Microsoft Wants You to Upgrade to Windows 7 and, to be Honest, So Do I

I am always shocked at how many people are still running Windows XP (74 percent of businesses by one measure). You don't hear about it much, but the recent release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 Beta shoved the issue back to the forefront of public consciousness. IE 9 Beta, and the final release that should arrive later this year, will run on Windows 7 and Windows Vista, but not XP or previous operating systems. (Nor, for that matter will any of Microsoft's new Windows Live Essentials apps.)

This fact was noted in stories and decried in forums and on social networks like Twitter. How could Microsoft leave Windows XP users behind—if you call releasing an operating system 9 years ago and then two new versions in the interim, "leaving people behind."I have no nostalgia for Windows XP. It was a decent operating system with its share of problems, but the longer I run it in the office, while using a smaller Windows 7 laptop as my mobile system and working on a Windows 7 machine at home, the more I notice its shortcomings. Windows XP lacks stability, strong security features like BitLocker, universal search, the Aero interface, innumerable usability features, Device Stage and the overall speed enhancements I enjoy in Windows 7. On the other hand, thanks to three service packs, it does still work.

Microsoft is partly to blame for XP's unnatural life span. Back in 2008, Microsoft decided to extend Windows XP support into 2014. With so many people still using Windows XP (probably half of all those running the OS in 2008) and many actively shunning Windows Vista, Microsoft likely had little choice. That promiseof long-term support, however, gave consumers license to continue using XP and hardware manufacturers confidence to continue bundling it with new PCs.

The Netbook explosion of 2009 and the early part of 2010 exacerbated the problem. Millions of brand new laptops were sold with a then 8-year-old operating system. Those netbooks are still in consumers' hands, and most are not being upgraded to Windows 7. These small-screen, low-power PCs are actually perfect for the leaner and cleaner Internet Explorer 9. Sadly, they can't run it. Not surprisingly, Microsoft is now making a big push to try and get those Windows XP stalwarts, especially businesses, to consider upgrading to Windows 7 today. I like Internet Explorer 9 quite a bit and appreciate the additional benefits you gain from running it on Windows 7, but Microsoft faces an uphill battle.

Yes, it may make perfect sense on many levels to finally upgrade to Windows 7, but businesses, and even consumers, use different metrics to measure the "costs" of upgrading their PCs. There is, obviously, the cost of a new operating system. Microsoft hasn't done much to make upgrading fiscally attractive to consumers. There have been some short-lived deals like the three upgrade licenses for $149 Windows 7 Family Pack, which came and went and now is going to make another limited appearance. Businesses focus on standardized system and disk images. If one system is running Windows 7, they all have to run it. Fifty employees means 50 licenses. Microsoft offers volume license plans, but it benefits, mostly, from the biggest businesses. Then there's the cost of training or relearning the new OS. If it doesn't cost the company that much in real dollars, the cost in lost productivity is almost impossible to measure. For consumers and businesses, upgrading to an OS two generations removed from their current one (or more if they're still, God forbid, running Windows 95) means hardware and software compatibly issues. New peripheral and productivity software isn't cheap either.

The problem with this "save money and time at all costs" strategy is that not only do these issues not go away, they grow larger the longer everyone waits to upgrade. Stalling could actually cost you even more in the end.

The hardware that originally ran Windows XP is aging, and Netbooks, while great, portable devices, are surprisingly limited in their utility and I think the romance with them has grown stale. To enjoy the best of the Web, video, photo viewing and editing, gaming, and more, you need new and more powerful hardware. That hardware will ship with Windows 7. For businesses, it's time to stop re-imaging to Windows XP. For those companies, industries and consumers still holding onto Windows 95 and DOS-based apps—well, there are almost no words for you. This was quaint 5 years ago. It's just ridiculous now.

I will not argue that Internet Explorer 9 or really any software update is a reason to abandon Windows XP. Instead, think of it as the transition from horse and buggy to car, or better yet, from black-and-white television to color. Those old TV sets continued to work for decades after the introduction of color TVs, but by the early 70's, most of them were gone. It was hard to argue to with the enjoyment you got from full-color television. The benefits of modern software are much the same. Windows XP works and should continue to do so for quite a while, but more and more you'll find yourself left out of or unable to access and enjoy the best that technology has to offer.