Should Windows 7 Be Free?

Despite being what I would consider to be a reasonably strong OS*, the market has soundly rejected Windows Vista, and Microsoft is desperate to get those sales (and market share, which just dipped below 90%) back up.  They've launched PR campaigns, including "The Mojave Experiment," an attempt to prove that most people didn't really have any information about Vista to base those feelings on.

The Mojave Experiement basically showed people Microsoft's next operating system, which was later revealed to them (after recording their favorable reactions) to be Windows Vista.

While an impending Service Pack update for Windows Vista is slated for April '09, Microsoft is still planning to release Windows 7 in July.  That's only half a year away, and Vista has pretty much no shot of gaining any traction right now, especially with a very wide beta of Windows 7 planned for January, which I expect will be in even wider circulation than Microsoft plans.

I purchased Windows Vista Ultimate on release.  It was supposed to be the "ultimate" version of Windows (natch), and everyone knows what a huge debacle that turned into.  The promised "Ultimate Extras" were incredibly weak, making the OS overpriced as a result, and the promised "unique publications" and "innovative services" never materialized.  What did we get?  Animated wallpaper, a handful of games, and some sound packs ... plus a bunch of languages that shouldn't have been "extra" to begin with.

Wouldn't the ultimate extra be getting the next version for free?  If Windows 7 is everything Microsoft is claiming it will be, it would go a long way towards repairing the reputation of the company by offering this as a free upgrade to at least Windows Vista Ultimate users.

But I think they should take it a step further.  I think they should offer it to anyone that has a license for Windows Vista, and even more, start marketing Windows Vista as including the free upgrade to Windows 7.  First, it would surely boost Vista sales now, not to mention get people used to an OS that visually, isn't going to change all that much going into Windows 7.  Second, if Microsoft's Mojave Experiment is to be believed, most people would think Vista really is Windows 7 anyway, since it won't be that much of a visual departure.

In short, Windows 7 should be rolled out over Windows Update if at all possible.  And they should really get rid of all this multiple editions, nonsense.  Release ONE version of the OS, and make downloadable configuration files available if businesses or home users want to restrict or remove features.  Either that, or just allow them to select the features they want the same way they already do if you don't use a product key during installation.  Take the confusion out of the marketplace, and make sure that no matter what a user thinks they want (or think they want to pay for), they get what they actually need.

But most importantly, they should support the people that bought Vista and complained about it, bitterly and loudly, by giving them the operating system they thought they were getting in the first place.  At a bear minimum, the people that purchased the premium SKU should get the new OS as their mea culpa for failing to deliver on the promise of the Ultimate Extras.

*Unlike many reports from other users, I have had no problems that I couldn't trace back to immature drivers, which isn't Microsoft's fault.