Microsoft wants to ensure that Windows 7 customers don't experience the slow burn of buying third party applications and devices and finding that they aren't compatible. This, of course, is a scenario that played out over and over with Vista and caused no end of grief for customers.
In a Wednesday blog post, Mark Relph, a senior director with the Windows Product Strategy Group, outlined various steps Microsoft has taken to shore up its 'Compatible With Windows 7' logo program, which signifies that third party products will work as advertised with the new OS.
While this might sound like an elementary concept, given the many devices and applications that didn't work with Vista, it's understandable that Microsoft would want to give its logo program a new sheen of legitimacy. As part of this effort, Microsoft has altered some of its logo criteria and changed its process for certifying products, Relph wrote in the blog post.
The changes include more stringent testing requirements and specific attention to rooting out glitches that could cause users' machines to crash or hang. Microsoft has also cut down on the paperwork associated with the Windows 7 logo testing and certification process and made it cheaper for vendors to take part, according to Relph.
To qualify for the Compatible With Windows 7 logo, products must work with all Windows 7 versions, and Microsoft this time around is placing special emphasis on 64-bit versions, Relph wrote.
From the beginning of Windows 7 development, Microsoft has focused on getting software and hardware partners involved in the process, and greater stability has resulted from this increased participation, according to solution providers. In addition, Microsoft has stuck to a predictable development schedule with Windows 7, in contrast to the several stops and starts that defined Vista development.
Most of Microsoft business customers already have the final Windows 7 bits, and the company will officially launch it to the public at an event in New York City on Oct. 22.
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