Vista Twist

So, I've been saying that Microsoft should drop Vista development and simply proceed with XP-enabled versions of the new technologies it's been working on (and, I might add, withholding from the marketplace to ensure they ship with their primary intended vehicle) thereby giving those few people who want anything new from their OS what they want without shackling it to a shambling and buggy mega-OS first. But Owen Thomas over at Business 2.0 has another twist, using Real Math and projected sales numbers.

The savings of not doing things are of particular interest to me; few people seem to think in terms of inaction, but in information technology, that can be a surprisingly winning strategy. It's difficult to explain and hard to sell--there is a sort of dichotomy, really, in that if you are going to spend money on technology and automation, it's better to spend it earlier than later... but sometimes it's better not to spend at all. Microsoft may have been in that position five years ago as they began full-scale development on Vista, but it would be difficult to find anyone willing to say it over there today. You get married to projects over time and it's hard to be honest enough to admit that objectively, they may never have been a good idea.