Windows 8
On, October 26th, 2012 Microsoft will officially release its new flagship OS. What does that mean for the business user? For one, PCs will start to have this OS pre-installed when shipped. For users that still want Windows 7, Microsoft will allow them to downgrade but they don’t have to make that process easy. Users will have to find installation media that most likely will not ship with the PC. There will also most likely be activation hassles to deal with.
For those of you wanting to stick with Windows 8 Professional, be aware that the user experience has not changed this drastically since Windows 95. Gone is the traditional start menu, replaced with a sharp cornered start screen meant to resemble Windows Phone. Power users will find that the new OS still has strong underpinnings of Windows 7 so most applications that work with Windows 7 will also work with 8. Time will tell how well that holds up.
This is another time of transition and we always caution our clients to wait before implementing brand new technologies. Windows 8 might have security issues that need to be patched, or compatibility problems that are not yet obvious. Windows 7 will still be actively supported for years to come and when it comes to businesses depending on an OS, safer is better. Let the home users try the new OS and work out the bugs. Then, if and when 8 is ready, business users should migrate. Vista is a good example of an OS that would have been better skipped if given the option.