From: Harneck Chilemba, Finance director, Tower Hamlets Community Housing
Sir – I was at Waterstons’ Windows 8 preview last year and was fascinated to see what a huge improvement it is from the XP platform (yes, some of us have resisted Vista and Windows 7). For those of us wedded to the Microsoft environment, Windows 8 is a real breakthrough in terms of transcending the world of mobile, tablet and PC connectivity we now live in. Microsoft should be congratulated.
After the preview (the presentation of which was a marvel in its own right), I was convinced that it is time to move on from XP. My only concern, and I doubt that I’m alone in this, is the shelf life of Windows 8. The reason we have stayed with XP for so long is that it was an excellent, versatile platform which was supported (well, patched) throughout its long life. Changing corporate operating systems is a hideously expensive affair which is why we were resistant to moving with Microsoft at each and every one of their whims in the recent past. It is also why I hope that Windows 8 will have as long a shelf life as XP, although something in me tells me ‘I should be so lucky’.
