I hope your not using Vista to run FUK on as it just dissapeared for a few mins when i went to post my reply
The jist of which was
I agree you can "BC" apps and drivers i know many people use Printers with this. But When you have a project mnager who after the trial says well we have to make this BC and that oh and that. The director who has to sign of the purchase of the Volume license purchase is like umm why
If it works now why tinker and increase costs will be the response. Its now almost cheaper to upgrade the workstation than the OS in many cases. It will provide a greater increase in efficency and no major changes.
Costs as you know include the purchase, the roll out, needs to be created and training of all Helpdesk staff level 1 and 2. Then the increased tickets will effect efficent and response times for the department.
Some Pcs possibly may need upgrading the project team then have to test every application and major driver which again takes time.
Doing the same on Xp and upgrading the machines. Costs will be ask customer to ensure all files in my docs on friday afternoon, copy over settings and docs at the weekend wallop land on desk. Switch on and test. Worker notices a new case possibly if they can even see it, make sure they know where on off button is. Job done.
All that cost and what performance increase or work efficency will be gained from Vista?
From experiences of Companies in many fields. There will be none in fact a decrease is more likely due to users having to get used to (remeber many dont care how it works or why, wrong attitude to a tool of your trade but thats how it is) and if the equipment is lower spec will have a drop in performance for like to like work processes.
I have allso been involved in trials and roll outs where identical spec machines with the same bulid Vista OS and applications (created from a shared ghost so every machine has the exactly same data on it) one or two random machines will have bizzare issues with Vista. Work fine with XP and linux os's but not with Vista. No one can find anything wrong with the PC's parts swapped from working devices Bios reflashed the works.
Companies dont wanna hear that its a waste of time and the faults are sometimes subtle and only once the customer has started to use the machine do they become a issue. Companies are highly agaisnt taking risks of any kind at the moment as you know. If a roll out went badly wrong it could kill of the company.
One organsation in particular had a weird fault which was affecting a major project and they used there clout to get all the manufactuers to look in to why random devices played up. Everyone pointed the finger at vista and MS never came back and pointed at others which was very strange.
All these PCs were rolled back to Xp and the organsation had no problems.
I agree Vista is not a bad product but i jst dont see the point. if its on a PC I was given now I would not worry about rolling back straight off but i would not go and load it on as i Know i would get no improvment in efficency or gains in speed, more likely the opposite if anything.
Like i say Browsers and widgets are where it is for many comapnies and Microsoft i feel should be making some different variations in IE. Lite versions for intranets, speedy low in extra version and then a heavyweight do all version say. But theres is no money In IE since they started giving it away to try and kill off Netscape.
I do agree if you have it at home most issues can be solved easily enough or worked around. But i hope microsoft have some killer features and like they keep saying is faster to start up with Vienna otherwise the same thing will happen.
Companies will simply not bother and if they dont many home users will not bother as they will wonder why and never try it for themselves etc.