OSNews speculates Longhorn Delayed Again – Who Wins?. “In the last few weeks, the tech industry has been buzzing with speculation that Microsoft’s next OS release, Longhorn, will not be ready for its planned 2006 unveiling. If the OS is put off until 2007, some competitors could win more profits, but many analysts say that software and hardware partners will face the most serious challenges and could end up losing more than they anticipated.”
The folks who coined the nickname “LongWait” might be proven right. If true, it could have good and bad effects. SysAdmins in the middle of a WinXP rollout will breathe a sigh of relief that they might get a break. OTOH, the claim that using a proprietary operating system gives you any more secure and reliable a roadmap than using free products might finally be put to a well-deserved rest. Planning based on vaporware, free or not, is risky. And buying one-year subscriptions with “guaranteed” upgrades is just a fool’s game.