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I've wondered after doing several channel checks on Windows Vista adoption. The results, while arguably anecdotal, are grisly. Businesses aren't just taking their time deploying. Some early adopters have switched back to Windows XP.

Yesterday, I spoke with a VAR buddy who has several large clients in the Washington, DC metro area. His largest client, a sizable software developer, is sticking with XP because he demanded it. For a short time, the company president used Vista on a new, Sony VAIO T series notebook but later switched back to XP.

"Everyone—every single person—that I put on Vista has switched back to XP," he said. "It's too complicated."

From an administrator's perspective, my VAR buddy likes some Vista deployment tools, but he viciously complained about poor driver support, networking changes and end-user complaints about UAC (User Account Control) and Internet Explorer 7 security popups.

In this ringing Vista endorsement, one Microsoft Watch commenter claimed: "I'm an IT consultant and I'm proud to announce I've formatted 450 Windows Vista machines back to Windows XP to date. I have also prevented at least 1,000 Windows Vista sales."

I have talked to several system integrators, including Lee Nicholls, Global Solutions director for IT services-provider Getronics, who acknowledge at least some XP backpedaling by early Vista adopters.

Personally, I would never go back to using Windows XP, nor do I share some of the venom expressed about Windows Vista. But I do believe that Microsoft is paying dues for architectural changes, particularly around security, that have brought untoward hardship on customers, partners and the company itself. The circumstance is unfortunate, if correct. Improved security is one of the key benefits for switching to Vista. Businesses sticking with, or going back to, Windows XP will lose this important benefit.

In a recent Microsoft Watch podcast, David Cottingham, CDW's director of product and partner management, identified application incompatibility as the top area of IT concern when evaluating Windows Vista.

Vista architectural changes, particularly reduced user privileges, are to blame for much of the compatibility problems. These security changes also negatively impact hardware drivers.

No question, many businesses are evaluating Windows Vista, but "the numbers are low in terms of actual implementation," Cottingham said.

Nicholls agreed, cautioning Microsoft claims of big Vista license shipments don't reflect real-world deployments. "Most of the licenses are sitting around on the factory floor—OEM licenses on new PCs," he said. "We're still not expecting significant uptake for a few months."

Case in History

Enterprise Vista resistance does remind me of Windows XP in 2001 and 2002, even though circumstances are different. XP released about 18 months after Windows 2000, which many businesses had only started early deployments. Many IT organizations scoffed at XP's garish user interface and consumer-heavy features, like the bundled media player. Enterprise adoption picked up most following the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 in 2004. Many of the IT organization or channel complaints I hear about Vista remind me of Windows XP in the year following its launch.

With a difference: The return to Windows XP from Vista. Migration backward raises lots of questions, but public sentiment overlooks some important ones. The mitigating factor often overlooked has little to do with Vista. Windows XP stayed in the market for a long time. The ecosystem of applications, hardware, services and support is substantial. For many IT organizations, XP is a tried-and-true product—a trusted and known constant.

Many IT organizations are intolerant to change that disrupts the workflow. Windows Vista is a disruptive force. Pick a reason: Application incompatibility, hardware incompatibility, UAC popups or user resistance, among others. XP is familiar and, for many, feels safer.

Microsoft should be hugely concerned about the stability of the Windows XP ecosystem and the operating system's customer familiarity. Windows shouldn't become another WordPerfect.