Microsoft on Monday sought to avoid past mistakes by releasing the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Ecosystem Readiness Program. The program aims to help Microsoft’s partners prepare for the next versions of its software.
Independent hardware and software vendors, original equipment and device manufacturers, and developers will be able to ensure their products are compatible and use the features of Microsoft’s new software.
Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows product management, said Microsoft is engaging Windows 7 partners differently from the past. Previously, for example, Microsoft typically shared ideas that were final. Sometimes, he admitted, things would shift and make it difficult for partners to plan when they should begin developing products.
“We’ve learned a tremendous amount from these experiences. In response, we changed our approach to Windows 7, engaging with our partners early and planning with them in a more systematic way,” Nash said. “We had the opportunity not only to watch how our partners were using and developing for Windows, but also to get their input on what was important to them.”
Striving for Compatibility
Nash said the ecosystem program includes everything Microsoft’s partners need to make their products compatible and take advantage of new features that can make their products more desirable.
“Many of the investments we made for Windows 7 started with the development of Windows Vista, which contained a number of architectural changes that made it more secure than Windows XP. As most people know, these investments posed challenges as we changed some of the interfaces that applications and devices used to interact with Windows XP, which resulted in early compatibility issues with Windows Vista,” Nash said.
“The good news is that the great work by our partners has resulted in significant improvements in compatibility of applications and devices on Windows Vista. Additionally, the reliability and security investments we…