Text 12640, 98 rader
Skriven 2006-08-22 20:01:10 av /m (1:379/45)
Ärende: Windows Vista Beta 2 Plagued by Bugs
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From: /m <mike@barkto.com>


http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=1110083YRM69&page=1

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"I have been testing Microsoft operating systems since Windows 95, and this is
the buggiest OS I've seen this late in development," says Joe Wilcox, an
analyst with Jupiter Research. "Look at the older operating systems, and by
Beta 2 there is a stable foundation on which the [independent software vendors]
can build. Right now, Vista is like a ship on stormy seas."

What began as a murmur a few months back is turning into an audible grumble, as
beta testers and experts question the stability of the latest Windows Vista
beta and Microsoft itself hints at yet another release delay.

Testers and pundits alike say Vista Beta 2, released publicly in June, is
plagued by bugs and blue screens. Some testers are saying a Beta 3 cycle, which
is not planned, may be needed and that the software isn't ready for final
testing before shipment, which Microsoft calls Release Candidate 1 (RC1).

Microsoft said two weeks ago that RC1 of Vista would ship before the end of
September.

The final release of Vista for corporate customers now is targeted for
November. Microsoft's Kevin Johnson, the co-president of the platform and
services division, told financial analysts in late July, however, that while
Vista is on schedule the code would not ship until it was ready.

With the current timeline, Microsoft would have a bit more than a month to
collect and incorporate testers' feedback from RC1 and finalize the code before
shipment.

"I have been testing Microsoft operating systems since Windows 95, and this is
the buggiest OS I've seen this late in development," says Joe Wilcox, an
analyst with Jupiter Research. "Look at the older operating systems, and by
Beta 2 there is a stable foundation on which the [independent software vendors]
can build. Right now, Vista is like a ship on stormy seas."

One ISV that asked not to be named says a private beta it is working with that
shipped after Vista Beta 2 is more stable but is still a memory hog. "The
memory consumption has been reduced from a gig to 700MB, which is about three
times what XP requires. It is probably going to come down, but it is a big
beast," the ISV says.

The ISV says its customers have said they will wait at least a year to adopt
the new operating system.

A survey of 207 companies released by Jupiter Research last week shows that
nearly 50% of these 100-plus-employee outfits will wait at least 13 months
after release to deploy Vista -- or won't deploy it at all.

Microsoft's traditional advocates also are questioning the viability of the
software and its release schedule. Robert McLaws, a popular blogger and a
Microsoft MVP (non-employees who offer expert analysis on products), said in
his blog entry titled "The entry I didn't want to write," "Beta 2 was a
disappointment on many levels. It was nowhere near as stable as it should have
been." McLaws says pushing the launch back four to six weeks with a release in
February, adding another beta cycle and coming clean publicly with the new
delay may be the best solution for producing "the best version of Windows
ever."

He wasn't the only one with stern advice for Microsoft. Former Microsoft
blogger advocate Robert Scoble used his blog to say, "This sucker is just not
ready It feels like it needs a good six more months, . . . which would mean a
mid-year release next year."

After five years between major client operating system releases, Microsoft
needs a home run, experts say.

"It's ready when it's ready, but it better be good when it's ready or there'll
be hell to pay," says Tom Henderson, principal researcher for ExtremeLabs and a
member of the Network World Lab Alliance. He says there are a lot of issues
with the code floating around among testers.

Others see additional red flags.

"Put the testing aside, I can't find a valid antivirus software that works with
it," says Michael Cherry, an analyst with research firm Directions on
Microsoft. "That is a key application and runs at a core level. If the
antivirus vendors, who work closely with Microsoft, can't get Vista working,
then the core is not stable."

Cherry says it might be time to reset expectations because an operating system
no longer should be a groundbreaking piece of technology.

"I am impressed with Apple OS and I like the way over the last couple of
releases they have made a series of incremental improvements. It has not been
earth-shattering," he says.
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As time goes on, Vista is looking more and mor elike a slow motion train wreck.

 /m

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