Microsoft Partners: MinWin Could Soothe Vista Headaches

However, some Microsoft partners who've been fighting the good fight in trying to steer their customers toward Vista are puzzled that Microsoft is now talking about a minimalist approach to Windows development. Other partners say the allure of Windows 7 could cause a significant number of companies to wait it out and avoid Vista altogether.

This is most likely to happen with larger enterprises that have been putting off migrating to Vista due to the logistical enormity of the task, and for whom the desire to streamline the OS is most acute, says Larry Piland, president at Datel Systems Incorporated, a San Diego-based solution provider.

"Many of the features Microsoft is pushing with Vista simply don't apply to customers whose users are only accessing accounting software and using the Web," said Piland.

Enterprise customers would also benefit from MinWin and Windows 7 because they often want to offer a basic level of functionality to their employees, in the form of Office and perhaps a few packaged applications, says George Brown, CEO of Database Solutions, a Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Microsoft partner.

"I think the small business segment is going to take whatever comes in the box and deal with it. But enterprises will say 'We'd like to see what MinWin is all about, because we don't need all that extra functionality'," said Brown

Despite all of the negativity surrounding Vista, the OS does bring improvements in usability, collaboration, and integration with Office 2007, says Joe Toste, vice president of marketing at Equus Computer Systems, Minneapolis, Minn.

Still, resistance to Vista is so strong among ISVs that these firms could decide to either wait it out until the release of Windows 7 or seek alternative operating systems, says Toste, who estimates that Vista Business accounts for 12-15 percent of the systems Equus sells.

"ISVs obviously have some long-term plans and have significant investment in Windows XP where they're looking to go to a different kernel or OS that's much more stable and has a longer shelf life. I think those ISVs have reasons to wait," Toste said.

While MinWin has created a bit of trepidation among channel partners that are evangelizing Vista, Nor-Tech's Swank doesn't interpret Microsoft's move to downsize Windows as a sign that it's abandoning the work it has put into developing Vista.

"I can't imagine that Microsoft is going to give up on Vista, in the sense of engineering a complete redesign. If anything, MinWin will extend off of what Vista is providing," said Swank.

Database Solutions' Brown says MinWin is simply a sign that Microsoft is trying to figure out what customers want and meet their needs. "If the end result of MinWin is that customers have more choices, then that's a really good thing," he said.