More trouble from Vista; Windows Seven ‘XP Mode’ confirmed
As has been previously rumored, Microsoft is building an “XP Mode” into its new Windows 7 operating system in order to bring XP users who skipped Vista back into the fold.
It has been rumored for quite some time that Microsoft was building some sort of a Windows XP compatibility mode into their newest operating system. This rumor was confirmed in a blog posting by Microsoft’s Scott Woodgate, who said “Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC.”
Woodgate’s post goes on to say that “all you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.” It is likely that this virtual XP mode will be introduced with the next release candidate of Windows 7.
This was the company’s first confirmation of a widely held belief that such a mode would be built into the new OS. According to sources familiar with the product, the application compatibility mode is built on the Virtual PC technology that Microsoft acquired in 2003, when it scooped up the assets of Connectix, says a CNET blog by Ina Fried.
The tendency of Vista to be problematic under use led a very large number of Windows XP users, both consumer and business, to forego an upgrade to Vista just to avoid having to deal with the many reported shortfalls of Vista. This group included companies as large as General Motors. Some of the XP software being run by all of those older systems may well be incompatible with Windows Seven, just as it was with Vista. XP Compatibility Mode is designed to let those users continue to operate their older software while they search for replacements that are directly compatible with Windows Seven.
What remains to be seen is if Windows 7 is a better, less troublesome operating system than was Windows Vista. If it is not, users could upgrade to test the new operating system and then continue to operate in XP mode if Seven caused too many problems. One really must wonder if this is any way to run a systems software company.
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April 25th, 2009
This is an example of good sense at work.
Given the number of businesses and private individuals who stayed with XP this is the only smart option open to them
If Win7 is good then I’ll feel good about upgrading from XP.
XP is getting old so it’ll be about time.