Caution urged over Windows 7 move

Resellers warned that more than 80 per cent of applications could be incompatible with new operating system

Software developer ChangeBASE AOK has warned end users and channel firms that migration to Windows 7 could provide a major application compatibility headache.

Windows 7 is expected to be released within a year and ChangeBASE has warned that switching from XP straight to 7 will not circumvent compatibility issues present in Vista.

The London-based developer estimates that more than 80 per cent of applications could need some remediation to ensure compatibility with 7.

ChangeBASE has recently launched a suite of Windows 7 compatibility tools that test and fix issues.

The firm works with a handful of integrators, including Dimension Data. ChangeBASE managing director John Tate said: “We have half a dozen partners and will look to add a few more. Increasingly, our partners are going to win migration business because they will be cheaper, quicker and better.”

ChangeBASE’s software automates the process of application testing and aims to do away with months of manual work. Tate said his company was better prepared than it was for the launch of Vista.

“We are further ahead of the game this time because organisations want to start the planning process for moving to a new platform,” he said.

Issues around application compatibility contributed to Vista’s lack of popularity in the commercial world and some estimates put business uptake at less than five per cent.

Clive Longbottom, service director at analyst Quocirca, said he expects 7 to be considerably more popular. “People are ready to move and are realising that XP is not up to it these days,” he said.