The 2007 Revolution!

I recently built a new computer at home and took the opportunity to make it a beta software testing platform.  I run Vista and Office 2007 on it along with Windows Live Messenger Beta and of course IE7 Beta and Media Player 11 Beta (exclusively, it is not a dual boot machine).  I would be running the OneCare Beta on here but that isn't supported yet.  I do run it on some other machines I manage though.

I have definitely run into some issues with software compatibility and a couple of small OS issues, but overall it has been an incredible experience.  Before Vista I used to always look at Windows 2000 and think it just looked old and dated compared to XP.  Now when I see XP it feels so outdated.  There is such a slick look and experience with our latest products.

I know people have compared the improvements to Apple, but I think it's more than that.  I've always appreciated Apple's dedication to design, but I've never been a fan of what they produced, including the OS.  I do really like the new look of Windows in Vista.  I think we have done a good job of moving forward while still being different.  When you run Vista, no matter how much people compare it to Apple, you can still tell you are running Windows (and I don't mean that in a bad way).

I haven't used Office enough to comment a lot on it now, but I do think Outlook 2007 is a large improvement.  The integration of RSS feeds along with the new look and ease of use is great.  I also appreciate the greater flexibility in categorizing e-mails.

The bottom line is that we've been able to incorporate cool new features and a cool new look into our products.  In XP I used to maximize every window I had open.  Now I want to see as many windows on my screen as possible because everything looks so slick.

I'll have updates on my experience as I go along (it has only been 2 days now as my exclusive home platform), but so far I am pretty impressed.  2007 looks like a great year for us.  And I really do stand behind that.  I have been buying our stock because I feel we are currently undervalued and do a large positive correction in our stock price that will hopefully come after the launch of Vista and Office 2007.