Microsoft Changes to Windows XP and Office 2010
Microsoft products – operating systems and productivity software – are an essential component of nearly all of our clients’ networks, so I always closely follow Microsoft news such as patches and updates.
Most of the time, this is at a detailed, technical level that would bore you enough to make you want to cut off your foot to get away, but this issue features two major announcements you must know about.
Act Soon to Downgrade to WinXP from Win7
If you are committed to staying with the Windows XP operating system for your PC or network, you can buy new Windows 7 PCs (the only operating system that is available) and downgrade them to Windows XP.
However, the clock is ticking on downgrade rights, reports Computerworld. You have until either late April, 2011 or the release of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), whichever comes first. Microsoft announced two months ago that is working on Windows 7 SP1. Although it has set no timetable, it is likely to occur long before April, 2011. After that, most customers will be able to get Windows XP for a new system only through XP Mode Virtual Machine for Windows 7 Pro.
The upshot: If you want to take advantage of the Windows 7 to Windows XP downgrade offer, do it soon!
Office 2010 to Debut Web Options in June
In other Microsoft news, the software giant announced a June release of a free online version of Office that will let you store your documents on the Web rather than on your PC. The new Office 2010 software runs partly on the desktop and partly as a Web app.
Microsoft Office 2010 “will range in price from a limited, free Web version supported by ads to a full-blown version that costs $500,” according to the New York Times.
The article goes on to compare the giant’s 94 percent market share with competitive offerings from Google, Adobe, and smaller companies, and says Microsoft has little to fear from them, at least in the short term.
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