With the release of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, you might be wondering if the library plans to install Vista on any of its public computers. While I have not yet used Vista myself, I have had a few interesting conversations with colleagues who have used Vista, and I have also read some insightful blog entries about this issue. So, while I reserve the right to update this entry at a future date, hear are some of my observations.
When it comes to upgrading computer operating systems throughout an organization, organizations tend to be conservative. In our library's case, many of our public workstations use Windows XP, and for the most part, XP has been stable. We like stability, so before we'd consider upgrading to Vista, we will want to be sure that Vista is widely regarded as stable.
Perhaps we will follow the suggestion of a public librarian in Texas who has blogged on this topic who recommends that libraries wait until the first Vista service pack comes out. Microsoft service packs usually include fixes to bugs in an application that Microsoft itself hadn't caught during the development phase.
Another issue we are considering is what will be the learning curve for our customers if we upgrade to a new operating system. From what I am told, Vista only runs Microsoft Office 2007 applications, and in many cases, the user interface for the 2007 apps has dramatically changed from Office 2003 apps. This poses a serious problem to many of customers who may still be learning the ins and outs of Office 2002 and 2003 applications.
While these issues are important, we do recognize that we can't turn our back on Vista for ever. Since most new Windows PC's are now being shipped out with Vista and not XP, we know that many of our customers will soon be coming to the library expecting to be able to edit their Vista-compatible documents.
So, those are some of my thoughts. Now it is your turn to join the conversation. What are your thoughts on the issue? Please leave me a comment. It would make my day!
Comments (1)
I've been running Vista even before SP1 and find it's very easy to get used to, especially if you're already familiar with XP. In some ways it's even more logically laid out.
As far as Office compatibility, Vista will run older versions of Office, such as 2003 with no problem. Microsoft had originally thought of making Office 2007 a 'Vista only' product, but now Office 2007 will run just as well in XP also.
I've found the new Office 2007 interface very easy to acclimate to. Within 20 minutes, you realize that the new Ribbon bar is genius, giving you access to far more options and tools than the default toolbars from previous versions of Office.
Posted by Jesse MacDonough | July 31, 2008 8:30 AM