Windows Seven, the successor of Windows Vista is planned for 2010. If you haven't already upgraded to Microsoft's latest operating system, what are the chances to skip Windows Vista altogether, ride Windows XP for all it has to offer, and deploy directly Windows Seven? You will only have to exercise your patience for three more years. While this scenario could very well do for end users, having access to alternatives such as Linux and Mac OS X, analyst firm Gartner revealed that the option is not an viable alternative for the corporate environment.

"Microsoft is not sharing much information about Windows 7, except to say that it's about three years away. Enterprises should resist the temptation to await its debut and instead focus on moving forward with Vista.. Microsoft held a recent sales meeting at which it indicated that the next version of the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS), "Windows 7," is about three years away. When asked to confirm this, Microsoft stated to Gartner that it "is scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame, and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar"," stated Michael A. Silver, Gartner Research VP.

Under the leadership of Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, only a few details were made public about Windows Seven. In addition to the still abstract release date, Windows Seven will come in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions and will be a major Windows operating system, much in the same way as Windows Vista is. Waiting for Windows Seven could mean that Windows XP will be replaced all the way in mid 2011.

"Enterprises should not use this announcement as a reason to forgo a Windows Vista deployment. Instead, they should continue with plans for Vista. Many enterprises will start bringing in Vista between 4Q07 and 2Q08. Those trying to bring it in through attrition over a three-to-four-year period as they buy new PCs should know that the latest they can begin to bring Vista in on new PCs will be early 2009. Enterprises should also realize that they will be able to include Vista Service Pack 1, due in late 2007 or early 2008, in most mainstream deployments," Silver added.