In the wake of making Windows 7 official with the release to manufacturing (RTM) version last week, Microsoft announced the RC (release candidate) version of Windows XP Mode for Windows 7. The virtualized edition of Windows XP SP3 removes a major hurdle facing enterprises that rely on legacy applications built to run on Windows XP.I have no harsh to blow here.
It is no secret that Windows Vista was not as widely adopted as Microsoft would have liked. Many enterprises chose to ride their existing investment in Windows XP rather than investing in an upgrade to Windows Vista with all of its perceived issues and negative publicity. For some enterprises the fact that business critical applications designed for Windows XP might not run in Windows Vista was also a major consideration making the business case for upgrading that much harder to sell.
[ cf Microsoft Removes Windows 7 Hurdle with Windows XP Mode ]
I just have this problem with the idea, in ways I am not sure how to handle it.
Is it just me, or is there some sort of structural problem when an OS upgrade is that detrimental to the product line? I understand the cut over from OS9 to OSX, as that was a complete transition from one OS to a totally different one. But I some how had not expected that MS would have boxed itself so strangely into such an odd shape - that their developer community would need to have vitualized Windows On Windows....
Windows On Mac, I get....