As a Free and Open Source Software user and advocate, I’d obviously recommend any talk of an upgrade in software that involves Windows is about a shift from Windows to any Free and Open Source system. However, I also respect the user’s right to choice and if you choose or are locked into Microsoft software, then you should pick the most appropriate version for your needs.

Microsoft launched its new operating system (OS), Windows 7 in October 2009, which follows Windows XP from October 2001 and Vista in January 2007. With each new OS, Microsoft encourages users to upgrade to the new system. However, Windows Vista was plagued with problems that discouraged users from making the shift from XP. The question then is should you make the shift to Windows 7?

The answer is yes and no.

If you are using Vista, then you should be more inclined to consider the shift to Windows 7, because it appears that Microsoft has learnt from the mistakes of Vista to come up with a better OS. Some improvements in Windows 7 over Vista are listed here .

Regarding Windows XP, as a new software, Windows 7 has a much better look and feel as well as including components designed to match the developments in technology over the years. For this reason, you might want to upgrade. However, because Vista was such a disappointment, the improvements in Windows 7 over Windows XP are not as significant as one would expect given that XP is almost 10 years older. Surprisingly, for the ordinary computer user, it even out-performs Windows 7 in certain aspects. Another consideration for XP users is that you are using it on hardware designed for that OS and therefore a software upgrade to Windows 7 will also require a hardware upgrade to realise the best value from the new OS.

For more details, please read these articles for results and user comments on comparison tests between Windows 7, Vista and XP.

1. Windows 7 vs XP Performance Shoot-Out .

2. Windows XP vs Vista vs 7 .

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Prepared by the WOUGNET TechSupport Team.