Few plan early Windows 7 upgrade

Eighty-four per cent of IT staff do not plan to upgrade to Windows 7 in the next year, despite the positive response from beta testers.

Many cited perceived shortcomings of Vista, which forms the kernel of Windows 7, as their main concern. But there were also worries about software compatibility, the cost of implementation and budget restraints due to the economic climate.

Seventy-two per cent of those with XP machines were more concerned about upgrading to Windows 7 than with potential problems of sticking with an outdated operating system. More than eight in 10 said they would upgrade straight to Windows 7, skipping Vista altogether.

Half said they had considered migrating to another operating system, and 27 per cent of these said their preferred option was Mac OS.

The global online survey of more than 1,100 people was conducted by market research firm Dimensional Research, commissioned by Kace, which develops systems-management appliances.

Some reviewers have described Windows 7, scheduled for release late this year or early 2010, as essentially a rebadged Vista service pack. Microsoft itself has said it is moving towards incremental operating-system upgrades rather than massive redesigns like Windows 95 and Vista.

Beta testers have reported that it is what Vista should have been, though many of that operating system's teething problems have already been addressed, The fact that Windows 7 is closely related should minimise compatibility problems in upgrades from Vista, if not XP. Microsoft says its figures show Vista is much more secure than XP, mainstream support for which ends today.

However it is a lot bigger than XP and runs slower of lower-spec machines, which is one reason the old operating system is so popular in netbooks. Microsoft is continuing to supply security updates for XP and companies can purchase an extended support contract.