Microsoft: 18-month Windows 7 downgrade rights If you get a PC running Windows 7 but can't divorce yourself from Windows XP, Microsoft will give you 18 months to downgrade - not six. That's the line from Microsoft, which said that downgrade rights will be available from the date Windows 7 ships - October 22, 2009 - to April 1, 2011. Downgrades cover just two editions of …
... why do we have to upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows XP Professional (which doesn't expire...) -- so that we can downgrade from Windows 7 to Windows XP Professional for 18 months?
It could be that it's late, and I've been out of the loop, but it looks like this is only something of interest for people who buy new machines with Windows 7 on it?
Seriously, guys. On an modern machine Vista is simply better than XP. At least once it's correctly configured. Windows 7 is even better.
Yet on most of the big IT sites we're still seeing loads of 'IT professionals' moaning because they want to keep using XP.
Heck, move to KDE4/gnome if you really don't like Microsoft. They're both better than XP.
But it's nothing to do with Vista/Windows 7, is it? It's just the crusy-mafia out to stop them young 'uns 'changing things again'. Ain't it?
Bloody luddites.
No, this is how you get free certification. Now most people would argue that running Windows Server was certifiable all by itself, but that's just nitpicking.
These days employers, heads of IT departments and generally anyone else who doesn't understand IT demand Microsoft certification for most jobs.
Those that do understand what they actually need sometimes do this too, just so they can chuck out thousands of applications for a single job without having the need to write up pages of justification. Saves running afoul of discrimination laws, stick a "Must have MSCE" or whatever and you can legally discard any applicant that doesn't.
So as an employee the answer to this problem is to demand "retraining" every time a new version of Windows arrives. Admin and Engineer certification costs thousands of pounds/dollars, and without this handy tool most of us wouldn't have a free way to get re-certified before our existing documents become obsolete in the eyes of the prospective employer.
As a favour to everyone in our industry, I'd ask you not to make it clear the true value of such certification to your own employer or any other person you happen to meet, as well as keeping quiet about the need to "retrain" for every version of windows.
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