Microsoft: Users may regret Vista perceptions

Microsoft Windows Vista has been the black sheep among the IT industry since its retail release in January 2007, with user complaints of high coss, buggy code and extremely unreasonable hardware requirements.

As Microsoft prepares for its next-generation Windows 7 OS, however, at least one Microsoft executive believes it's only a matter of time before public perception of Vista changes for the better.

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"I think people will look back on Vista after the Windows 7 release and realize that there were actually a bunch of good things there," Microsoft OEM VP Steve Guggenheimer told ChannelWeb.  "So it'll actually be interesting to see in two years what the perception is of Vista."

It's true that Windows 7's predecessor wasn't very popular, though Microsoft programmers were careful to draw on the good aspects of Vista and continue to build on that momentum.  Its lightweight design makes it ideal for netbooks and lower-quality PCs, while Vista continually missed out on these niche markets. 

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Furthermore, Windows 7 has drastically improved stability and overall performance, and has received good reviews for its latest RC edition -- as many reviewers and analysts continue to compare Windows 7 to Vista.  It was said one of the reasons Microsoft is working so diligently to release Windows 7 is to help consumers forget about Vista.

Despite Guggenheimer's belief that some users and businesses will regret not giving Vista a fair shake, others disagree.

"I don't think for a second that people are suddenly going to love Windows 7 so much that they will experience deep pangs of regret for not having adopted Vista," said Bob Nitrio, Ranvest Associates president of system builders.

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Once Windows 7 is released this fall, do you think you'll feel regret for your beliefs of Windows Vista?

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