20 August 2009

Windows 7 is coming.  What do you need to know?

Microsoft will be releasing Windows 7 on October 22nd of this year.   This newest version of Windows comes two-and-a-half years after the debut of the mostly unloved Windows Vista, which released with many hardware and software incompatibilities as well as high hardware requirements.
 
In light of those negatives, many organizations stuck with venerable and stable Windows XP, the predecessor to Vista, waiting for the problems to get sorted out. 

What’s (apparently) good about Windows 7?

With Windows 7, Microsoft appears to have learned from the disappointments of Vista’s release.  Windows 7 will run on any new computer and most machines that were new when Vista was released.  Indeed, in our early testing it appears to run as fast as XP on older equipment.

Microsoft has worked with vendors to ensure maximum hardware and software compatibility as well. 

Windows 7 shares the same "look" as Vista with its see-through Aero interface and with additions such as Aero-peek.  So you should get a prettier, more functional operating system without the performance price.

When will we get Windows 7 on campus computers?

There are many clinical, administrative, and research applications that are not compatible with Windows 7; and this will be the case for some time.  Also, Windows 7 ships with Internet Explorer 8, which is an obstacle that some browser-delivered applications will have to overcome. 

Generally, large enterprises like UM take a conservative approach and hold off on mass deployment until the first "service pack" is deployed.  Based on past versions of Windows, that is about a year off. 

Additionally, as of this writing, the antivirus and encryption software used on the Medical campus are incompatible with Windows 7.   It is imperative that our encryption and anti-virus solutions work with any operating system that we deploy to the campus at large.

Which version of Windows 7 is right for me?

Windows 7 will come in three flavors for its retail release:  Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate.  For a breakdown of the differences, see Microsoft’s Compare Editions page.  For the medical campus, we will support the Professional and Ultimate versions.  

If you have a couple of computers at home that do not need to connect to each other, Home will be enough for your needs.  If you do need to have your computers networked , then Professional might be best for you.

What’s the bottom line here?

Medical Information Technology does not recommend installing Windows 7 on University desktops or laptops, and our standard operating system for Windows PCs will remain Windows XP until the aforementioned compatibility and security issues are resolved.

More information