Analysts give early thumbs up to Windows 7

In a recent report, Pund-IT principal analyst Charles King said that the early indications are that the release of Microsoft's newest operating system should go far better than the disastrous first months of Windows Vista.

King noted the changed approach to development and release Microsoft took with Windows 7.

The analyst argued that while Windows Vista was an ambitious farewell project for Bill Gates, Windows 7 has reflected a better-managed development under the eye of Steve Ballmer.

"Early reports suggest that Ballmer’s baby should enjoy a successful and prosperous life, meaning that Microsoft’s customers and partners and the greater IT marketplace will find much to like and even more to gain in Windows 7," he wrote.

Fellow industry analyst Roger Kay shared King's favourable opinion on Windows 7's outlook. The founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates said that Microsoft appears to have overcome many of the mistakes it made with Windows Vista.

Specifically, Kay noted a greater focus by Microsoft on a disciplined development process.

He suggested that by having most of the code finalised early the company was able to give both its own vendors and third party developers time to iron out compatibility problems.

"Most importantly, Windows 7’s feature set was 98 per cent locked early in the process. So, no pet features crept into subsequent builds," Kay noted.

"Also, the back end of the code is the much maligned but by-now highly stable and robust Vista back end.

"After two years and some, the important services behind the Vista interface have been much banged upon and haven’t moved a lot beyond their being adapted to the specifics of Windows 7."

If Windows 7 is more stable and compatible with hardware and software than Vista, Kay predicts that the operating system will be able to log far better sales with IT buyers who generally wait until the first Service Pack release to upgrade.

Kay also suggested that enterprises which had avoided upgrading to Vista would be eager to move from aging Windows XP software to the new operating system, further boosting business sales.

"In the first year, the percent of commercial buyers who adopt a new OS usually hovers in the single digits," Kay said.

"This time may well be different, however."