the problem your citing, see #2. First off I guess since you run an OS which requires 4GB of ram just to boot worth a darn it had better be able to recover resources as quick as possible. For me I don’t notice any major memory leaks and I’m running both BCM and SBA, neither very resource friendly and Ms product I might add. On my Desktop I have noticed some games, those using PunkBuster mainly, do leak very badly so there is this nice free tool called CachemanXP, works like a champ if resources are a problem.

8. You: You don’t want your clients to be on Win98. Me: Again I said why should I run Vista. This has nothing to do with clients, planning for Windows7, etc. I am willing to put money though on if Win7 will look more like Vista or more like XP, MS will want to distance themselves from Vista as much as possible, notice Server 2008 is not called Vista Server, why not you said it yourself, same kernel.

You: Vista is not ME. ME: Not related to why I should or should not run Vista. When I have said anything referring to Vista and ME it has been in the context of a marketing dog. ME failed because ME was broken. Vista has proven to be just as much a dog because users don’t want it, for whatever reason it doesn’t matter. As such the relating of Vista and ME is valid. The millions of installs are based on millions of home users which we all admit have no clue what they are doing or buying and they had no choice when they walked into BestBuy plus Microsoft’s own numbers show a large portion of Vista sales have been Vista Downgrades. XP’s install based INCREASED!!! last year, instead of declining!!! What it sounds like your proposing is MS knows best for me so I as a consumer have no right to run an OS that I like vs. one I don’t. Not to bring politics into this but there are certain political parties which hold the same philosophy, “we know what’s best for you and you will damn well do it or else.”

Microsoft pulled the release of XP SP3 on the day it was to be released, today, because it was crashing certain software. Nearly 3 years in development, 1 year in testing and they find out the day of release it crashes, you ready for this, Microsoft Retail Management Software! They didn’t even freaking test it against their own products?!!!

Then what really gets me they pulled it as an Optional Update and are not listing it on download.microsoft.com all because the 5 copies of MS RMS that is in use crashed.

If you want the full download it is there though:

If you installed any Pre-release those have to be uninstalled first.

Just a day or two after Dell released their statement on supporting and installing XP after June both HP and Lenovo have come out with similar programs and news:

Have a Microsoft Windows Vista Business or Microsoft Windows Ultimate system, but need to continue using Microsoft Windows XP for a while? For a limited time Lenovo is providing Windows XP Recovery CD media as a way to downgrade from Windows Vista. Lenovo customers that have Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate "qualified systems" may purchase a Windows XP Recovery CD until January 31, 2009. Fees may vary. www.lenovo.com

An H-P spokeswoman tells us her company plans to offer business customers the downgrade option through July 30, 2009. H-P will also sell computers with XP installed and Vista included on a disk. www.hp.com

Now it's really not news that you have Downgrade rights with certain versions of Vista however when three of the biggest PC makers come out with Press Releases touting the fact they will support end users who do downgrade shows Microsoft is not the power it once was. Years back these vendors would have never consider such a bold move for fear of ticking off Microsoft which provides them with low cost Windows for installs, direct access to internal engineers and forward looking information on where Microsoft is going. Today however is a different market entirely with Apple making some moves in the business market, Linux certainly a threat and Microsoft's XP install base increasing over the past year vs. decreasing.

Microsoft certainly isn't going to dump Vista but it's clear the public doesn't want it. In the end it doesn't matter much to Microsoft's bottom line when it comes to Vista sales as to use Downgrade Rights you have to buy Vista in the first place so a sale is a sale however it does hit Microsoft elsewhere. First off fewer Vista installs will likely mean fewer software sales of Microsoft's cash cow, Office, as well as other products. Second it's a matter of market control when Microsoft spends 5 years developing a product and the market says no thanks. Just look to the small portable notebook market which was clearly going Linux because Vista just won't run on these devices so Microsoft will allow XP installs for some time on those devices. You have companies like Asus planning on the ULPC market being huge and instead of Microsoft directing the market towards Vista the market pushed Microsoft.

So if you like XP, have secured it, have applications that run and are supported on it don't worry as I expect XP to be around well into 2010.

When you just can't get enough news check this sucker out:

It's official Dell has given Microsoft the Vista Finger and will install what the customer is asking for, Windows XP, well past June 30, 2008. Of course This is not something new the Downgrade Rights were there but Dell packaging XP on the system for you and providing you with CD/DVD of BOTH Windows Vista and XP. Not only this but Dell will support both OS's on those units it is lining up for this "BONUS" package.

What does it mean for Dell to exercise “Downgrade Rights” for me? Where can I find this option?
When you are configuring your system online or through the help of one of our sales experts, you will have the opportunity to select which operating system you would like on your PC. When selecting your operating system, you will see an option called “Genuine Windows^®  Vista Business BONUS” and “Genuine Windows^®  Vista Ultimate BONUS.” With these options, you may purchase the licensed rights to Windows Vista but have Dell factory install Windows XP Professional. You will also receive a backup media disc for Windows XP Professional as well as the media for Windows Vista so you can upgrade when you’re ready. Furthermore, with these options Dell will provide technical support for the factory-installed Windows XP Professional image and your licensed version of Windows Vista.

I wish I had blogged about this a few days ago as I had sent an email to a buddy of mine saying as much would happen mainly due to Dell needing sales and they will do what they need to do to get them. If that means installing XP then they will install XP no matter what Microsoft wants. Of course Microsoft gets the Vista sale so it doesn't matter to Microsoft's bottom line but it is another black eye for Microsoft that if Dell is marketing XP downgrades it shows Vista is not what the customers want.

Now just wait for Microsoft to extend XP support past it's cutoff date.

Here's a little trick that I came across in Outlook 2007 where all you have to do is double click and a new email message is created, will have to try this in 03 sometime.

So above you see the standard Outlook 2007 with the Mail Folder open and just under the list of emails you will see a white area (Highlighted) which if you double click in that area will launch a New Email Message. Neat little trick huh?

In a court case dating back to 2005 where a traveler coming back from the Philippines had his notebook seized by Customs Agents the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled border searches can include your notebook, digital camera, cell phone or any other digital device.

So you ask how does this really relate to me well let's just see.

Let's say you just took a trip to Europe with the entire family and of course you took memory card after memory card full of all those special times with the family. On your return through JFK Customs an Agent decides to not just look at your images but since you have multiple cards and he has no idea how to use your camera he confiscates your cards for further inspection. Now we all know the Government works really quick so you know they will get your memory cards back to you ASAP, in others words a few months from now. Oh wait I forgot something your from Winston-Salem and Customs was in JFK so guess where you will have to go to get your cards back because they are under no obligation to mail you anything.

Okay so I hear you already, "it's not a big deal and I can handle waiting for my pictures." Oh really? What happens if your a professional photographer sent to Brazil on a job. Of course you load up a good two dozen cards full of work for which you will get paid when you get back but oh wait, those Customs guys in Miami decided to hold onto your cards as well as your $2,200 camera. So back in Winston your boss ask for your work, your empty handed and paycheck less.

Yeah, yeah I know your still going on about how this won't happen to me or my pictures are not that important. Let's look back at the ruling because it's pretty broad (as usual when it comes to technology and the Government with their Tubes) as to what the Government can search, " laptop or other personal electronic storage devices at the border" so that means your computer, your camera, your PDA, your IPhone, your Cell Phone, your MP3 player, etc, etc, etc. Ah that got some attention I bet. Life would really suck after that business trip if your business laptop, cell phone and any flash drives were taken from you at the border for "further inspection." I think I see some light bulbs going off as well for those of you with HIPAA, SOX and other compliance issues.

Hopefully those parties involved with this case can go forward or we get our elected officials to legislate some very specific terms for how, what and when your notebook can be taken from you at the border because this is a mess.

As a side note for those of you that do travel, even if just to Florida, may I suggest you never assume Digital images are safely stored on those memory cards. There are far to many ways to get those images from card to online storage, emailed to a family member or maybe burned to CD/DVD which by the way are made mainly of plastic, (HINT HINT) to risk losing a card full of your child's first visit to Disney.

Some pretty blint statements by Steve Ballmer this week have many speculating that XP will live on and on because Vista has become the Windows ME of 2008.

"While Ballmer stopped short of saying that Microsoft will extend the June 30 deadline for OEM sales of Windows XP, he did say that Microsoft has a large number of users on both Vista and XP, "and as long as those are both important options, we will be sensitive, and we will listen, and we will hear that," he said.

"And I know we're going to continue to get feedback from people on how long XP should be available. We've got some opinions on that," added Ballmer. "

By Kevin McLaughlin, ChannelWeb, www.crn.com/software/207400689

Those comments and others do make one wonder not to mention all the rumors and even comments by Gates on Windows 7 just might be pointing to Microsoft realizing Vista is not what people want no matter how much Microsoft says it's what we need.

Looks like that is what these guys are saying although I had to use BabelFish as I don't speak French. You tell me if they didn't just say Windows 7 Beta is coming out in a few months:

Il est aujourd’hui trop tôt pour annoncer les détails et caractéristiques de Windows Seven.  Dans les prochains mois, nous devrions entamer la phase de préparation du produit, avec l’arrivée d’informations techniques pour le marché et un programme de versions béta pour les premiers testeurs.

BabelFish

It is today too early to announce the details and characteristic of Windows Seven.  In the next months, should start to us the phase of preparation of the product, with the arrival of technical information for the market and a program of versions beta for the first testers.

Looks like it to me.

IT appears ComputerWorld and Windows Secrets (note here the linked post is missing from Windows Secrets, hmmm) both make legal and expert opinions that because you can do something makes it both right and legal. Actually Windows Secrets is full of very bad advice from a legal point of view if you ask me.

"The fact that the upgrade edition will still upgrade over itself in Vista SP1 proves that Microsoft executives knowingly support the upgrade trick," said Brian Livingston, editorial director of the Windows Secrets newsletter, which confirmed the trick in an article appearing in its Thursday edition. "I think the feature was deliberately included to make it unnecessary for more advanced and price-sensitive users to ever buy the full version. There is no ethical dilemma with people using a feature that Microsoft has specifically programmed into Vista."

Here is my comment back to the original post found at ComputerWorld and let me emphasize it is not legal or ethical to intentionally violate the EULA, End User License Agreement, of any software just because you can. Any use of the mentioned hacks clearly violates the license agreement you as the user of Vista agreed to.

So let me fully understand what you are reporting along with these other sources. It's ok to buy and install software you are not legally authorized to run because Microsoft isn't enforcing the license agreements. Let's be clear this is what you are saying correct?

This is certainly what the author appears to be saying and since it was approved for publishing ComputerWorld must stand behind this statement. Along with Computerworld making an "expert statement of fact" we have this Brian Livingston also backing up this claim and it appears also offering legal advice as to the legality of such an act.

This should be duly noted by all so you can call these persons into court if needed since as experts in technology and apparently legal definitions ComputerWorld, the author Eric Lai, and Brian Livingston gave legal, expert advice, advising you, the novice, how to install Upgrade media without a qualifying product.

Sorry guys but because you can do something does not make it legal or right. Vista being overpriced or there being a loophole in the technical install requirements has nothing to do with it and I would expect more from all the parties listed above. By all rights Microsoft should drag all of you into court for supporting and distributing instructions for how to pirate Microsoft software. By your own claims then the ripping and distribution of audio and music is ok because the music and movie industry have not come up with a valid protection method. In other words if you can hack it then it's ok to steal it?

I can't wait to see how Microsoft spins this if the story is true:

Microsoft plans to extend the availability of Windows XP for low-cost laptops beyond June 30, with an announcement expected later this week, according to a source familiar with the situation.

June 30 is the date when Microsoft plans to stop selling most Windows XP licenses. The announcement that Microsoft will extend this deadline for low-cost laptops is expected to be made in the United States, although it appears timed to coincide with the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) being held in Shanghai on Wednesday and Thursday.

InfoWorld, Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service
April 01, 2008

It's not that I don't agree with the statements made in the article however I am very curious how Microsoft will spin allowing Intel and their Atom CPU stick with XP while they continue telling the public that Vista is more secure, more user friendly and the wave of the future.