For diehard Windows XP fans (or just for those who have software designed for Windows XP), Windows 7 will include a virtual environment and Windows XP drivers that will enable you to run your old XP software on Windows 7. And yes, I did use the term old.

Why Vista Never Caught On

Windows XP is the darling of diehard Windows users for more than one reason. First, users are incredibly comfortable with Windows XP and much of the software used at the enterprise level is still available for Windows XP.

Second, Vista didn’t provide a compelling reason to upgrade. Without user demand, software publishers didn’t write updated versions of their applications for Windows. Those that did often left out critical drivers. That, by itself, made Vista hard to love.

Third, the update cycle for the Windows OS didn’t mesh very well with users’ personal upgrade cycles. The hardware requirements for running Vista were not inconsequential for some users, and as a result, millions of potential users decided to opt out of the Windows Vista upgrade.

Now comes Windows 7 and Microsoft is trying its best to eliminate the excuses users come up with to avoid upgrading to Windows Vista. For those users who are an entire revision behind, the switch to Windows 7 will be an eye-opener. The virtualization environment means that software designed for Windows XP is still usable on Windows 7 provided that you’ve set up a virtual XP environment.

Don’t expect Windows XP to hang around forever. As Microsoft commits further to the Vista/Windows 7 platform, it becomes less likely that the company will back off of the product’s current development path. It also becomes increasingly less likely that the company will continue to make efforts to help users bridge the gap between Windows XP and Windows 7.

For right now, users can still purchase downgrade rights to Windows XP, but that window is scheduled to close about six months after the latest version of the OS is released in October. Once the downgrade window disappears, users (except those in Microsoft’s volume licensing program) will be left to choose between Windows Vista and Windows 7. For me, I’ll go with Windows 7.

Photo Credit: Josh Bancroft, via Flickr