Beating all odds, Microsoft has shipped its Windows Vista operating system on schedule. That is provided that you ignore all earlier release projections. And you also have to ignore the minor factoid that the operating system for now is available only to volume licencing customers (read: large enterprises).

Regular readers of this blog know that I've been a tad skeptical about the innovations in Windows Vista. To be honest, I'm still puzzled beyond comprehension about the question why in his opening keynote at CES last January, Bill Gates had a chance to wow the audience but instead choose to show off 3D application scrolling functionality and Konfabulator rip-off Windows Sidebar.

01 Dec 2006

Windows Vista has been running on my home PC for the past weeks, and it hasn't allowed me to do a single thing that I could before. It does make it easier to perform some of the older tasks and most of all, the software looks really nice and is amazingly fast.

But with all the expected compatibility issues for enterprise software, an enterprise would be foolish to rush out and upgrade today. All industry analysts are convinced that it will take businesses at least until late 2007 before they start rolling out the operating system.

We're stuck with Windows XP for at least one more year, and it is likely to take another year before Vista has become the dominant software in the market.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer gets to open the Nasdaq Exchange to celebrate the business launch of Vista.

technorati tags: windows+vista, bill+gates, steve+ballmer, launch, vista