After lots of speculation, Microsoft finally put a hard date on the RTM (release to manufacturing) date for Window 7: it’ll hit general availability on Oct 22, 2009. Developers will be able to get near-final copies in July. There’s a good reason for the latter, too. The new release has to be tested against hundreds of existing applications to determine supportability and whether any changes are needed to current code bases.

Plus, anyone who’s developing a new application or release needs the newest OS code so they can develop against it. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that lots of developers already have beta and RC (release candidate) versions of 7 installed, but that’s often not the same as having the real thing. I had to test applications against then-unreleased XP back in 2001, and the final OS was very different from the RC I was able to work with.

Now, the next question is “what happens next?” Will XP holdouts decide to jump over Vista, directly to Windows 7? They’ll have to pay to do so, while Redmond has announced a free upgrade path for existing Vista users, but “said the upgrade to Windows 7 would be free and available only to those who purchase Vista Home Premium, Vista Business and Vita Ultimate.”

I suppose this is a way of punishing XP users who didn’t pony up for Vista, and it’s also a way to sell more machines between now and October. If the free upgrade wasn’t available, lots of users would just wait until they could buy Windows 7 pre-installed on a new machine.

As noted before, research group Gartner “predicts that more than half of the corporate Windows user-base will skip Vista and go to Windows 7.” This isn’t surprising either. There’s no point testing and rolling out a Vista user image for thousands of users when a new OS is on the horizon. If you’re in that situation, you leapfrog the old release and go for the latest and (greatest?). That way you don’t have to go through the same scenario all over again a year later.

Will Windows 7 be a hit, or a farce like Vista? Reviews are cautiously optimistic so far, despite some apparently very annoying compatibility issues and some grumbling over some of 7’s new features. If this version doesn’t sell, Microsoft is in trouble. I think they know that, so hopefully this one’s been done right. We’ll find out in less than six months.

One of the things everyone hated about Windows Vista was the fact that it came in too many varieties. Microsoft is also notorious for changing names around. XP came in Home and Professional editions. Okay, those two were relatively easy to keep track of. However, then Vista introduced the nonsensical idea of “Home Basic” and “Home Premium” along with “Windows Starter 2007,” “Windows Vista Enterprise,” and so forth. No wonder consumers were confused.

It seems as though Redmond has learned a lesson, though. While they’re preserving the wide range of available options, only two — Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional — will be available via retail channels. The others, including the various Business and Enterprise incarnations, will be sold to corporate customers. Another, Windows Starter Edition, will be used for “price-sensitive customers with small notebook PCs” via the OEM market. In other words, people with Netbooks and other tiny systems can get a somewhat stripped-down Windows.

In other good news, “each version will be available in either a 32-bit or 64-bit version.” This means customers who own 64-bit hardware will finally be able to use it to its full capacity…but of course, many applications are still available only in 32-bit versions. This is bound to change as more 64-bit users complain to application vendors, and those vendors decide to build 64-bit native binaries.

In a move that’s sure to thrill those XP customers who patently refused to move to Vista, a direct upgrade option is in the plan. XP customers “can purchase upgrade media and an upgrade license to move from Windows XP to Windows 7,” so there’s no need for an intermediate step through the Vista morass.

It’s good to see a bit less confusion in the Windows space. Now however, the big question is whether people will yawn or cheer when Windows 7 appears. This is a release that could make — or finally break — Microsoft. I suspect it’ll be far more successful than Vista, simply because many sites will need an upgrade by that point. People and companies who refused to upgrade from XP to Vista won’t have much choice. Or they’ll defect. We’ll find out when the new release finally hits stores.

At long last, Vista SP2 is in beta test and the news so far seems good. Initial tests indicate performance improvements have been made in various areas. Bluetooth support has been improved, they’ve added the ability to burn Blu-Ray discs, and Windows Search has been beefed up.

In even better news for users of Zonealarm and Spysweeper, SP2 will finally allow these add-in products to work with POP mail accounts. Apparently this functionality doesn’t work in current Vista releases, and now that I know that I’m happier than ever that I haven’t upgraded. I use POP mail and am a long-time Zonealarm user, so I’d have been mighty unhappy to run across this little issue.

Finally, the new service pack fixes a few problems that are very important to certain users. These include “support for the new VIA 64-bit CPU” and “a version of the exFAT file system for removable storage that now supports UTC timestamps for file synchronization across time zones.” The former is somewhat esoteric (I know few people using the VIA chip yet), while the latter is certainly critical for some large businesses that operate internationally, or even in large countries with multiple time zones. It’s almost certainly irrelevant to most home users.

Of course there’s no release date yet (or at least none has been announced) and this is most definitely beta code. Anyone can get it if you feel like downloading 300MB (32-bit version) or 490MB (64-bit) from TechNet or tweaking some settings that will let Windows Update install the beta release. While it might be a good idea for companies to start testing this release now, you certainly don’t want it on your one-and-only production PC. Beta code is generally pretty solid, but it’s still not production ready. Also note that the current beta installation will expire in 2010, so you must upgrade to a full release prior to that date or it’ll just stop working.

Will Vista finally become a usable product? If so, why did it take two major service packs to achieve this level?

Here’s hoping the highly touted Windows 7 release will be better than Vista’s premiere. If it isn’t, Microsoft is in big trouble.

Microsoft has been taking a lot of flak about Vista’s “sluggish” (to be polite) behavior in various environments. Users have complained about long boot times, low battery life on laptops, and generally poor performance all around. If the latest revelations about Windows 7 are true, then Redmond is listening to it customer base.

The problem with any OS, or any application in general, is that adding functionality makes for a heavier product. The snazzier the graphics, the more full-featured the product, the more resources it’ll consume. This is why Windows 3.1 took maybe 10MB on disk, while Vista needs several GB.

In the software biz, we call it “creeping functionality.” Generally it happens in response to user demand, but only certain user segments need specific features. Business users generally require fine grained security and special management features, whereas home users couldn’t care less and will never use them. Likewise, home users want ease of use and snappy graphics that many business users just don’t need. The problem is how to please both groups without making the product unusable.

We see function creep in other industries as well. The cars of today, for instance, are filled with bells-and-whistles that were unheard of even a decade ago. An in-dash GPS? Built-in satellite radio? A rear-view camera? These are all features that some user groups want (and sometimes even need), but they all add weight and cost to the end product. The heavier the car, the more gas it uses. More features? Each one adds complexity and additional “failure points.”

With luck, Windows 7 will meet expectations and will make users happier than they are with Vista. But the product footprint and impact will continue to grow as long as more features are added. It’s unavoidable. If Microsoft can improve performance in the new release, it’ll go a long way toward keeping its user base happy. At least for now.

Despite the fact that XP was officially defunct as of 6/30/08, at least according to official Microsoft policy, it appears you can still get it if you really want it. The catch is, you may need to lie (not that this would be a particularly heinous thing to do) to your PC vendor.

The bone that Redmond decided to throw to its customers involves a very weirdly structured “downgrade” policy that vendors can opt to use if they want to. Every vendor is handling it differently, but effectively you can buy a Vista PC and ask that the vendor downgrade it to XP before it ships.

The official policy, and where the little white lie might come in, is that only business-class systems are eligible for the downgrade. All “home” users are stuck with Vista no matter how much they plead. This said, I wouldn’t touch XP Home with a ten foot cattle prod anyway. I can’t stand the “Media Edition” and have no use for most of its alleged features, as long time readers well know.

The “business users can have XP” caveat makes some sense, since many businesses have refused to deploy Vista due to application incompatibilities and other issues. When you have 20,000 desktops to manage, you need to be absolutely sure everything works. You also don’t want rogue OS bugs trashing your network or making all the lights on the Help Desk phones light up at once.

According to the author, getting the XP “downgrade” from various companies was sometimes easy and sometimes not. Some employees didn’t seem to know all the ins and outs of the process. So if you want XP, be prepared to argue. Be sure to check your vendor’s site before trying to order, so you can cite chapter and verse of their particular policy to a recalcitrant sales rep if necessary.

Or you can do what I’m doing: retaining my old XP licenses so I can just transfer them to new machines when needed. I own four valid copies, and no one’s prying them from my fingers anytime soon.

Despite a massive push by consumers to keep XP on the shelves almost indefinitely, Microsoft formally announced they’re taking it off the shelves as planned. However, they’ve left the door open for sales to continue in special cases — OEM vendors, for instance, can continue to sell the product for the foreseeable future.

The good news is that, even though you won’t be able to buy new copies, support will be available for a long time to come. According to the above article, under “previously-scheduled timetables, XP continues in “mainstream support” until April 14, 2009, and won’t be dropped from “extended support” until after April 8, 2014.” I don’t buy support contracts anyway, and I’m sure another option (AKA Linux) will present itself long before the 2014 deadline.

I suspect Microsoft really had little choice but to stick to its sales deadline. Extending it would be tantamount to acknowledging the defects and user disaffection around Vista, which continue despite numerous fixes and alterations.

This said, I’m of the opinion Redmond is in trouble. They may not even know it yet. Or maybe they do. Linux is on the rise. Firefox now accounts for a much larger percentage of browser users. Open Office has developed into a superb application suite that can do probably 99% of what Office does. MySQL and other databases continue to gain in popularity. Apple is back with a vengeance. How long can Microsoft retain its hegemony in the field under these conditions?

The folks in Redmond need to do something new. They need to do it soon, and it shouldn’t be yet another pieced-together product based on other peoples’ technology. SQL Server is Sybase under the covers. Active Directory is just LDAP + Kerberos in an easier to manage package. Dot NET is JSPs + some Microsoft extensions. How about something brand new for a change? Or maybe a product that isn’t a vendor-specific twist (J++, MS HTML extensions, etc.) on an industry standard?

Here’s to innovation. Now, let’s see some.

Even as one branch of Microsoft touts Vista and all its alleged features, another is pushing the (currently nothing but vaporware) Windows 7 as the be-all of operating systems. Not only is this bad for Vista, which continues to suffer from low acceptance and high dissatisfaction; it also indicates the company is being pulled in multiple directions from within. That’s not good.

It’s common for certain business units in a given company to push their own projects to the detriment of others. This is natural, especially in companies that allow internal business units or project teams to duke it out for resources and glory. However, it’s usually kept behind closed doors.

The last image a company wants to present is one of internal strife or a lack of direction. Competitors circle around scenes like these with shark-like precision, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see that happen in this case. Apple, the various Linux vendors, and others could use the Vista Stutters as an opportunity to play catch-up, or even leapfrog ahead of Microsoft in terms of features and reliability.

Windows 7’s alleged list of features sounds very tasty. But as the author of the above article notes, Microsoft “can tease us with innovations like baked in virtualization and—bless them—gesture-based multi-touch screen support—but a lot can happen in 24 months. Apple , obviously, won’t wait to trump Microsoft.”

That’s right, Windows 7 isn’t due for at least two years. Anyone who follows technological advances knows that’s a millennium in computing terms. Someone else could easily steal Redmond’s thunder while they’re trying to reorganize. So far, Windows has kept its lead due to its huge existing customer base (largely acquired during the 1990s, while Apple languished and Linux was in its infancy). The Vista Stumble could erase all or part of that lead now that Apple is back and Linux is mature.

As the deadline for purchasing copies of Windows XP looms on the horizon, the vote count at the “Save XP” web site continues to rise. At last count it was around 194,000, which is really only a few fish in the sea in comparison with the number of overall Windows users. Naturally, it’s doubtful Microsoft will deign to extend its lifetime past the current 6/30 execution date.

This said, the sheer hatred some users seem to have developed for Vista is astonishing in its depth. One commentator even went so far as to suggest that Redmond should deep-six Vista instead, retaining the more reliable and popular XP for the foreseeable future. Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen. But it shows how badly Vista is faring in the eyes of some user segments, and Microsoft should at least take note.

Even PC vendors have taken notice. Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all apparently “offering consumers a way to purchase a PC or a notebook computer with the last version of XP via a so-called downgrade. This basically means you are paying for Vista and getting the discs, along with the option of upgrading to Vista anytime in the future. ” This is having their cake and eating it too — with all the complaints about Vista, refusing to include XP with a new machine would probably cause some customers to balk and go elsewhere. By also shipping Vista CDs with the machine, the vendors also keep Steve Ballmer from blowing a NAND gate.

During all this hullabaloo, XP continues to cook along happily. SP3 was just released, and the list of fixed “issues” makes for perfect bedtime reading. Some are minor annoyances, others are security fixes, others are subtle but serious problems that only certain segments of the user community would ever encounter. Applying it is probably a good idea. And no, it won’t make your machine suddenly act like it’s running Vista. That would be wrong.

If you’re one of the millions of users who says they’re tired of Vista, David Karp over at PC Magazine has just what you need. He’s written a step by step guide to upgrading back to good old XP on your Vista-infested machine. It’s probably not for the technically faint of heart, but it might be just what the doctor ordered if you’ve contracted a bad case of Vistaitis.

Apparently the complaints just keep rolling in regarding driver incompatibilities, bad performance, and an annoyingly intrusive user experience. There’s also the condition known as the “green ribbon of death” (successor to the old and beloved “blue screen of death”) for which Vista’s release of IE7 is becoming infamous. You may have experienced one or more of these conditions, or you’re just annoyed at the amount of disk space and RAM that Vista eats up.

The first problem with a Vista-to-XP “upgrade” is that the standard XP installer won’t allow you to roll back from a newer Windows release. Thus, David had to work up a mechanism that’ll allow a user to fake the installer into thinking Windows isn’t already set up on the machine. This involves some MBR (Master Boot Record) magic and some command-line utilities that most people aren’t even aware of. As he says, “back everything up before you try this.” It’s not dangerous, but you may have a problem if something is done out of sequence.

Obviously, it’s least dangerous to run this procedure on a machine that’s more or less brand new and out of the box. Not having personal files, settings, bookmarks, and other stuff in the way makes the migration that much easier — just run through the steps and you’ll be happily cooking along on XP in a few hours. If something goes wrong, just pop in the Vista recovery disk that probably (hopefully) came with the machine. You can then start from square one again, or opt to retain Vista and suffer its annoyances.

Again obviously, you should only do this with a legitimate, licensed copy of XP. No matter what someone tells you, the fact that you own a single Vista license does not mean you’re allowed to run a copy of XP instead.  That’s like claiming your drivers’ license gives you permission to fly a 747. Now, if you have an XP license from your old machine handy…

It appears the online protest against Microsoft’s decision to stop selling XP as of June 30th is gaining some traction. An article on Yahoo today said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, is at least considering the idea of extending the sell-by date for XP.

Will it happen? Will Redmond face the fact that lots of people heavily dislike Vista? It’s too soon to say, and Steve seems to have his head in the clouds regarding Vista’s popularity. He claims, probably correctly, that “most people who buy PCs today buy them with XP’s successor, Vista.” Sure, when you’re not given a choice between the two. If you look at most vendors today, obtaining XP is harder than finding an honest politician. So what does he expect they’d be buying?

I understand Redmond’s reticence regarding an extension for XP. First, extending its lifetime means they have to maintain production lines for multiple products, and also are stuck supporting installation problems from two different customer bases. PC vendors are in the same boat. In the long term, maintaining two OS variants at the same time also bleeds off software support and development time. Managing two large code bases and providing patches for both means increased overhead. This is the same basic reason auto manufacturers aren’t still selling models from the 1990s.

There’s also the problem of forward compatibility. Microsoft has to deal with Intel and AMD’s plans, not to mention other chip vendors and hardware manufacturers. Supporting two OSes means Microsoft has twice as much work to do regarding hardware testing. New hardware means a new round of testing. Life is a lot easier if only one OS has to be tested.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Ballmer announced a limited level of forward support for XP. By this I mean they’d support new installations only on hardware manufactured up until, say, the end of 2008 or 2009. This would limit their exposure to the hassle of forward support while still giving a very vocal and angry segment of the user base what they want.

Of course, another reason Microsoft is resisting the idea of extending XP is that it gives a tacit level of support to the idea that Vista is badly broken. By caving into the pressure, they’d be acknowledging that these problems are real.