Gartner: Windows collapsing under its own weight;

Radical change needed

Microsoft's Windows juggernaut is collapsing as it tries to support 20 years of applications and becomes more complicated by the minute. Meanwhile, Windows has outgrown hardware and customers are pondering skipping Vista to wait for Windows 7. If Windows is going to remain relevant it will need radical changes.

That sobering outlook comes courtesy of Gartner analysts Michael Silver and Neil MacDonald. Half of a full room of IT managers and executives raised their hands when asked whether Microsoft needed to radically change its approach to Windows. "Windows is too monolithic," says Silver.

Silver also gave another anecdotal point to show the conundrum Microsoft is in: Clients are calling him to ask whether they should skip Vista entirely and wait for Windows 7, which promises to be more modular and potentially lightweight. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has also found an impact on Vista from all of the Windows 7 chatter. Silver's recommendation: Go with Vista but on an attrition basis. As XP PCs die, replace them with Vista PCs

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