Microsoft may well be extolling the virtues of upgrading to Windows XP later in the year, but users are reluctant even to migrate to Windows 2000 - a finding which may force the company into some aggressive licensing and support moves to protect...
Make no mistake, the launch of Windows XP is the most significant software release in years. And XP is a vital staging post in that fix. XP also will be the way Microsoft tries to usher in a direct billing relationship.
Just over 24 hours have lapsed since Microsoft unveiled Windows XP, but already corporates across Europe are hissing at the idea of yet another upgrade. Windows XP received an extremely cautious welcome in Germany where sales are reported to be slow.
Windows XP "will save the industry a huge amount of money," according to Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows division at Microsoft. This money will be re-invested in innovation," he said.
The European Commission's attempt to increase competition by forcing Microsoft to offer a version of Windows XP without its Media Player looks increasingly forlorn, with many retailers and computer resellers now having indicated they won't sell...
But if you're on XP, then you can take it much more leisurely; you can wait till Vista ships and then migrate through hardware attrition or through a big bang upgrade or even wait for point release in mid-2008 which should have WinFS.