What's the problem with introducing a new operating system? When it comes to Microsoft, the upgrade makes your last operating system pretty much obsolete, even if it took almost ten years to construct and a lot of hassle to promote.

A recent survey from industry analysts Gartner found that about 30 per cent of large businesses were seriously considering skipping Windows Vista altogether, a significant blow to Microsoft which has spent the last year and a half trying to convince home and corporate users alike that the operating system is worth the software and training costs associated with conversion.

"Anyone who was on the fence... is now pretty much likely to skip," said Gartner's Michael Silver. (Source: cnet.com)

Is Windows 7 Seventh Heaven?

Although Microsoft profits whether consumers buy Vista or Windows 7, insiders are warning buyers that the latter is unlikely to magically solve all of the Vista's big problems. For one, Windows 7 users will still have to stomach some major compatibility issues until software makers can catch up with the new OS.

Although Windows 7 will be very compatible with Windows Vista, businesses and home users making the quantum leap from XP to Windows 7 may experience some difficulties.

Windows Server 2008 and IPv6

In addition, some of the brightest features for businesses adopting Windows 7 require that they also convert to Windows Server 2008 R2 and commence using IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) networking.

Unfortunately, many users eventually won't have a choice. Silver guesses that by 2012 most software makers will no longer support XP at all.

As a result, Microsoft itself has publicly encouraged business users to get the heck off older operating systems, including Windows 2000 and XP. The company promises that moving onto Vista now will make for an easier eventual transition to Windows 7 when the time is right. (Source: zdnet.com)

There's really no way of telling whether this latest plea, or perhaps veiled coercion, will actually convince users to make the change.